President of National Teachers Union to Take Part in Newark Schools Rally Monday

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, is among those scheduled to speak Monday in Newark at the “National Day of Action to Reclaim the Promise of Education,” one of a series of similar events taking place across the country that organizers said is designed to focus attention on the challenges facing public schools.

In Newark, the specific focus will  be on issues related to school funding and the return of local control after nearly 20 years of state management.

“It is vital that those closest to the education process—teachers, administrators, school staff, students and their parents and community members—must have a voice in education policy and practice,” organizers said in a statement.  “Top-down reforms, like those that have been instituted in Newark for the past 18 years, do not address the real needs of schools or students.”

Also among those scheduled to take part Monday are Mayor Luis Quintana, labor organizations, the NAACP and the presidents of the Newark Schools Advisory Board, the Newark Teachers Union and the Newark Students Union.