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The Newark school board race is officially underway.
The annual Newark Board of Education election is scheduled for April 21, and residents interested in running can begin submitting nominating petitions to secure their spot on the ballot.
Candidates have until 4 p.m. on March 2 to collect 25 signatures from city voters and file their nominating petition packet with the district’s board secretary, Nancy Deering. Only Newark residents are eligible to run.
This year, four seats are up for election. Three seats come with full three-year terms, while one is for an unexpired one-year term. A drawing on March 11 will determine the order of names appearing on the April ballot, subject to final approval by the Essex County Clerk’s office.
The seats currently held by Hasani Council, Allison James-Frison, Vereliz Santana, Josephine Garcia, and Melissa Reed are up for election. The board members have not yet publicly announced if they plan to seek reelection.
Newark’s nine-member school board decides policies in the state’s largest school system, which is home to over 40,000 students across 65 schools. The board is also tasked with holding Superintendent Roger León accountable, approving district contracts, and passing the budget. Last year, the board approved a $1.57 billion budget amid federal uncertainties.
This year’s election comes six years after the district regained local control of its schools, as it continues to navigate financial and academic challenges.
The winning candidates will be tasked with finding ways to fix the district’s old school buildings, provide support for English language learners and students with disabilities, manage district finances, improve equity in schools, implement new cellphone policies and state literacy initiatives, and boost student performance.
The 2026 school board race is also the second time the city’s 16- and 17-year-olds will cast their votes after winning the right to vote in 2024. In 2025, only 73 teens voted for the first time in a school board race. Overall, only 3.47% of Newark voters participated in the 2025 election, slightly below the 3.94% turnout rate among the city’s youth voters – and about average for school board elections, in which 3% to 4% of voters typically participate.
Last year, 11 candidates ran for three seats on the school board. The “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate, which typically gains support from state and local politicians, including Mayor Ras Baraka and state Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, won the 2025 election.
New voters, including youth who will be 16 or 17 by the April 21 election, can register to vote by March 31. Residents can vote at their designated polling location or by mail if they register for that option by April 14. Newark and Irvington school boards are the only ones holding April elections in Essex County.
Jessie Gómez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
