PATERSON – The state’s ongoing takeover of public schools in Paterson, Newark and Jersey City came under fire during a hearing on Wednesday of the New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus.
PATERSON PRESS PHOTO
Ronald L. Rice
“This is not about education, this is about occupation,’’ said State Senator Ronald L. Rice, who organized this week’s meeting, which was held at International High School, as part of a series of sessions on the issue. “This is discrimination and taxation without representation.”
Rice said the state has held control of schools in Jersey City for 24 years, in Paterson for 22 and in Newark for 18. He has introduced a bill in the Senate that would limit the duration of state control to five years.
The senator vowed to take his cause to “the higher courts, because in New Jersey, you have strong leaders in the State House who have a history of discriminatory practices.”
In Paterson, the state’s most recent evaluation of city schools gave the district scores in four categories that were above 80 percent – the threshold for local officials to
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