Schools

Plans to Restructure Newark School District Finalized

Miller Street, Spencer schools no longer up for closure in September

Controversial plans to close and consolidate Miller Street and Louise A. Spencer schools next school year is off the table, Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson announced Monday, along with several other finalized changes to the historic "expanded options" plan that will restructure New Jersey's largest school district.

Surrounded by local politicians, community leaders and school officials at Quitman Street Community School, Anderson said the final decision to exclude Miller and Spencer from the plans for the 2012-13 school year was the result of "prioritizing."

"This time, this round, we decided to focus on those (schools) that we felt were the most persistently underperforming," she said, adding that there are about 20 schools that are failing. "Miller and Spencer, while they are struggling, don't fit into that category."

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Parents have saying students at the school have scored higher than the district median in state tests and that enrollment has been steady.

Anderson said test scores and achievement gaps at both schools, including deteriorating building conditions at Miller, remain concerns that will be monitored next year. She did not say if closing Miller and Spencer schools could be on the table again for the 2013-14 year.

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"There are a lot of schools in those tiers and we've done a ton of things beyond renewals. We're doing a lot across that are not just about the renewal schools and I would imagine that you would start to see schools on the move.

"Any one that is stuck at 25 to 40 percent proficiency three, four, five years in a row, as far as I'm concerned, we need to be thinking seriously about how we ensure they do right by our kids," she said.

In early February, Anderson publicly outlined plans to reorganize Newark Public Schools system, a, the creation of two new, same-gender high schools and the expansion of  magnet school and pre-kindergarten programs.

Several changes were made to the comprehensive plan following more than 100 meetings between school officials and community members over a six-week period.

Now, six schools will close (18th Avenue, Burnet Street, Dayton and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the relocation of annexes Barringer 9 and West Side National Academy of Finance to their respective schools) and students will be moved to existing buildings to form eight "renew schools." (See list below.)

"Renew schools" have a target of 50 percent proficiency rate within two years, 75 percent in four years, an increase from the current average of 20 percent.

Students at Dayton Avenue School will attend Peshine Avenue School, instead of having the choice of being bused to either Peshine or Chancellor Avenue School.

Job postings for available principal positions at the eight "renew schools" will be released Thursday, and principals and staff will be chosen in early spring. Noting a nine percent decline in enrollment over the past three years, Anderson said there will likely be an excess of staff following the consolidations but that, by law, unplaced teachers are entitled to some kind of position within the district. Incentives may be provided to district principals and teachers that apply for a position at a "renew school."

The district will look to lease vacant space to existing charter schools in Newark, said Anderson, though no formal negotiations have taken place thus far.

"Leasing for next year is definitely on the table with partners who've gotten great results, who agree to share their data and agree to be measured the same way we measure our schools …" she said.

The reorganization plan has garnered support from community leaders and politicians, many of whom spoke Monday about having a renewed sense of hope in Newark's educational future.

"Now we have a bold plan to deal with what we should be feeling – a sense of shame," said Newark Mayor Cory Booker. "Our children didn't let us down. They didn't fail us, we failed them."

Also in attendance at Quitman were officials from Foundation for Newark's Future and the Newark Education Trust, State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), The Rev. Dr. David Jefferson Sr., pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, and several school board members, a combination of public figures that will help engage the community and provide philanthropic resources, like mentorships and after-school programs, Anderson said.

"It feels like in some ways we've been rowing in different directions, so the chance to get everyone rowing in the same direction … will make it far more likely that we make significant, not incremental, progress," said Anderson.

More details of the "expanded options" plan

The following are renew schools:

  • 13th Avenue school building: Will serve students zoned for Martin Luther King Jr. and 13th Avenue School schools
  • Peshine Avenue school building: Will serve students zoned for Dayton Street and Peshine Elementary School schools. Students from Dayton will move as a cohort.
  • Chancellor Avenue School: Will serve students zoned for Chancellor Avenue (grade 3-8) and Chancellor Avenue Annex (grades 1-2) schools
  • Camden Elementary: Will become a renew school with current student population
  • Sussex Avenue school building: Will serve students zoned for 18th Avenue, Burnet Street and Sussex Avenue schools
  • Quitman Street school building: Will serve students zoned for 18th Avenue, Burnet Street and Quitman Street schools
  • Newton Street school building: Will serve students zoned for 18th Avenue, Burnet Street and Newton Street schools
  • Cleveland Avenue school building: Will serve students zone for 18th Avenue, Burnet Street and Cleveland Avenue schools

Expanded pre-kindergarten programs

Early childhood programs in the South and West Wards will be expanded by 15 percent capacity. Clinton Avenue Early Childhood center will add 135 to 180 new seats in the South Ward. In the West Ward, old Speedway School will be revamped into a new early childhood center with 60 seats.

Creation of new high schools

Two same-gender, public high schools will also open in September, Young Women's Leadership Academy and


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