Zuckerberg's $100 Million Has Nothing on the Biden Stimulus Money – Tell Roger Leon it is Time for Newark to Get Ready!

 

Newark is in line to potentially receive hundreds of millions of dollars between President Biden's already passed COVID-19 stimulus legislation and his pending infrastructure bill.

 

That is VERY good news for Newark!

 

And so far, you have to give Roger Leon credit because he is doing something we have not really seen from him during the last year – he seems to be trying to get the public involved.   

 

Now to be clear, Roger is just following Federal guidelines.  As noted in Chalkbeat Newark, "As part of the requirement to apply for the relief funds, local school districts need to consult with stakeholders and take public input into account when developing a plan for using the money…"

 

Roger had a virtual community meeting with Newarkers last week and now he is asking for us to fill out a "survey" on how he should spend the money.  Granted, I looked at the NPS website and could not find the survey, but listen, it's a start.

 

I gotta tell you, I am still not feeling great about this.   Call it a gut feeling, but based on what we have seen from "The Dodger," why should we expect any different? 

 

Just look at how this guy spends money to celebrate his birthday.

 

Seriously, you cant make this up! 

 

Trust me, based on this alone, we all have reasons to be concerned. 

  

But maybe the other reason that this is keeping me up at night is that we have all seen this movie before.

 

Do you remember when Mark Zuckerberg announced he would give 100 million dollars to the Newark school system? 

 

Newark changed overnight. People were up in arms. Community involvement and protests eventually became the rallying cry.

  

And now, we are about to begin the same thing over again, except there is potentially 3-5X the amount of dollars and a much quieter community cry for involvement.

 

That isn't good enough! We need 3 to 5 times the volume on our push for involvement this time around too!

 

This situation just begs the question, based on what we know about Roger, can we trust him with this money?  

 

Maybe, but it will be up to "we, the people" to hold our district accountable.

     

Let's make sure we do our kids right this time.  Let's make sure this money gets to our kids. 

 

Call Roger Leon at 973-733-7333 and tell him our kids deserve these dollars!

Governor Murphy – It's Time to Step Up....for Newark!

Last week I shared my prayers for a safe return to school.   But we need far more than a prayer.

Today, I will share some Newark truths to the kind of district schools our kids are now returning to.  

Newark children are returning to district school buildings that are simply out of date.  Our classrooms lack computers, smart boards, and internet access.  

Newark children are returning to district school buildings that are far past their expiration date and for decades have been crumbling and need to be replaced.  Think about it, we are talking classrooms with leaking ceilings, lacking basic HVAC systems, and in some cases are actual public hazards.

Newark children are returning to schools that have served poison water for far too long.  It has been years since lead contamination first showed itself.  Perhaps I am the only one, but I am still uncertain and skeptical that the water is entirely safe in our schools.

Our world has dramatically changed in the last year, but unfortunately, very little has changed when it comes to our district schools.   

These characteristics of our district schools have become the standard.  We have allowed this to happen.  We must demand better for our kids.

Unfortunately, because of a lack of leadership, we face even more challenges than the usual suspects.  

Now there is more...

As reported in multiple news stories last week, Newark children are now headed back to school, having dropped on average 25 percentage points in Math and Language Arts.

As I have written about in this blog for some time, more than 1 in 5 Newark students have been chronically absent in the last year.

Remember, things have gotten so bad that Newark's district Superintendent, Roger the Dodger, has banned teachers from giving Fs!

Friends, we need far more than just a prayer.  We need to demand action.  And specifically, it is time for our leaders to provide us a plan for our future.  

I have been critical of Roger Leon, and who isn't.  The guy does not communicate to parents.  He flip-flops.  And let's face it, not many Newark parents or even district employees trust the guy.  Yes, it would be nice if Roger went beyond his Friday afternoon press releases and actually tackled these issues. Unfortunately, Roger is in way over his head.  I have given up on the guy, and so has most of Newark.
 
It is time for Governor Murphy to step up and support Newark.

