Chalkbeat

Newark Teachers Union’s tentative new contract calls for 4.5% raises, $65,000 starting salary

2024-05-24T17:36:32+00:00

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The Newark Teachers Union has reached a tentative five-year agreement with the Newark Board of Education that would offer a higher starting salary for new teachers of $65,000, 4.5% average annual raises, and more say from educators on decisions involving curriculum and school budgets, among other provisions.

Union and district officials say the contract’s terms were jointly agreed on with the goal of attracting new teachers and retaining current ones in the district — an ongoing issue school systems face across the country.

“We need to create a destination district,” said John Abeigon, the union’s president of nine years, in a phone interview with Chalkbeat Newark on Friday. “Money attracts new educators but professionalism and respect keeps them here. Moving forward, a lot of decision making will involve classroom teachers.”

Informational sessions are set to be held over the next week, culminating in a scheduled ratification vote from 7,000 members on June 6, just ahead of the current contract’s expiration at the end of next month.

The union began negotiations in January and met weekly with the district to reach the terms of the tentative agreement, which outlines 4.5% average annual raises for the five years of the contract, with additional increases for teachers with master’s or doctoral degrees, or those with 35 or more years of service.

In 2022, the district and union re-opened the current contract, which had been ratified in 2019, to increase the starting salary for new teachers from $55,500 to $62,000 as the district faced staffing struggles linked to COVID.

Under the newly proposed deal, the new starting salary would be $65,000 and reach $74,000 in the fifth year of the contract. There would also be salary increases for non-instructional staff, substitutes, and hourly-pay employees, though Abeigon did not specify what the raises would be in those areas.

Superintendent Roger León and school board members congratulated the union members and negotiating teams on the tentative contract at the board meeting on Thursday.

“If our teachers are happy and healthy, they are better able to serve and provide a high quality education to our students,” said co-vice president Vereliz Santana. “The data proves that [teachers] are probably the most singularly important factor as it relates to academic outcomes.”

A new aspect of the tentative agreement would allow classroom teachers to be invited to participate in committee meetings where curricula are decided on and budgetary matters at the school level are discussed, Abeigon said.

Teachers will be given a seat at the table and have a say in the direction the district takes, he added.

“By the time we’ve implemented this for ten years, I predict you won’t even recognize the district,” he said. “We’ll have teachers who have been involved, who are informed, and who have skin in the game. They’ll be given a reason to stay.”

The contract also proposes a new child study committee team to ensure social workers and other employees have more reasonable caseloads and schedules, the union noted in a press release email on Friday.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten praised the agreement in a statement included in the Friday press release.

“This Newark tentative contract agreement is a transformative document charting out a cultural shift of educators and district officials working together on the educational strategies, policies and practices that will actually make a difference for students,” Weingarten said.

Clarification: May 28, 2024: The story was updated to clarify that the 4.5% annual raises are an average. Depending on the step in the teacher salary guide, some members may be eligible for slightly higher or lower increases.

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

Newark teacher pathway program brings community support to aspiring educators

2023-09-22T17:00:20+00:00

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Tricia Alcaraz is a proud first-grade teacher, but her journey into the classroom came with long nights of studying, financial worries, tests – and support from a Newark nonprofit.

A single mother from Trinidad, Alcaraz always wanted to work with children. After trying pediatric nursing and running her own daycare, she spent 15 years working in New York City schools. She started as a paraprofessional and worked her way up to a teaching role while taking college classes, but she was never a fully certified teacher. In 2021, she bought her first home and moved across the Hudson River.

With a mortgage on her mind and bills mounting, Alcaraz spent six months applying to teaching jobs in New Jersey as she navigated the certification process. With years of classroom experience and a master’s degree in early childhood education, Alcaraz was offered a two-year teacher associate contract by Great Oaks Legacy Charter School in Newark, and needed to earn her credentials in the state during that time.

A Newark nonprofit called Gateway U helped her get across the finish line.

“I absolutely needed it,” said Alcaraz about the nonprofit, which offers college-degree programs and an accelerated teacher pathway program that helps aspiring teachers by providing wraparound services and study materials as they prepare for their required exams. “I was going through some financial stuff and other issues but they took personal interest in me to make sure that everything was going good.”

As school districts across New Jersey struggle to fill teaching positions and retain staff, observers say programs like those at Gateway U could help potential educators who face financial struggles or other barriers land certified teaching roles.

“As a former school leader, I think about the talent I would have had to pass up,” said Saymah Nah, Gateway U executive director. “Lots of people in our community have a knack for teaching but some don’t have the resources to make a career out of it. The biggest reason being their finances.”

During the 2020-21 school year, New Jersey reported teacher shortages in math, science, world languages, special education, vocational training, and English as a second language. Newark faces shortages of bilingual and special education teachers.

Newark Public Schools started this school year with 77 teaching vacancies and 400 new teachers, according to district spokesperson Nancy Deering.

Great Oaks Legacy Charter School, where Alcaraz is a first grade teacher, has 166 teaching positions and they’ve hired a total of 84 new teachers for this school year. Five other Great Oak staff members participated in Gateway U’s program, “a partner in finding talent and supporting people’s passions for teaching,” said Jared Taillefer, executive director at the charter network.

