Newark education advocates to protest state policies and cuts in aid
NEWARK — Teachers, parents, politicians and students will gather in Newark today to protest budget cuts to the city’s school system, its crumbling facilities and continued state control of the district.
Led by American Federation of Teacherspresident Randi Weingarten — who as recently as last year supported reforms pushed by Gov. Chris Christie — the rally and march is intended to spotlight the state’s continued failure of the city’s schools.
Scheduled to coincide with “National Day of Action to Reclaim Promise of Public Education,” the rally will be held at 3:30 at 30 Clinton Street. Newark Teachers Union president Joseph DelGrosso, Mayor Luis Quintana, Councilman and mayoral candidate Ras Baraka, and Council president Mildred Crump are expected to attend, as are civic leaders and educational advocates.
The advocates will gather to protest Superintendent Cami Anderson’s plan to close more schools in the state’s largest district, which remains under state control. With a loss of $56 million in state aid, the advocates will call for a “renewed focus on community-led efforts” that would address neighborhood schools.
