The race for mayor of Newark, New Jersey, has narrowed to two candidates: Ras Baraka and Shavar Jeffries. It has become a referendum on the direction of school reform and whether Newark’s public schools will be turned over to private charter organizations.
Baraka, a city councilman and high school principal, has received the endorsement of the Network for Public Education, based. On his support for research-based methods of school improvement and his commitment to democratically controlled public schools (Newark has been under state control since 1995). Jeffries is a strong supporter of the continued privatization of schools in Newark, which coincides with the plans of Chris Christie’s administration.
This article by Josh Eidelson in Salon contains an informative interview with Baraka.
It is interesting that the editor of the “Star-Ledger” says in the article that Baraka has no new ideas; he just wants to fix the public schools, not blow them up. This is the same editor who admitted that his newspaper had erred in endorsing Christie’s re-election. If he read research about charters in New Jersey, which demonstrates their success in culling the students they want and excluding the ones they don’t want. He should invite Bruce Baker of Rutgers to meet the editorial board.
The election this fall will determine whether public education will survive in Newark or whether the children will become part of the national experiment in privatization of public schools..
Hopefully someone will keep us posted on the PAC’s behind this election.
USA Today just published a chilling account of a local school board election in New Jersey hijacked by a bunch of corporate thugs – complete with graphics. Here’s the link –
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/02/25/super-pacs-spending-local-races/5617121/
Are the teachers in Newark planning any kind of rally to stop the mass layoffs? I am in Philadelphia and I know people who would want to come and support the Newark teachers. People could come from New York, Philly, Camden and other Jersey cities. If they do it in Newark, they’ll do it to us.
lmhaver82@yahoo.com
Lisa Haver: check out http://bobbraunsledger.com/
In the current climate, proposing to fix the public schools, rather than destroy them, counts as a new idea.
Fat ass chris christy is behind (no pun attended)_ all of this evil doing to the educators of Newark. If I had to bet money however, I would be that the layoffs will never happen because the up rise will soar far and above anyone’e wildest imagination. That’s right, the educators are preparing for an all out assault on the fat ass christy regime. Fat ass christy cares about education about as much as he cares about traffic at the gw bridge. My only hope now is that they hang this fat ass, street talking wanna be bully out of office.
“success in culling the students they want and excluding the ones they don’t want.” If charters are as superior as they claim to be, then shunting off the undesirables to public schools creates a “separate but unequal” situation. Doesn’t this pretty clearly violate Brown vs. Board?
This is from the Gates Foundation Twitter feed.
The sign reads:
“What you do for us, without us, is not for us”
Maybe the foundations who are directing these school takeovers could take their own advice? Or does this principle only apply overseas? Baraka seems to get it.
Diane, The election is in May, not the fall. Rob
When I read about public education being an issue in the Newark mayoral election, I thought of former mayor Cory Booker.
I did see any stories about problems when he was mayor or what he was doing to improve it. As I recall Booker was most known for stopping to help folks dig out or push cars stuck in the snow.
Perhaps the one thing which could help is someone like Joe Clark, famous for his efforts in nearby Paterson. Or, will teachers pushing for MORE authority to impose discipline the downward tread might be reverse itself. Wishful thinking on my part.
Lots of stories about what Booker did “for” public schools in Newark at JerseyJazzman.BlogSpot.com. He worked hand in hand with former DOE Commish Cerf, his agenda: privatization. He set up the current situation.
Here is some background about Booker.
He supports privatization of public education, chain charters and vouchers.
He is a corporate democrat and has been funded by right wing Wall Street and billionaires.
—
Cory Booker Hits Senate Just in Time to Vote for Private School
Vouchers:
http://blackagendareport.com/content/cory-booker-hits-senate-just-time-vote-private-school-vouchers
Actually this is good news. Now we don’t have to have Chris Christie for president.
He once asked a teacher, “What do you people want anyway?” I can’t answer for other teachers, but I’ll answer for myself:
What I want is for you, Chris Christie, and all other hustlers and bullies, to be gone.
Just so people know clearly: Jefferies has the full support of Chris Christie, Chris Cerf, Cory Booker, Joe DeVincenzo and also DeVincenzo’s “Third Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Events Held on Wednesday Mornings”, State Senator Teresa Ruiz.
Ras Baraka has the support of those who value the concept of free public schools.
Pray for Newark and offer support to Ras In any way you can!
Here’s a fascinating Newark question from Bloomberg Businessweek:
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-02-27/why-arent-chris-christie-mark-zuckerberg-and-cory-booker-defending-newarks-school-chief
I just posted a comment to it, linking Bob Braun’s Pinkhulahoop1LLC story, but then when I went back to the story, they’d already taken my comment down!
So, I posted again, of course. This time, I copied it after it went up. Let’s see how long it lasts. Here it is:
Oh, my. You took down my comment?! Are you going to do it again?
I just suggested Christie, Booker and Zuckerberg are trying to avoid subpoenas regarding a dodgy real estate deal, in which private “non-profit” insiders are incorporating for-profit fronts and acquiring public lands with public money. Don’t Businessweek readers have a right to know about Pinkhulahoop1 LLC?
Here’s the link, and the quote.
“Pink Hula Hoop—more correctly “ Pinkhulahoop1, LLC”—is a profit-making company, one of four legal entities created to, among other things, raise money for the Team Academy Charter schools in Newark so it can buy and occupy public schools put on the auction block by the state-appointed school administration in New Jersey’s largest city. The Team Academy is considered a “region” of the better known KIPP charter schools.”
http://bobbraunsledger.com/the-pink-hula-hoop-part-1-is-this-the-future-of-public-schools/