Teachers' union, student group fights Newark's designation of 9 struggling schools
NEWARK — Newark Public Schools announced this week that nine schools will become "turnaround schools" during the next school year in an effort to curb struggling performance.
The designation will mean that teachers will be asked to sign election-to-work agreements, which may require them to work for a longer school day, go through two additional weeks of professional development in the summer and work on multiple Saturdays, assistant superintendent Brad Haggerty said.
"Our belief in order to turn around schools that are either struggling or even consistently failing we have to go beyond bounds of what the traditional contract provides," Haggerty said
Under the contract, teachers are paid an additional stipend of $3,000 a year for the extra time.
The schools include East Side High School, Weequahic High School, Ivy Hill Elementary School, Mckinley Elementary School, Hawthorne Elementary School, George Washington Carver Elementary School, Elliot Elementary School, Miller Elementary School and Lincoln Elementary School.
The nine schools will join more than 20 other schools that have already been designated for turnaround including some that have are part of the district's controversial renew school program, Haggerty said.
The nine schools will join more than 20 other schools that have already been designated for turnaround including some that have are part of the district's controversial renew school program, Haggerty said.
Under the renew program, teachers not only work a longer school day but are asked to reapply for their jobs.
The turnaround designation is likely to prompt a fight with the Newark Teachers Union just as the teacher's contract expires on June 30, 2015.
The union argues that some of the schools that have been designated for turnaround are either improving or are performing well compared to other schools with similar demographics.
The union argues that some of the schools that have been designated for turnaround are either improving or are performing well compared to other schools with similar demographics.
John Abeigon, director of operations for the Newark Teachers Union, said the union conducted a survey about two months ago of teachers who are working under election-to-work agreements in renew and turnaround schools.
Of the 262 responding teachers who signed those agreements during the 2014-2015 school year, almost 44 percent said they did not plan to sign up again next year, according to Abeigon.
"Cami is going to have a little bit of chaos next year," he said referring to superintendent Cami Anderson.
More than 70 students walked out of East Side High School on Friday in protest of the school's turnaround designation, according to Roberto Cabanas, a lead organizer for New Jersey Communities United, who helps the Newark Students Union.
Newark Public Schools spokeswoman Brittany Parmley said in a statement that the district met with the students and then they boarded busses provided by the district to take them back to school.
"Following a protest this afternoon, we met with student representatives from East Side High School to discuss concerns raised around the District's implementation of the Turnaround program, which has helped improve Newark schools and close the achievement gap," she said.
"We appreciate the student's passion, as well as the opportunity to engage in a productive dialogue where real questions could be answered and both sides could be heard."
This story has been updated to reflect additional information.Teachers' union, student group fights Newark's designation of 9 struggling schools | NJ.com:
