3% IS ALL YOU GET FROM THE PEOPLE

On April 25th, Newark voters had a chance to select their representatives for our city’s Board of Education and whether or not to approve next year’s district budget of $1.3 billion.

How many of us bothered to show up?

Three percent. Out of almost 600,000 registered voters, only 12,000 made the effort to have a voice in who controls our children’s education.

I ask myself, “why,” and can think of only one reason to explain it: Newark parents and residents don’t think their vote makes a difference because they don’t trust  our board members and Superintendent Roger Leon to listen. They’re tired of cover-ups and lies and unfulfilled promises.

So what can the Board and our education leaders do to earn back our trust?

I can think of three ways.

First, the Board–which, after all, is in charge of the superintendent and his actions—must be transparent with the public. Let’s look at one recent incident: in January, the Board approved, without the required written notice to the public, a five-year renewal of Leon’s contract, which didn’t even expire for another year. Board members violated state law and, just as importantly, violated our trust in their judgment and intentions. 

Let’s look at a different scenario: the Board insists the renewal be listed on the agenda, has  a public discussion, and gives residents a chance to hear their thinking and voice their concerns. That’s how you win back trust: honesty and openness.

Second, the Board must be fiscally responsible. When the Board allows the superintendent to pursue frivolous lawsuits, it looks like they’re taking taxpayer money for granted. He even threatened to sue me! More recently he’s been filing lawsuits against non-district schools that need buildings, with current payments to lawyers of over a million dollars. He wants to claw back State Street School, which the Newark Boys Chorus wanted to use as a facility, a ramshackle building unloaded by a previous superintendent. He wants to claw back Maple Street School, another dump, to keep KIPP, a high-performing public charter from using it. 

We don’t need these buildings, and we sure don’t want to be on the hook for renovating them or for funding Leon’s lawsuits. Lots of families have children enrolled in both the district and charter sector so why are charters discriminated against? Why don’t board members speak up? If they would do their job–be the representatives we want them to be—maybe we’d trust them more than we do.

Finally, Newark taxpayers would like to know what we’re going to spend $1.3 billion on next year, two million dollars more than last year’s budget. We have yet to have a full public explanation.

It’s really not that hard. If Board members want us to trust them, they have to value our voice as much as Leon’s. They want the public to show up for them? Start by showing up for us. Work on behalf of our children, not on behalf of Roger Leon. See your position as advocates for families, not for the person who reports to you. When he makes false statements, correct them. When we need something clarified for us, clarify it. When we need more information, provide us with facts.

Maybe then more than 3 percent of voters would bother to show up at the polling place.