President of national teachers union joins parents, teachers for another protest of Newark school plan
NEWARK — American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten will meet with teachers and staff of Hawthorne Avenue Elementary School this morning to show her support for the school, which is slated to be turned over to a charter school in September as part of a city-wide school reorganization.
Since its introduction in December, the plan has been widely criticized for its disruption of neighborhood schools and its embracing of charter schools.
Weingarten will tour the school, one of three that Superintendent Cami Anderson has designated for operation by charter schools. Currently a K-8 neighborhood school, Hawthorne Avenue will house BRICK Charter School’s K-4 grades next fall. In addition, TEAM Academy will have kindergarten through grade 1 and will grow over time.
After the meeting, the union president will join mayoral candidate and City Councilman Ras Baraka, Sen. Ron Rice and parents and students in a protest at City Hall. The rally is scheduled for noon.
This is a return visit for Weingarten, who has repeatedly stood with Newark parents and teachers in protest over Anderson’s One Newark plan.
Council Member Ras Baraka was elected to the Newark Municipal Council to represent the South Ward in May 2010. A native of Newark, New Jersey whose family has lived in the city for over 70 years, Baraka was educated in the Newark Public Schools and received a degree in Political Science and History from Howard University in Washington DC.
http://rasjbaraka.com/