• 5 percent of the units would be for people who earn 40 percent of the area median income.
• 5 percent of the units for those making 60 percent of the area median income
• 10 percent for those earning 80 percent of the area median income.

From his early days as an educator, Mayor Baraka has led the charge to wrest control of the Newark Public Schools from the State of New Jersey and return it to the citizens of our City. Now, after a two-plus-decade-old struggle, the City of Newark is even closer to realizing this landmark effort.

Department of Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington sent a letter to Superintendent Chris Cerf recommending that both Instruction and Program and Governance be returned to local control. Commissioner Harrington based this recommendation on the “positive trend” reflected in the most recent Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) district performance review. While the transition to local control is still several months away, Mayor Baraka said that this change must be followed by the full involvement of residents in planning for the future of Newark public schools. This is his statement:

“The vote by the State Board of Education to certify Newark’s QSAC scores and the recommendation by New Jersey Education Commissioner Harrington for the return local control to the Newark school board in the areas of Governance and Program and Instruction mark the beginning of a long fought for era of self-determination for Newark residents, who will now exercise the same rights to govern their schools as all other United States residents. Reaching this milestone is the culmination of years of struggle by parents, students, educators, and community activists. Time has shown that the State control has not improved our schools. As authority returns to our local school board, ultimately it is the residents, particularly the parents and caretakers of Newark’s children, who must seize this moment to forge new conversations and actions that focus on building up our school district for the students of today and future generations of Newarkers.

We look forward to a transparent transition process that fully involves Newark residents in the planning and implementation of the future of our schools. As Mayor, I began listening to and talking to residents about local control through a series of town halls during the winter months, in an organized effort to collectively envision the education that we will provide our children. These conversations are continuing through the efforts of my office partnered with the Newark Trust for Education and multiple stakeholders throughout the City.

The reality is that the acquisition of local control is not a panacea; there will be multiple challenges, both fiscal and organizational, but they are our challenges to overcome, and if we work together in the City, they are not insurmountable.

My office will be actively involved to ensure that the voices of Newarkers are represented in the transition planning and implementation process and that the process is transparent and well communicated to residents.  The coming year will not be easy. It will involve forging of new relationships, of working together for a common cause, of keeping our eyes on the prize, and ultimately, developing the groundwork for the development of an education system that better meets the needs of Newark’s children and their families.”