Newark Public Schools
The Newark School of Architecture and Interior Design is expected to open next fall in the city’s East Ward after long-standing wage complaints that have delayed the project for three years.
This school year, Newark Public Schools faces high costs, public transit problems, and rising demand to get nearly 40,000 students to school on time.
The latest set of state standardized test results highlight the ongoing efforts needed to help students refine English language arts and math skills following pandemic-era learning disruptions.
Newark Public Schools was granted a federal extension allowing school districts to wrap up projects funded by federal COVID relief dollars as it continues to deal with its facilities needs.
A 2012 settlement agreement required Newark Public Schools to reach 95% compliance with federal and state timelines for identifying and evaluating students with disabilities.
The number of Newark Public Schools students in need of special education services is rising. During the first week of school, some students with disabilities missed class due to enrollment issues.
Newark Public Schools officials had planned to have the cameras installed by Aug. 31 before the start of the new school year. But challenges in connecting the required cabling through school buildings are delaying the project, sources say.
This year, Newark’s nearly 40,000 students were expected to arrive at school by 8:15 a.m. Students felt a mix of excitement and nervousness as they embarked on a new year.
More than 40,000 students are expected to return to classrooms next week and, under a new schedule this year, can expect a longer school day.
English language learners make up more than a quarter of the district’s enrollment this school year. District leaders are working to hire more bilingual teachers who communicate in different languages.
In an interview this week, León detailed how teachers talked about plans to use artificial intelligence in the classroom, the district’s ongoing facilities needs, and how COVID relief dollars supported schools.
All students will arrive and leave school at the same time under the new schedule. The hours also guarantee all teachers a 45-minute lunch break.
The teachers union filed lawsuits in 2023 and 2024 demanding the release of a scathing report of Newark School of Global Studies’ cultural dynamics and other related documents.
Newark’s AileyCamp aims to follow dancer and director Alvin Ailey’s mission to expose children, especially those from diverse backgrounds, to a high-quality experience in the arts.
The public school district rehired Mary Bennett and Raymond Lindgren to consult on career and technical education programs and to support ongoing school construction projects.
The state’s Schools Development Authority is in the early stages of building the new high school in the South Ward and demolishing Hawthorne Avenue Elementary School.
Superintendent Roger León says 33 of Newark’s oldest schools need replacements. He estimates more than $2 billion is needed for all repairs and upgrades.
The Newark Board of Education promoted seven vice principals and a supervisor for the Office of Special Education to principals for the 2024-25 school year.
The Newark Board of Education’s 2020 lawsuit to reclaim the former district building argued that the city’s housing authority violated an agreement it had with the school board.
Board of education members approved the appointment of four district employees to executive leadership roles and hired a new communications director.