Alcaraz joined the summer pilot of the teacher pathway program where she joined 15 other students in a six-week intensive “bootcamp” to prepare for certification exams and get help completing the rest of her requirements.

The accelerated pathway program is designed for people like Alcaraz, local degree-holding school staff looking to become eligible for full-time teaching positions in the state.

“With the right partners, the right model, and support, we can come together to really make change and develop sustainable solutions to the teacher shortage,” Nah said.

“Everything I could cut out was beneficial”

Gateway U’s teacher program includes two pathways: one for students who have college degrees and one for school staff who need academic support to earn bachelor’s degrees.

In order to become a teacher in the Garden State, future educators must earn a bachelor’s degree, complete a teacher preparation program, pass certification exams, and complete student-teaching requirements.

Alcaraz started her second year of teaching in New Jersey this school year and since her New York teaching certification did not transfer over, she wasn’t sure what requirements she needed to fulfill.

One of the ways Gateway U recruits candidates is through school leaders who nominate “exceptional individuals who need to be in front of kids,” said Kwame Floyd, a consultant and senior advisor for Gateway U.

Alcaraz was referred to the teacher pathway program by her school’s principal, and then screened to ensure she met the requirements, including at least two years of school-based experience, a college degree, and a 3.0 grade point average.

After being accepted into the accelerated program, Alcaraz learned what she needed to complete her teaching requirements and received personalized support as she prepared for her certification exams in English, reading, and math. The program also covered her test fees.

Alcaraz completed her student teaching requirements over the summer and said Gateway U’s program gave her the flexibility to fit everything into her schedule. She also received food assistance and program staff checked in on her every week.

“There are so many exams I didn’t know about and I wasn’t aware of what I needed to take,” Alcaraz added. “I’m a single mom, so everything I could cut out was beneficial.”

Diversifying the teacher workforce

Of the 16 students in this year’s summer pilot program, 95% identified as individuals of color. Gateway U targets recruitment to both diversify the teaching force in Newark and support minorities in getting college degrees.

Studies have shown that a diverse teaching workforce allows students to connect with educators from different backgrounds and gives teachers a chance to work and learn from each other.

A Newark native, Nah said the teacher pathway program is a way to help future educators get into the classrooms quicker and without thousands of dollars in debt.

Many Gateway U candidates come from low-income backgrounds or are the first in their families to go to college. Alcaraz was among the first in her family to go to college and buy a home.

Some Gateway U participants need help accessing an affordable college-degree program, housing assistance, childcare, and other services outside of their career goals, Nah said. Gateway U also offers students an opportunity to earn a degree for no more than $7,000 per year, through a partnership with Southern New Hampshire University, a private, accredited non-profit college.

“There are so many organizations out there but people don’t really know about them,” Nah added. “This is about breaking down silos and bringing everything together so people can navigate life easier.”

In January, Gateway U will welcome its second cohort to the accelerated program where over the course of 12 weeks, participants will meet in person at its student center in downtown Newark and virtually to work on preparing for their teaching requirements. Interested applicants must apply by October 20.

Alcaraz is grateful for the program’s support as she moved her life to New Jersey. Her ultimate goal is to obtain a degree in special education — something she hopes to pursue once her finances get better.

“I just love kids. I feel like this is the time, the most delicate time in their life and they need caring, nurturing people who are genuinely interested in their education,” Alcaraz added.

Clarification: Sept. 29, 2023: The story was clarified to show that the Gateway U program offers wraparound services and study materials to help local school staff and future educators in their pursuit of becoming a licensed teacher in New Jersey. Gateway U alone will not lead to educator certification.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newark announces new principals for elementary, high schools. Is your school’s leader changing?

2023-07-25T18:06:28+00:00

More than half of the 10 new principals for the upcoming school year in Newark Public Schools are women of color, and most of them have worked their way up through the ranks in the district’s schools.

Eight of the new principals are at elementary schools and two will work at high schools. Combined, the new principals bring decades of experience. Some are first-time principals, and others are veteran educators and administrators in the district.

Other leadership changes include four new vice principals at four elementary schools and three teacher coaches at three elementary schools.

Candidates for principal roles “undergo a lengthy process and are recommended by the Superintendent to the Newark Board of Education,” according to Nancy Deering, the district’s acting communications director.

They must complete an application for the position, and interview with multiple departments and staff members before a final interview with Superintendent Roger León, Deering added.

This year’s reorganization of leaders follows previous efforts to create teacher-to-leader pipelines and elevate people of color into principal and vice principal positions. Eight of the 10 principal promotions are for women of color, while two are for men, including a Black man.

After last school year’s ousting of two first-year principals and this year’s demotion of Avon Avenue Elementary School’s first-year principal to a teacher, Newark Public Schools’ ability to support new school leaders is under scrutiny.

The new leaders must also work to create inclusive spaces, as they work in a district where Latino and Black students make up more than 90% of the student body.

Last fall, parents at the Newark School of Global Studies called for the removal of principal Nelson Ruiz after students, staff, and parents grew frustrated with the way Ruiz responded to complaints of racial harassment from Black students and staff at the school. Ruiz remains in his role this year.