Many of us in Newark remember Murphy when he was a candidate.  The first thing that comes to my mind is a campaign stop he made at a Mosque in Newark.  At that event, he promised our community the world.  He sounded like Jesse in 1988, or at least Clinton in 1992.  After eight years of Christie, he was a breath of fresh air.  When Murphy was elected, many of us in Newark felt pride, ownership, and even hope.  Murphy was our guy – and let's face it, without Newark, the guy would never have been the Democratic nominee, let alone the winner of a statewide election.

Well, it's been four years– how you doing?

Promises made, promises ignored. 

Instead of serving the community that first supported him, he has spent his time in office helping his lobbyist friends in Trenton and going on national television building his "brand."

Seriously, it is four years since we – our community - elected Murphy.  

Are our schools any better?  

Are African American businesses doing better?  

Can you think of one thing he has done for your family?

The answer is No.  

Meanwhile, Newark's schools continue to be chronically underfunded, and we continue to be short-changed in addressing school repairs.

As you all know, I am a Democrat.  I was one of the first Murphy supporters in Newark.  And I am not happy.

You know what would make me happy, a greater investment from Murphy in my City.  

COVID or no COVID, four years ago, Murphy provided us a vision.  

Now, where is he?  

Well, he is in his offices at One Gateway Center, but perhaps it would be better if he took a walk with me in the West Ward?

As I have been saying since I started this blog, nothing will change if we continue to accept this.  You and I deserve better, and so do our kids.

So today, I am proclaiming a call to action.  Join me.   

Call Phil Murphy at 609-292-6000 and tell him to start thinking more about Newark kids!   

It is time for Murphy to step up, but it is also time we step up

A Prayer For Newark’s School Opening

Before I talk about how happy I am that our kids will be going back to school, I want to start with a quote from the great James Baldwin.

In 1963, James Baldwin wrote an essay on the importance of education.  I believe it was first a speech but was later published for all to read.

There is a line in that essay that I remembered and looked up when COVID-19 first hit, where he stated, "The purpose of education...is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions."  

One of the big reasons I have lost sleep during this pandemic is knowing that our kids in Newark have been losing out on so much – most of all, the ability to continue developing so they can one day make sound decisions.  And to do this well, every child needs impactful life experiences.

It's kind of hard to look at the world when you are trapped in a house or an apartment.

All the learning loss and all the time away from the classroom have prevented our own kids from finding needed independence. 

I am so proud that in the middle of this mess, our community has protested productively and peacefully.  We have fought to make Black Lives Matter a slogan not only seen in our own communities but embraced around the world.  We even changed the history of our country and voted Trump out of office!  

It pains me to think about all the kids who should have been out in the streets with us.  

Think about all the kids who could have joined in our efforts in states like Georgia.  

Think about all the kids who should have been in a classroom with their peers to talk about what we were seeing in 2020.

For over a year, our kids have lost out on bettering their minds, creating social interactions, asking questions, questioning the world, and discovering the world for themselves.  

Last week, I shared some thoughts that our community should not have to "ask permission" to create positive action.  But beyond anyone's attempts to bring about change, a person must first have the opportunity, as Mr. Baldwin states, to make their "own decisions." And I agree with him - that the process begins in the classroom.

This is why I am so happy we are opening back our schools, finally.  

And that is why getting back to class is such an essential first step.  

Education is the first needed step for our kids to create opportunity and independence for themselves.

I hope this transition back to the classroom goes well and the District has a plan to ensure our kids remain safe.  

But most of all, I pray.  

I pray that our kids will get back on track.  

I pray that our State and City will do all they can to make sure our kids make up for the lost learning.  

I pray that our classrooms will provide each of our kids with the means to receive a powerful education.  

And most of all, I pray that getting out of the house will allow our kids to begin finding themselves again.  So our kids can become their own person and start looking at the world through their own lens.

Opening our public classroom is a good start, but as I will talk about next week, there is a lot of work to do now that our kids are back to school.  There is a great deal of responsibility that we must demand from our Governor, Mayor, and Superintendent.  

