Newark Mayor Baraka congratulates Jersey City on regaining local control of schools

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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is congratulating the City of Jersey City and Mayor Steven Fulop for regaining local control of their public schools, stating that “The Brick City” needs to do the same. 

Ras Baraka

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“We wish to congratulate Mayor Steve Fulop and the citizens of Jersey City on their recent victory in the battle to regain local control of their public schools,” Baraka said in a statement.

“Like the City of Newark, public schools in Jersey City have been State-controlled for more than two decades. The State Board of Education clearly recognizes that this is no longer an effective policy for students, families or teachers.”

Fulop announced yesterday that the city is expected to regain full control of their public schools by early spring of next year, formally accepting back local control of the “operations” and “personnel/human relations” at a state Department of Education hearing Wednesday morning.

The state took over control of the Jersey City public schools in 1989, while the Newark public schools suffered the same fat in 1995.

“We need local control of our schools. Newark is currently experiencing a severe budget deficit due to the mismanagement of our public schools,” Baraka added.

“We wish to appeal to our State District Superintendent and the State Board of Education to help us to get this budget hole filled by returning it to the financial status that it maintained before the crisis created by the previous superintendent.”

After months of controversy, Cami Anderson was essentially forced to resign as Newark’s superintendent of schools in June, being replaced by former state DOE commissioner Chris Cerf in July (h/t NJ Advance Media)

“We hope that in 2016, like Jersey City, we will be able to celebrate the return of local control of Newark Public Schools to the citizens of Newark, so that we can continue to transform Newark into a City we can all believe in,” Baraka concluded.


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