Newark School Board Reclaims Control of Fiscal Operations

Newark's advisory school board has been granted court approval to resume control over its fiscal operations, 18 years after the district was taken over by the state, Assistant Attorney General Michael Walters said during an Essex County appellate court hearing.

According to NJ.com, the announcement came during a hearing to determine whether the the state or city should have control of the district and its roughly 40,000 students.

In 2011, Newark's school system achieved scores of at least 80 in a number of Quality Single Accountability Continuum, or QSAC, areas, high enough to be considered passing and to trigger a return of control to local officials, as previously reported by Newark Patch.

Despite improving its scores - QSAC is the NJ Department of Educatoin's monitoring and evaluation system for public school districts - Acting State Education Commissioner Chris Cerf refused to surrender the state's authority over Newark's school district, prompting an appeal from a group of parents.

With the ruling, Cerf is required to issue a letter to the city school board in the next 30 days outlining the transition from state to local governance, NJ.com reported.

Jersey City and Paterson, which were taken over a few years before Newark,  remain under state control.

Education Law Center attorney Stewart Clifford argued to a three-judge panel that Cerf had failed to illustrate the facts that supported the state's ongoing management of Newark's schools.

Without control, Newark's advisory board held no voting power over many typical aspects of district management, including hiring of school superintendents. Newark school's chief Cami Anderson was appointed by state officials.

The state's ongoing control of the three school districts caught the attention of State Sen. Ron Rice (D-Newark) who called for a federal investigation into the state's management of New Jersey's three largest school districts, Patch reported.

Rice said local taxpayers were being disenfranchised and that the takeover was tantamount to "taxation without representation."