Cami wanted disruption–and, last night, she got it
Newark’s school superintendent belongs to that tribe of self-proclaimed and irresponsible school reformers who contend public schools must be “disrupted” before they can be improved–and she has done so much disrupting that scores of clergy have warned of “catastrophic” consequences. Last night, she faced disruption aimed at her, a group of high school students who stopped a board meeting with their non-stop chants and sat in for the night. Maybe longer.
“We’re staying until we see some steps toward meeting our demands,” said Kristin Towkaniuk, president of the Newark Students Union, who led the demonstration. Chief among those demands is the resignation of Cami Anderson.
The nine students who decided to stay the night received some impressive support. School board members, city council members, and civil rights and community activists and even Mayor-elect Ras Baraka joined the students during the evening and into the night. Baraka, whose candidacy gave hope to pro public school forces in the city, arrived just before midnight to visit with the students.
“I want to make sure they had something to eat, that they were not being mistreated,” said Baraka, who said he supported the students’ demands that Anderson resign and abandon her “One Newark” plan that would replace neighborhood public schools with privately operated charter schools.
Baraka said he would ask acting state education commissioner David Hespe to remove Anderson as a “first step” toward reaching an agreement on how the city can begin to reform education–without disrupting the lives of thousands of children and their parents. Anderson is a state-appointed superintendent because the state took over the school district 19 years ago.
Baraka also endorsed an alternative plan, called “Newark Promise,” that would base school reform in a network of community schools that would offer wrap-around services designed to help children and their families. The protesting Cami wanted disruption–and, last night, she got it | Bob Braun's Ledger:
