State Closing Newark School For Poor Performance, Mismanagement

Citing problems ranging from financial mismanagement to poor academic instruction, the state Department of Eduction is shutting down a city charter school serving grades 6 to 8 less than a year after it was founded.

The charter for the 100 Legacy Academy Charter School is being revoked effective June 28, the state told the school’s board of trustees in an April 11 letter.

The school's management can appeal the decision in court.

100 Legacy and other charter schools are an alternate to the traditional public school system, free from some administrative requirements seen in district public schools, thereby permitting innovative methods intended to boost student performance. In Newark and across the state charter schools are part of the public school system. 

The state began receiving complaints from parents about 100 Legacy, which was founded in August 2012, shortly after the school opened the doors at its Morton Street campus. The school serves students from Newark and Irvington.

In response to those complaints, the school was placed on probation Jan. 25 and ordered to come up with a remediation plan. But inspectors conducting site visits in February and March still found the institution lacking.

“Students were observed with their heads down” on their desks and were “frequently disengaged and disruptive”, while “lessons lacked rigor and measurable outcomes,” Evo Popoff wrote to Michael Clarke, the president of the school’s board of trustees.

State inspectors also said special education students were being underserved and that conditions overall had actually gotten worse since the school was placed on probation in January. 

"While we at the Newark Charter School Fund are disappointed to see any school fail, we also believe it's important to close failing schools, whether they are charter or district schools,” said Mashea Ashton, CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund.  “This commitment to excellence is an integral element of our partnership with the district, and helps ensure we are fulfilling our shared mission to provide all Newark children with access to high-quality education.”

In the 2011-12 school year, 15 percent of Newark schoolchildren were being educated in charter schools, according to the Newark Charter School Fund. There are currently 22 charter schools serving Newark students, about a quarter of New Jersey’s total.