The district will continue to make appointments and announcements about new hires as needed, Deering added.

Here’s a list of leadership changes taking effect for the 2023-24 school year:

New teacher coaches at three elementary schools

Aleiyah Richardson, a former academic interventionist, was promoted to a teacher coach at Speedway Elementary School with a salary of $66,000 as of July 1.

Gina Lee, a former academic interventionist, was promoted to a teacher coach at Elliot Street Elementary School with a salary of $107,050 as of July 1.

Michelle Lambeth, a former math teacher, was promoted to a teacher coach at McKinley Elementary School with a salary of $64,000 as of July 1.

Four new vice principals take over

Camille Reid, a former teacher coach, was promoted to vice principal of Thirteenth Avenue School with a salary of $103,700 as of July 1.

Germaine Jenkins, a former teacher coach, was promoted to vice principal of McKinley Elementary School with a salary of $103,700 as of July 1.

Jessica Columbo Pereria, a former academic interventionist, was promoted to vice principal of Ironbound Academy Elementary School with a salary of $103,700 as of July 1.

Terrence Daniel, a former elementary school teacher, was promoted to vice principal of Mount Vernon Elementary School with a salary of $103,700 as of July 1.

10 new principals lead Newark schools

At the high school level, Dr. David Cutts, a former English teacher at Bard High School, will replace the school’s former principal, Carla Stephens, who led the school since 2017. An English native from South Yorkshire, Cutts joined the district in 2012 after working as a professor at Southampton College on Long Island, which has since closed, and Princeton University’s English Department.

Natasha Pared, formerly a principal at Rafael Hernandez Elementary School, will replace Jose Aviles, who led Barringer High School since 2019.

At the elementary school level, Ryan Silver will be the first principal for the new Nelson Mandela Elementary School opening in the fall. The school, located at the former University Heights Charter School, will be led by Silver, a district alum and Newark native. The new school is enrolling students in pre-K-4, and is part of the district’s broader plan to open more schools and expand others.

Isabel Marques is the new principal at Ann Street Elementary School. Marques was previously a vice principal at the pre-K-8 school, where she focused on math, science, and middle schoolers. She is an educator with 22 years of experience, 20 of which have been in the district. She was promoted with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1.

Kinyetta Bird was promoted to principal of Avon Avenue with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. She is a former vice principal in the district and has eight years of experience working in Newark Public Schools, according to her LinkedIn profile. She will replace former first-year principal Krishna Dalal Barroso, who was promoted as Avon’s principal last year and will be a teacher at Belmont Runyon Elementary School starting this fall.

Marvelis Perreira is the new principal at Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School, one of the most densely populated schools in the city’s North Ward. She replaces former principal, Hamlet Marte, who led the school since 2019. She brings over 20 years of expertise in instructional leadership and experience as a Newark principal and vice principal. She was promoted to principal of the school with a salary of $141,700 starting July 1.

Newark native Diane Pereira was promoted to principal of Lafayette Street Elementary School with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. She is the former vice principal at the school and brings 25 years of experience as a bilingual teacher, a math teacher, and an administrator. She began her career at Lafayette Street as a student teacher in 1998.

Jessica Rios is the new principal at Rafael Hernández Elementary School and former vice principal at Early Childhood School North for four years where she mentored teachers and led professional development, according to her bio on the district’s website. Previously, she won Newark Public Schools Superintendent’s Educator Excellence Award.

Raised in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, Daniella Alvarez is the new principal at Salomé Ureña Elementary School and the former vice principal at Wilson Avenue School. Alvarez is also a graduate of Wilson Avenue and Science High School. Previously, she worked as a summer school lead principal overseeing 15 summer school sites.

A West Ward native, Thalia Brownridge-Smith is the new principal of Thirteenth Avenue School and former vice principal at Louise A. Spencer Elementary School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a double minor in African-American Studies and anthropology. She received her master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.

Newly appointed Science Park principal faces allegations in ongoing discrimination lawsuit

2022-09-01T17:46:22+00:00

The newly appointed principal at Science Park High School is facing allegations in an ongoing lawsuit of discrimination, making racist comments, and creating a hostile and retaliatory work environment at a previous Newark school.

In the lawsuit filed in 2019, Marcia Harris, then a first grade teacher at Sussex Avenue School, claims Darleen Gearhart, a former principal at the elementary school, harassed and retaliated against her for more than a year while she worked under her leadership. Christopher Constantino, a former administrator at the same school, is also named in the lawsuit.

NPS spokesperson Nancy Deering said the district does not comment on pending litigation. Gearhart and Constantino did not respond to requests for a comment on the ongoing case.

Gearhart, who was appointed as Science Park principal over the summer, is accused in the lawsuit of making “numerous racist comments” in front of Harris, other Sussex Avenue School employees, and students at the elementary school. The lawsuit also alleges Gearhart referred to the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song often called the Black national anthem, as “disrespectful” on at least one occasion.

David Michelson, one of the attorneys representing Harris in the case, called Gearhart’s appointment to Science Park “alarming.” Harris, an NPS teacher since 2013, was not available to comment due to her pending case.

Harris “feels like the district didn’t take what happened seriously and that is really the alarming part of all of this,” Michelson said. “Gearhart was just moved to another school. Everything was swept under the rug and they have never really acknowledged anything that happened when she was running that school.”