But today, it begins with a pretty basic idea – that our kids remain safe and that they are provided the opportunity to begin again in bettering and empowering themselves.

Newarkers Should Not and Do Not Need Permission

 

One of my mentors and political godfather was the great Carl Sharif. 

 

We lost the great Carl over five years ago.  There are two Carl Sharif's I remember. 

 

I remember the strong South Ward political kingmaker whose fingerprints were involved in almost every political and community-related issue in our City. 

 

The other Carl was a far different version of himself.  In his last remaining years, he was a man who was ill and lived the best he could while he was dying. Constantly reminding all of us about our ultimate fate and what will we do with our time on this earth?  Carl was frail but remained strong. I would often hug him close to feel the pain and suffering he endured through several surgeries. And while the large gatherings at his office home were no more, those of us who remained loyal and who visited him in those final years received some of the best counsel he had ever provided. 

 

While I might have envied and respected the Kingmaker, I learned so much about Carl the man and myself in those final years of his life – and I am grateful to God for allowing us to have that time.  

 

Two things Carl would say to me during these talks was this – "YOU DON'T NEED PERMISSION TO DO ANYTHING." "SYDNEY, YOU HAVE WAY MORE POTENTIAL THAN YOU DO POWER"

 

These words mattered to me from the moment he first said them – and they counted more as he would repeat them many times in our sessions together. 

 

I did not know this at the time, but Carl even started a blog based on those words – www.carlsharif.com.

 

I get what he was saying to me.  We continue to live in a city of haves and have nots.  There are the powerful.  The ones making the decisions.  The one influencing the actions of all the rest. 

 

Carl was there to remind me that I did not need others permissions to do what I wanted to help my people or anyone for that matter.  That I was not put on this earth to play the game and do what I was told.  No.  Carl instead challenged me to go with my gut.  To not be afraid to speak my mind.  Most of all, never accept the status quo – not for acceptance, not for power, and not for money.

 

Now, I am the one with the blog.

 

And I am now going to remind you that You Don't Need Permission – and WE DON'T NEED PERMISSION.

 

Some of my stances on issues, my decision to call out injustice, speak my mind – have bothered people in this City.  These are the people who call the shots, who don't like to be challenged, who demand all of us march in line.

 

That was not what Carl was about – and that is not what I am about.

 

As some of you know, I recently took Carl's words and started a podcast.

 

I am really happy with it so far and would ask you all to please check it out – https://youtu.be/xrgoNHAoTZQ .

 

Through this blog and the podcast, I am making a case for action.  I am making a case for higher expectations.  And I am making a case for justice.  We do not need to accept things as they are.  We do not need permission to disagree with our Mayor or our Superintendent. 

 

If we are drinking poisoned water, we have every right to demand better. 

 

If our kids are not getting a strong public education, we have every right to demand better.

 

If our communities cannot access capital, we have every right to demand better.

 

And WE DO NOT NEED PERMISSION.

 

Our country was founded on the backs of slaves.  You know I am right. 

 

For this reason, it does not shock me that we are still reminding people that WE DO NOT NEED PERMISSION.

 

Carl Sharif reminded us of this fact years ago….and we must remember these words.

IF ATTENDANCE AND GRADES DON'T MATTER, CAN WE EVEN CALL THIS "SCHOOL"?

Last Fall, I questioned Newark's Superintendent Roger Leon for reporting to the Governor, our Mayor, and Newark parents that our City's Public School attendance rate was 99.8 percent.

Laughable.  There was no way that could be true!  We are in a global pandemic, people.  

Leon's claim just didn't pass the smell test, so I called "Roger the Dodger" on it. He followed up on my blog within minutes of posting it, calling my cell phone, and threatened to sue me for exercising my freedom of speech.  Remember, I taped the call if you want to hear it.    Then last week, ChalkBeat Newark busted Roger on what we all already knew – that actually "more than 1 in 5 Newark students were chronically absent" even though the attendance rules only required them to essentially check a box on a website.  

