Ramos, Jeffries Want More Parent Involvement in School Closures

One Newark mayoral candidate publicly expressed support for a proposed law that would prohibit the state from closing down city schools without the approval of the local school board, while another has called for an end to any more closures this year, the candidates said Tuesday.

North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos has thrown his support behind a bill introduced last week in Trenton specifically targeting school districts like Newark, which, along with Paterson and Jersey City, are operated by the state. Newark’s superintendent, Cami Anderson, is a state appointee.  

“I have said all along that the community must have a say whenever a school is proposed to be closed,” Ramos said. “It’s unfortunate that we’ve come to this point where we need state legislation to compel Newark Public Schools to engage the public.”

The bill was introduced in response to a district reorganization plan proposed by Anderson called One Newark, which calls for several schools -- including Weequahic High -- to be closed down or repurposed. The proposals have sparked outrage among many parents  opposed to the closures and who say they were not consulted.

A district spokesman, Matthew Frankel, declined to comment on Ramos's position Tuesday.

Another candidate, Shavar Jeffries, himself a former Newark Public Schools Advisory Board president, also decried the closings, calling for at least a temporary halt in the plan.  

“Newark families should not endure any further school closings this year. We are still transitioning from the last three rounds of painful closings and it would be unfair to our kids. Future decisions by the Newark superintendent of schools need to be made in concert with parents, children, and stakeholders,  not just communicated through the news media,” Jeffries said.