Gearhart, who is white, replaced former principal Kycied Zahir, who is Black. According to 2019 district data, 47% of Science Park students identify as Hispanic and 34% as Black.

Gearhart’s appointment comes amid concerns over principal turnover in the district after first-year predecessors were ousted from their positions. It also comes as the departure of vice principals and leadership of color raises questions about district officials’ stated goal of elevating people of color to leadership positions, especially men. Gearhart also faces challenges in the highly selective magnet school that has been accused of underenrolling Black students.

“The lawsuit is, at this point, preparing to go in front of the judge and then go to trial,” Michelson added.

In the allegations against Constantino, the lawsuit states he began harassing Harris in September 2017. He would enter Harris’s classroom without any work-related purpose “to taunt and harass her,” according to the lawsuit, which says at least one teacher’s aide witnessed the physical and verbal harassment. When Harris complained about Constantino, he allegedly became more aggressive, the suit states.

On Sept. 28, 2018, Constantino allegedly approached Harris “in a confrontational manner,” got into her face, and threatened, “Are you ready to rumble?” the lawsuit says. Harris claims she was then retaliated against with a “Letter of Warning – Insubordination” because she used “district email during the instructional time” to inform superiors about the alleged threat.

Shortly after, Harris went on family and medical leave and, when she returned, her assigned classroom aides were never replaced, the lawsuit read. Gearhart further retaliated against Harris by leaving her alone to supervise a room of 14 children, some as young as 3, in violation of New Jersey laws on staff-to-child ratios, according to the lawsuit.

“Harris still finds it very troubling that when she complained that students weren’t getting the best services that they could be getting, the response from the Gearhart administration was to bully and intimidate and punish her for speaking off rather than to be responsive to her concerns,” Michelson said.

The district’s affirmative action officer Keith Barton became involved in the situation but ultimately directed Gearhart to mediate the situation, the lawsuit claims. In February 2019, Gearhart, assistant superintendent Kathy Duke-Jackson, and Harris held an impromptu meeting to alleviate tensions between Gearhart and Harris to no avail, the lawsuit states.

After speaking with the Newark teachers union, Harris began to send daily emails to Gearhart and Duke-Jackson about having no aides in her classroom but ultimately, Gearhart told her to only email her about the matter, the lawsuit states.

In July 2019, Harris was reassigned from a preschool teacher to a first grade teacher. She is still employed by NPS as a teacher. Her lawsuit is pending a hearing with a judge.

“For the past several years, they moved her to a different grade level and she expressed that she didn’t want to be teaching that,” Michelson said. “The person who made the decision to do that was Gearhart.”

In addition to alleging a hostile work environment, Harris is claiming violations of New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination and the state’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act, also known as the whistleblower law.

Correction: Sep. 2, 2022: A previous version of this story said Gearhart, who is white, replaced former Science Park principal Angela Mincy, who is Black. Gearhart replaced Kycied Zahir, not Mincy.

Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org

Ten new principals to take the helm at Newark schools

2022-07-01T19:38:38+00:00

The Newark school board recently approved 13 internal leadership promotions, two outside appointments for vice principal positions, and four resignations of top administrators in the latest staffing shake-up for the district.

It’s unclear if the shuffling of school leaders will pay off as the district heads into another unprecedented year that will focus attention on how Newark helps students and educators recover from the learning disruptions of the last three academic years.

The departure of vice principals of color runs contrary to district officials’ repeated goal of elevating people of color to leadership positions, especially men.

And after the recent ousting of two first-year principals, the promotion of 10 first-time principals could cause some concern or, at the least, hint to district officials that support is greatly needed during that transition.

School board president Dawn Haynes said in an email this week that the district would provide that necessary support.

Ten of the 13 promotions are for principal positions at elementary and high schools, mostly going to educators who have worked their way up through the ranks in the district. Two promotions are for vice principal positions at elementary schools and one promotion is for a special assistant to the student leadership team.

The district announced the 10 new principals in an email this week, which, notably, did not include the replacements for the principals at Science Park and Newark Vocational high schools who were removed after one year.

“I am thrilled to announce one of the most diverse group of principal candidates to be named principal for school year 2022-23,” Superintendent Roger León said in the email.

León called the promotions “a shining example of internal mobility at its best” and said that school leadership teams helped with the hiring process.

All candidates for the principal positions met with community members, students, staff, and León as part of the interview process, district spokeswoman Nancy Deering wrote in the announcement.

“Being a principal is the most important leadership role in our schools and we look forward to providing the support needed to be successful,” Haynes said.

A study released in June suggests principal turnover can lead to teacher turnover, and at a time when schools are facing a detrimental teacher shortage, it could cause serious strains on students and educators.

“Principals hire significantly more teachers who persist after they have led their first school for five or more years,” read the findings of the study, which followed 11,717 Texas principals from 1999 to 2017.

The study also showed that principals who enter an “unstable school,” or a school with less than 69% retention in the two years prior to the principal’s arrival, and stay for five years, can counteract prior instability.

Data from the New Jersey Department of Education shows that 87.5% of Newark administrators stayed in their role between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, a lower retention rate than the statewide average of 89.7%.

