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Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the first female Democratic governor in New Jersey history, was sworn into office on Tuesday in Newark and pledged to address concerns about safety, education, and economic stability for all the state’s residents.
The ceremony took place at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, one of the few times that a governor’s inauguration has not taken place in Trenton, the state’s capital. During her time as a U.S. congresswoman, Sherrill represented the state’s 11th Congressional District, which includes parts of Essex County. The scene outside of NJPAC was lively on Tuesday as dozens of state and city leaders and Sherrill supporters eagerly awaited her first remarks as governor.
During her address, Sherrill, the first female veteran to serve as governor and second female governor in state history, spoke about her commitment to New Jersey and its residents, emphasizing the importance of family and personal support in her journey to becoming governor. She made few mentions about education during her remarks.
“We’re going to fight for housing families can afford, for good schools, safe streets, and ending skyrocketing utility costs,” Sherrill said Tuesday.
In Newark, education advocates hope Sherrill’s administration will deliver on campaign promises such as working toward equity in schools, boosting student performance, and expanding the state’s Intradistrict Public School Choice Program.
Those issues are prevalent in Newark Public Schools, the state’s largest public school system, along with concerns over outdated school buildings, rising costs, student attendance, segregation, and support for the city’s most vulnerable students.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, the first pastor to hold the office, was also sworn in on Tuesday and brings years of experience in K-12 schools and higher education to the role.
“It was justice that led me to serve on a school board and eventually to lead a college because I believe education is the key to opportunity and the foundation of a fair society,” Caldwell said.
Sherill’s administration has not yet released details about her education priorities this year. On the campaign trail, she pledged to invest in tutoring, student mental health, and equity in schools, largely echoing policies laid out by former Gov. Phil Murphy.
Last Friday, Sherrill announced Lily Laux, a former deputy commissioner for the Texas Education Agency, as her pick for the state’s education commissioner. Laux was also a candidate for commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Laux will focus on improving literacy outcomes, expanding access to pre-K, increasing mental health resources, modernizing and stabilizing the school funding formula, and investing in high-impact tutoring, according to a state press release.
Education advocates want Sherrill to focus on Newark’s needs
In Newark, city leaders are closely watching to see what Sherrill’s administration will tackle first. Education advocates and nonprofits told Chalkbeat last week they want Sherrill to fund updates to schools, focus on early childhood education, desegregate schools, and provide more resources for families of students with disabilities.
Vivian Cox Fraser, president and CEO of the Urban League of Essex County, said she is “eager” to work with Sherill and her administration on school segregation and hopes the new governor will address the state’s long-standing school segregation lawsuit filed in 2018 and is pending in the courts.
“Segregation has been an issue in the state for far too long. We hope Sherrill’s administration will make progress in the case,” Fraser said. “I am optimistic, you know, but at the same time, I also feel it’s important to hold everyone accountable, and hold the new administration accountable too.”
During her campaign, Sherrill expressed support for tackling segregation in schools, and one approach she has supported is the expansion of the state’s Interdistrict Public School Choice program, which allows students to attend a public school in a different district.
A coalition of students in Newark has also said investing in school infrastructure should be a top priority for the incoming administration, as many public school buildings date back to the 1920s.
Last year, a group of more than 100 organizations called on the state to fund the state’s school construction program and updates to buildings in Newark and 30 other high poverty districts. The group of organizations also called on the state to provide more funding to the Schools Development Authority, the state agency responsible for funding construction projects in Newark and 30 other high-poverty school districts.
Last year, the state promised to replace 13 of the district’s oldest school buildings and build a new University High School in the South Ward, but those projects require funding for the SDA to begin the work. Sherrill has made no mention of financing the SDA yet.
Newark has operated under local control since 2020, following 25 years of state oversight. Since then, the district has encountered challenges in alleviating overcrowding in schools, raising state test scores, assessing the effects of anti-Blackness in the school system, and providing support for its students with disabilities and English language learners.
Historically, the district has struggled to get students with disabilities the services they are owed. Nadine Wright-Arbubakrr, founder of Nassan’s Place, a nonprofit supporting students with disabilities and their families in Newark, said Sherrill should bring grassroots organizations like hers “to the table” to offer their experiences in supporting the city’s most vulnerable families.
Specifically, she wants the state to create a special services unit “dedicated to families with special needs” such as those looking for food pantries, shelter and emotional support. Wright-Arbubakrr also said she hopes Sherrill’s administration will provide more representation for cities with a high number of Black and Latino residents.
“Let’s help more families so that we can make sure the quality of life that these children and these parents can be fulfilling, because the reality is right now, all you’re seeing is parents in crisis,” Wright-Arbubakrr said.
Tafshier Cosby, chief executive officer for Parent Impact, a nonprofit parent advocacy group, agreed that parents need more support, specifically to help their students navigate post-pandemic academic challenges.
Cosby said parents “would really love to see the New Jersey Department of Education put together recommendations for high-quality and culturally relevant curriculum.” She hopes Sherrill’s administration will take steps to boost student performance in literacy and math.
“With us looking forward, and as we think about technology, we also have to think about critical skills and kids being able to develop those skills,” Cosby said. “We definitely have to focus on how math is part of that conversation.”
During Murphy’s last State of the State address, he recapped his top education initiatives during his eight-year term, such as expanded full-day kindergarten, increased school state aid to districts, including Newark, fully financing the school funding formula, and a new law requiring schools to adopt phone-free policies. Sherrill has also expressed support for modernizing the state’s school funding formula and enforcing Murphy’s phone-free schools law.
Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
