Fine Print: State Control of Newark Schools in CourtAdvocates of home rule for Newark schools take their case to Appellate Court
What it is: The first legal briefs have been filed in the appeal of the Christie administration’s recent decision to retain control of New Jersey’s largest school district. Appellants contend that the administration manipulated the process that would have started shifting the schools back to local oversight. The state has moved to dismiss the appeal outright, at this point on mostly technical grounds.
What it means: The challenge before the state appellate court sets the stage for the legal system to weigh in on an explosive situation that the political system has failed to resolve for the past decade. The court battle comes at a time when the district is in the national spotlight for its school reform efforts being guided by the state, as well as the $100 million gift from Facebook founder mark Zuckerberg.
The appellants’ argument: The brief filed this week by the Education Law Center, the