Here’s a list of leadership changes taking effect ahead of the 2022-23 school year, including resignations, that the school board approved at recent meetings.

Promotions

Vice principals

Kishanda Montes, one of two vice principals at South 17th Street School, was promoted to the student leadership team as special assistant at a salary of $125,000.

Denise Rawding, a math teacher coach in the district, was promoted to a vice principal position at Roberto Clemente Elementary with a salary of $103,763.

Sandy Ferreira, a teacher coach in the district, was promoted to a vice principal position at Benjamin Franklin School with a salary of $95,319.

Principals

Margaret Murray, who was most recently a vice principal at East Side High School and held other positions in the school throughout her 20-year tenure, was promoted to principal of American History High School with a salary of $134,100 effective July 1. She studied at the University of Illinois, Columbia University’s Teachers College, and University of Phoenix.

Krishna Dalal Barroso was most recently vice principal at Avon Avenue School for eight years. Barroso was promoted to principal of Avon Avenue with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. Barroso studied at Seton Hall University and Rutgers University.

Filipa Alexandra Silva was most recently vice principal of Salomé Ureña Elementary School. She was promoted to principal of Dr. E. Alma Flagg Elementary School with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. Silva studied at Drew University, St. Elizabeth College, and Grand Canyon University.

Carlos M. Rodriguez, who was most recently a vice principal at East Side High School, was promoted to principal of East Side with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. He studied at Kean University and Saint Peter’s University.

Andres Barquin was most recently special assistant to the North Ward Leadership Team and previously served as an after school programs director. He was promoted to principal of Elliot Street School with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. Barquin studied at Thomas Edison State College, Grand Canyon University, and Caldwell College.

Erica L. Paich most recently served as director of enrollment for the district for two years. She was promoted to principal of Ironbound Academy Elementary School, a new school opening this fall, with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. Paich studied at Rutgers University, Kean University, and Rowan University.

Daniel Guerra, who most recently served as a vice principal at Elliot Street School, was promoted to principal of Luis Muñoz Marin School with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. Guerra studied at Essex County College, Montclair State University, and John Hopkins University.

Lynnette Dortrait has served as a vice principal at Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School for the last three years. She was promoted to principal of McKinley Elementary School with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. Dortrait studied at Rider University and St. Peter’s University.

Courtney R. Johnson, who most recently served as special assistant of the high school leadership team, was promoted to principal of Quitman Community School with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. Johnson studied at the College of New Jersey, Capella University, and New Jersey City University.

Tiffany Wicks, who most recently served as a vice principal at Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School, was promoted to principal of that school with a salary of $134,100 starting July 1. Wicks studied at Caldwell University, Montclair State University, and Seton Hall University.

Appointments

Roberta Washington, who was an assistant principal in the Orange Public Schools district, was appointed to a vice principal position at Belmont Runyon School with a salary of $120,651 effective Aug. 30.

Kevin Williams, who was an assistant principal at Irvington High School this past school year, was appointed to vice principal of Central High School with a salary of $133,000 effective Aug. 30 .

Resignations

Norma Diaz, who was one of four vice principals at Barringer High School, resigned from her position effective June 24, the last day of school.

Mariama Sesay-St.Paul, who was the vice principal of curriculum and instructions, the autism program, and the health and physical education program at American History High School, resigned from her position effective June 30.

Shannon Crowell-Edghill, one of four vice principals at Lafayette Street School, resigned effective June 30.

Krystal Allbright, one of three vice principals at Peshine Avenue School, resigned effective June 30.

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

Newark raises pay for veteran and rookie teachers amid staffing crunch

2022-06-03T00:14:06+00:00

The Newark Board of Education and the district teachers union agreed to raise the starting salary for new teachers to $62,000 starting next school year, as part of a deal that includes across-the-board teacher pay increases amid staffing struggles linked to COVID.

Raising the starting salary for new teachers with a bachelor’s degree by $6,500, and by $4,500 for new teachers with a master’s degree, will make the district “one of the most competitive urban school systems in the northeast,” Superintendent Roger León said in a Thursday email announcing the increases.

Meanwhile, more experienced teachers making under $62,000 will get pay increases to match the new starting salary for first-time teachers. Teachers making over $62,000 will receive pay increases of $1,000 over the next two years, according to the new agreement.

“These new salaries will attract fresh talent and at the same time foster retention by increasing the salaries of experienced teachers,” León said in the email.

Due to a “reopening provision” in the Newark Teachers Union contract that allows for the union and district to renegotiate salaries in emergencies, the two parties were able to discuss increasing the starting salary for new teachers as a recruitment strategy. An already small pool of teaching candidates that dwindled further during the pandemic, and the more-competitive salaries offered by other districts, created an emergency situation under the terms of the contract.

The current contract runs through the 2023-24 school year, and negotiations over a new deal are set to begin in January.

For months, the district has had trouble filling vacant teaching positions. It started the school year with 120 instructional vacancies, and began the final month of the school year with 95. A number of teachers also left the district for better paying positions, said John Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union.

“We would see three, four, sometimes five resignations in a single week throughout the year,” Abeigon said, though he couldn’t provide an exact number of resignations. “At that rate, we weren’t going to have any teachers left.”

