Baraka “not satisfied” after meetings with Hespe, Anderson–and Christie disses him again
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka says he and state Education Commissioner David Hespe agreed to give the “One Newark” plan ten days from the opening of school to resolve its obvious flaws. Meanwhile, the mayor has demanded that state-imposed schools superintendent Cami Anderson provide him with extensive information about the inner workings of the plan that will close neighborhood public schools while opening up new charter schools.
“No, I’m not satisified,” Baraka said in a brief interview with this site after his meetings with Hespe and Anderson. Last week, after hundreds of parents were mistreated during a pre-open school enrollment session, an angry new mayor said he demanded meetings with the pair of Gov. Chris Christie-appointees.
He made the comments just hours after Christie againslapped Baraka down on the issue of public schools. “The mayor should run the city and not run the schools,” said Christie, who cited the city’s budget deficit. “The mayor has plenty on his plate to worry about.” Just a few weeks ago, Christie said Baraka had no say in the running of the city’s public schools that were seized b y the state nearly 20 years ago.
No one asked Christie about how the state school operation in Newark ran a deficit of nearly $100 million and failed to raise test scores. Christie, Anderson, and former Mayor Cory Booker–now a US senator–worked together to make Newark a Baraka “not satisfied” after meetings with Hespe, Anderson–and Christie disses him again | Bob Braun's Ledger:
