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In the dead of night and amid a flurry of confusion, Newark’s school board seemingly extended Superintendent Roger León’s contract through 2030 on Thursday — without an official motion or prior public notice.
Last month, the board failed to pass a proposal to extend León’s contract, which had been set to expire in 2028. Four board members voted in favor, two abstained, and two recused themselves due to conflicts of interest. One board member was absent.
A contract extension proposal was not officially on the board’s voting agenda on Thursday. But after the superintendent’s report during the meeting, one board member, Melissa Reed, who previously abstained on the contract extension vote, said she would consider changing her decision and vote for the extension if León were to make a “public commitment” to “fix equity” in the district.
In addition, Reed said León should release a report that details instances of racism and religious harassment at the Newark School of Global Studies. She also said León should implement recommendations included in the report, improve district transparency, and provide a concrete process to register every 16- and 17-year-old to vote, among other changes.
“Mr. Superintendent Roger León, if you’re willing to stand publicly with us on these commitments, then I will stand with you,” Reed said during the board meeting.
León, who was present at the meeting, did not publicly respond to Reed’s request on Thursday.
Board president Hasani Council then asked Reed to clarify if she wanted to change her vote from last month and vote in favor of the extension. “That’s correct,” Reed responded.
Council told Chalkbeat after the meeting that Reed’s decision meant that León’s contract extension through 2030 had been approved.
“She changed her vote from an abstention to a yes, which now allows the superintendent’s two-year extension to pass,” said Council, who recused himself from last month’s vote to extend León’s contract due to a conflict of interest under the district’s nepotism policy.
During Thursday’s board meeting, Brenda Liss, the district’s general counsel, said the board policies and bylaws “have no provision on this, so we look to Robert’s Rules,” referring to a set of rules commonly used by deliberative bodies to conduct business
“Robert’s Rules provides that a board member may change their vote at any time if there is no objection from the board,” said Liss. “If she says that she wants to change her vote, as a matter of courtesy in the past, this board has allowed any member to change their vote without question or without motion.”
Last month’s attempt to extend León’s contract failed to pass after parents and advocates raised concerns about student achievement, racism in schools, and inadequate support for the district’s most vulnerable students.
Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.