The increases across the board would bump up Newark Public Schools’ median salary for teachers. As of the 2019-20 school year, the median teacher salary was $65,618 for Newark, which is lower than nearby districts in Essex County, including $72,631 for Belleville, $86,944 for East Orange, $73,085 for Irvington, and $77,368 for Montclair, state data show.

Newark’s new hires in critical areas — such as science, math, special education, bilingual education, and English as a second language — will also be eligible for a $4,000 signing bonus, León said. District employees can also get a $1,000 bonus for referring a new teacher that is successfully on-boarded.

The decision to bump up the pay for Newark teachers follows the district’s plan to hire retired teachers to help fill open positions. In April, the state approved the district’s request to hire retired teachers under a new state law. More than 40 retired teachers had expressed interest in returning to the district at the time.

Newark has also started a teacher pipeline program that encourages high school students to pursue a teaching career and promises a teaching contract with the district after graduating with their bachelor’s degrees.

Newark’s difficulty with attracting and retaining teachers is not new, Abeigon said.

“Our warnings to the district to raise the starting salary pre-date COVID, but the pandemic made it abundantly clear that it was needed,” he said. “Other districts have better salaries and less burdensome conditions than Newark. We have to make it competitive.”

Abeigon said León has also agreed to meet with union members to discuss other ways to boost morale among teachers, and reduce their workload.

Shrinking hiring pool

Earlier this week, the state Board of Education unanimously approved policies that could help widen the pool of prospective teachers by providing an alternate route for those whose grade point averages or standardized test scores fall short of the requirement. Under the new policies, those candidates would receive mentoring and take courses in teaching to earn a standard teaching certificate.

Several staffing problems are growing in the state’s schools. A new report released Thursday shows New Jersey has a shrinking hiring pool, a surge in retirements, and fewer teachers available as substitutes.

“The number of those completing teacher preparation has declined sharply in New Jersey,” according to the report by New Jersey Policy Perspective, a nonpartisan think tank.

The group recommends increasing compensation for teachers, streamlining the process to obtain a teacher certification, and working with teacher preparation programs to attract more candidates of color, among other things.

“If New Jersey does not act soon, there will not be enough qualified candidates to replace teachers leaving the profession,” the report states.

Catherine Carrera is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Newark, covering the city’s K-12 schools with a focus on English language learners. Contact Catherine at ccarrera@chalkbeat.org.

Teacher shortage leaves Newark schools with 120 unfilled positions as classes start

2021-09-14T21:14:09+00:00

When Madison Upshaw showed up to her forensic science class at Newark’s Barringer High School on the first day of school, she found an athletic coach at the front of the room.

“He was like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna be your sub for the whole year,’” the 12th-grader said. “I guess they can’t find anybody.”

Upshaw was one of many Newark students who returned last week to a school without enough teachers.

Across the district, 120 instructional positions were still unfilled when classes started Sept. 7 — a larger number of open jobs than around this time in the previous two school years, according to data obtained by Chalkbeat through a public records request. Barringer alone is short 15 teachers, including five for bilingual classes, three for special education, and others for math, science, social studies, and more.

The problem is widespread: About 60% of the district’s 65 schools were short at least one teacher or other instructional staffer, such as a counselor or social worker, the data show. The staffing crunch meant some students found substitute teachers or crowded classrooms on their first day back.

Schools nationwide are struggling to hire enough teachers. The shortage predated the pandemic, but COVID compounded the problem by convincing some teachers to retire early or change professions. The staffing shortfall could have dire consequences this school year because many students faced academic and mental health challenges during their 18 months out of classrooms and now need extra support.

New Jersey reported teacher shortages this school year in math, science, world languages, special education, vocational training, and English as a second language. In Newark, the most acute shortages are for elementary school, bilingual, and special education teachers.

“The more specialized the field, the fewer candidates there have always been,” said Karen Bingert, executive director of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association. “And now it’s exponentially tighter.”

The shortage could spell bad news for students. Schools often fill vacancies with substitute teachers, who might have less experience or expertise in a given subject than a full-time teacher would. Other times, schools make up for the staffing shortfall by combining classes or assigning teachers extra periods.

Even if schools eventually fill the open positions, student learning suffers when teachers are hired midyear, researchers have found. The instability makes it hard for students to build trust and rapport with their teachers, Bingert said.

“That has academic and developmental repercussions” for students, she added. “It can be pretty heartbreaking.”

Newark schools were short a dozen bilingual teachers, the Sept. 7 data show. A chronic shortage of bilingual teachers was one of the problems uncovered during a yearslong investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into the district’s program for students still learning English.

As part of a settlement with the Justice Department, the district must create a plan to recruit and retain more educators who are qualified to teach bilingual or English as a second language classes. The district also is offering $4,000 bonuses to teachers who get certified in one of those areas.

The district, which educates roughly 37,000 students and employed nearly 3,900 instructional staffers last school year, has taken a number of other steps to fill its vacancies.

The district hosted virtual job fairs this summer, including one targeting bilingual teachers that resulted in seven hires, according to school board documents. The district also offered bonuses to employees who helped recruit bilingual teachers, though only 12% of referrals were hired.

In addition, the district hired more than 30 former student teachers as full-time educators; brought on some members of Teach For America, a program that offers abbreviated teacher training; and partnered with Montclair State University to funnel recent graduates into open classroom positions. In total, the district welcomed some 350 new teachers this school year, officials said.

“The district is working tirelessly, aggressively, and strategically in recruiting and hiring the best qualified teaching staff,” said district spokesperson Nancy Deering. She added that hard-to-fill positions, including special education, are a top priority.

State lawmakers have also sought to ease the teacher shortage. Earlier this year, Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a bill that cut in half the number of credits a college student needs to become a substitute teacher, and extended the length of time that substitutes can fill in for full-time teachers.

While such stopgap measures might be helpful, schools also need long-term solutions to their staffing problems, said Steven LoCascio, head of educational leadership at Kean University’s College of Education. One crucial strategy is to improve teacher retention through better pay and more training and support for novice teachers.

“It’s hard enough to get new teachers,” LoCascio said. “But then when we get them, we’re not always able to keep them.”

Teacher turnover has long been a challenge for Newark. About 15% of teachers left the district between the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years, compared with 9% of teachers who left their districts statewide, according to the most recent data.

From January to August of this year, 176 teachers resigned or retired from the district and 77 were fired or let go, according to district data. The numbers were similar in 2019, suggesting that the pandemic is not the main cause of the churn.

Iris Ventura, a senior at Barringer High School, said several teachers she’d grown close with didn’t return this year.

“When you make a bond with them” and they leave, she said, “it’s like, ‘No!’”

Barringer has another big challenge: Its rising population of English learners, who accounted for 40% of students in 2020, creates an acute need for bilingual teachers — a group in high demand statewide. An administrator at Barringer said hiring bilingual teachers is like “finding unicorns.”

Substitute teachers are also in short supply. As a result, administrators have been asking teachers to fill in on days when particular classes are without a full-time or substitute teacher, said one Barringer educator.

The teacher, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation, also said extra students were added to her roster because her department is short two teachers. All the scrambling to compensate for missing teachers sends a bad message to students, she added.

“It makes them feel like they don’t matter,” she said, when in fact, “these kids really deserve the best teachers.”

As schools open with changes this week, Newark students react to new teachers, principals, and school policies

2019-09-05T16:45:00+00:00

Two rows of cars lined the front entrance of Science Park High School at 2:40 p.m. on Tuesday as parents waited to pick up their children after the first day of school.

“I’m waiting to hear how her day went,” Adrianna Carvalho said, as she sat in her air-conditioned car. “I’ve been happy with her experience so far. As long as she’s happy, I’m happy.”

A few minutes later, Carvalho’s daughter Nathalia Peregrino exited the school with a smile on her face after her first day as a sophomore.

Science Park is one of 66 Newark schools that opened this week after undergoing substantial changes over the summer. After a tumultuous year, it got a new principal, as did almost a quarter of Newark schools. Other schools opened in new spaces — sometimes unexpectedly. Others have changed policies to align with Superintendent Roger León vision for how to improve the struggling school district.

That vision includes changing the leadership at several schools, using authority that the city school board gave him this summer to make personnel changes unilaterally. It also includes holding school leaders accountable for making improvements.

“Principals need to be on top of it,” León said at the first board meeting of the school year. “I know how to remove principals who can’t get it done.”

Though Peregrino said she was a little shocked at all of the staff changes that took place over the summer, she hopes that the new administration will revamp the school culture.

At a school board meeting in March, some Science Park students named culturally insensitive incidents — including a white physical education teacher who wore a Barack Obama mask and “Make America Great Again” hat on Halloween, and a vice principal who ordered black students to remove their head scarves. León said then that things were being done to address the students’ concerns.

“I hope people are more cautious about what they say and do this year,” Peregrino said. “It was kind of negative in the hallways after that incident.”

Another Science Park parent, Sheril Henderson, brought up the same concerns.

“I hope that’s being taken care of. We don’t need that here,” she said. “This is for everyone, and kids should be come to come here to learn.”

Students at Arts High School said their main adjustment on the first day was to a new schedule that compresses time between classes to just two minutes. Plus, if students aren’t in their homeroom class in the morning, their parents will get an immediate phone call, according to senior class president David Daughety, who said the policies were explained through a meeting between school administration and the student body during orientation the last week of August.

“I believe it will push to get people to school on time,” Daughety said. “But what about people who are late due to circumstances out of their control but still make it to school and put in effort and produce good work?”

Carl McDonald has been sending his daughter, Brianna Lugo, to Marion P. Thomas Charter School for the past four years.

Right down the street from Arts High, students at Marion P. Thomas Charter School — part of a network that is undergoing major changes of its own — had their day of school in a new building, and fourth-grader Brianna Lugo was a fan.

“I like this one more,” she said. “It has smaller spaces, for kids to play in and not get hurt.”

Parents also filtered in and out of schools all day, completing last-minute school registration. The district’s online enrollment system, Newark Enrolls, has been down for two months — taking the process offline, forcing families to go to the district’s downtown “Family Support Center,” and putting a strain on parents and schools. The district announced two weeks ago, in an effort to make the process easier, that parents could enroll their children at their closest schools instead.

In the East Ward, Jon Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union, said Hawkins Street School was packed on Tuesday with parents coming to register their children in school, with bilingual faculty working to help Spanish-speaking families.

“Because of the school’s location in the Ironbound, there are a lot of cultures here,” he said.

As students spent their first morning back in school with new teachers in new buildings, parent activists held a rally outside the district’s Broad Street headquarters. Local activist and former Newark Board of Education candidate Johnnie Lattner announced the event to protest the school board’s recent threat to ban disorderly parents from meetings and demand answers about water filters in schools in the wake of Newark’s lead crisis.

“There is an attack on the parents, students, teachers, and community in Newark and [it’s] time to fight back and make everyone aware of the disrespect, dishonesty, and conditions that are currently happening in Newark,” he said in a press release.

At the last board meeting, León assured the audience that water is safe to drink at Newark schools. In response to an examination of lead contamination in 2016, the district installed water filters turn off the water supply when the filters stop working, according to León.

“Parents should feel very confident, as it relates to drinking water at our schools,” he said.

León spent the day visiting schools around Newark, as shown on the district’s website. But unlike in the past, the district did not invite reporters to join the superintendent, and he gave no public remarks.

León’s staffing shakeup continues: 15 new principals to take the helm of Newark schools

2019-08-06T04:19:00+00:00

Newark’s newest school leaders include a dozen people who have worked their way up through the district’s ranks, the former principal of a local charter school, and an educator who is returning to the helm of one of the city’s most struggling high schools after nearly a decade.

With school starting in less than a month, Newark Public Schools has announced its principal lineup for the year. The changes mean that almost a quarter of Newark Public Schools will have new leaders in the upcoming year.

Earlier in the summer, Superintendent Roger León promoted principals and district veterans to fill district leadership positions. Other principals retired, resigned, or lost their jobs, according to documents from the city school board’s June meeting.

Fifteen new principals will be filling those vacancies, León announced Monday.

“I am excited to start the year with such a talented group of leaders,” León said in a press release. “We know they have the passion, the drive, and track record for advancing student achievement.”

Most are internal hires who began their careers as teachers in Newark, reflecting León’s preference for hiring administrators who are already familiar with the city’s schools. They include Camille Findley-Browne at the West Ward’s Mount Vernon Street School and Kenneth Montalbano at Luis Muñoz Marin School in the North Ward, where the principal positions opened up after León promoted school leaders to district leadership positions.

But three of the new hires come from outside of the district, including one from a local charter school. In an especially notable appointment, León chose Jose Aviles to run Barringer High School, one of New Jersey’s lowest-performing high schools. Aviles held that position from 2008 until 2010, when he was demoted by then-superintendent Clifford Janey, who said that despite Aviles’s popularity with students, he was not up to the challenge of running a large high school. Since then, Barringer has had a rotating cast of administrators who have tried to improve the school, while Aviles worked for Newark’s KIPP charter network before running schools in other districts and earning a doctorate in education administration.

Here’s the full list of principal appointments that León’s office released Monday:

American History High School — Allison DeVaughn, formerly the “chief innovation officer,” a top administrative position, at Malcolm X Shabazz High School
Barringer High School — Jose Aviles, most recently a principal in Franklin Township
Benjamin Franklin School — Amy Panitch, who is moving up from her position as vice principal
Dr. William H. Horton School — Hamlet Marte, who is moving up from his position as vice principal
Early Childhood Centers — Jeanne Ramirez, formerly the chief innovation officer at Elliot Street School
East Ward Elementary School — Rosa Monteiro-Inacio, formerly a vice principal at the Ann Street School
Harriet Tubman School — Angela Davis, formerly vice principal at the Camden Street School
Lincoln School — Hillary Dow, who has most recently been working as a special assistant supporting a dozen Newark schools. Dow is also a leader in EdCamp Newark, a group of local educators working to provide professional training for their colleagues.
Louise A. Spencer School — Karla Venezia, who is moving up from her position as vice principal
Luis Muñoz Marin School — Kenneth Montalbano, formerly vice principal at the school. He replaces Maria Ortiz, now Newark Public Schools’ executive director of student life.
McKinley School — Carlos Reyes, formerly a vice principal at Park Elementary School
Mount Vernon Street School — Camille Findley-Browne, who was until last month the vice principal of First Avenue Elementary School. She replaces David Scutari, now León’s executive assistant.
Newark Vocational High School — Kyle Brown, formerly a vice principal at West Side High School
Quitman Street School — Justin Avery, formerly an assistant principal at Teaneck’s Thomas Jefferson Middle School
University High School — Genique Flournoy-Hamilton, the former principal of Marion P. Thomas PAC Academy, part of a Newark charter network.

Not on León’s list: the prestigious Science Park High School, which will be led this year by Angela Mincy, whose departure from Barringer High School created the opening that Aviles will fill. Some schools have not yet announced their new leaders, including Elliot Street School, whose former principal Nicole Johnson has been promoted to deputy superintendent of Newark schools.

Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect that Genique Flournoy-Hamilton was the former principal of Marion P. Thomas PAC Academy. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that she was the former principal of Marion P. Thomas High School of Culinary and Performing Arts.