We are not talking about a missed class here and there. "Chronically absent" means right now, thousands of current Newark district students have missed weeks of classroom instruction!

Now, yet a new story has emerged since this scandal.  The same publication, ChalkBeat Newark, just wrote that one district school is not allowing teachers to give "Fs" as a grade.  The story outlined how one Newark district school put together a presentation for teachers to "Eradicate Fs in 2 Day!"  The presentation included suggestions such as "curving grades," "changing weights to boost student scores for work already been done," and be sure to "update the grade book NOW!"

If there are no consequences for not showing up to class and if students don't have to worry about getting a bad grade, should it even be called "school"? 

I am serious!  Come on, Newark! This is really happening.

This is my blog, and I do not want to get into the habit of commenting on every news article every week. But these reports are keeping me up at night.

Our district schools are struggling in many areas.  Everyone knows it.  

Our kids are not going to class.  Roger tried to hide it, and he got called on it.  Now he just got caught allowing our grading system to become rigged.

This has to stop.

If we continue to allow this, we are only hurting the kids.  Blindly passing students may help Roger get his bonus, but our kids will not benefit if they don't learn the material.

Yet he remains in his bunker, ignoring all of this.

It is unacceptable, and everyone knows it.

We must do more.

Roger, people are concerned for a good reason.  It is time you stop dodging.

People liked you.  Some people still do.  But this is not the popularity contest that got you this job in the first place.  We are in an undeniable mess and you continue to drop the ball.  People are taking notice, and this is serious stuff.  

Our kids are losing out – and we are paying for this mess as taxpayers. 

Please, for our kids, it is ok to admit you are in over your head and ask for help.

Roger the Dodger – Are Newark's Boys and Girls Attending School or Not?

Let's just get this out of the way. My post this week is going to be more than just a vent.  

I am going to share with you the rumblings I am now hearing about Roger Leon.  After my last blog, I received a boatload of information.  So here we go.

In reaction to my last blog, a friend who still works closely with one of Roger's deputies called me with some big news.  It looks like the State has put Newark back in its sights and is investigating the Superintendent and his school enrollment plan.   Yup, not good for Roger.

I also heard that Roger has now picked up a new nickname – Roger the Dodger - within some school level circles.  

This came up at a zoom meeting I attended, and the way it was explained to me, the nickname came about after the Superintendent decided to listen to John Abeigon and postponed school again.  The Dodger part comes from Roger's fear of making tough decisions. Also,  not good.

But it gets worse.  ChalkBeat Newark's piece about the District's inability to address absenteeism could not come at a worse time, and it sounds like folks at City Hall are not only concerned about this issue, but some of the wrong people were blindsided.

Now to be clear and real, I have no idea what the Mayor thinks about this. Still, it seems even more than this State investigation, Newark's chronic absenteeism is a real concern and is the issue more likely to affect whether Roger stays or goes.

I don't know enough about this supposed State investigation or the nickname thing, but like many Newark parents, this absenteeism has had upset me for a while.  

As you may remember, last September, I called Roger out for running around bragging to our State that Newark's school attendance had a 99.8% attendance.  At the time, it just did not sound right.  It sounded like a big fat lie, and it got me frustrated.

It now seems I was right.  

According to last week's ChalkBeat piece, the issue is far worse than Newark or the State realized, and many are concerned and rumbling about Leon's future has already started.

According to ChalkBeat, "More than 1 in 5 Newark students were chronically absent from remote learning this Fall, according to district data, meaning that thousands of students went missing from their virtual classrooms on a regular basis….3,000 of those students were "severely" chronically absent, according to the District's criteria, meaning they missed more than 9 school days — the equivalent of two weeks or more of class. If the pattern persists, those students will lose out on more than 30 school days by the end of this academic year."

So, somehow - Newark went from near 100% attendance in Spring to this?

Remember, after I blogged about this issue in September, Leon called me up and threatened to sue me – remember, I still have the audiotape of the conversation.

It looks like the information reported in Chalkbeat shows I had good reason to call him out.

More importantly, it now seems many others around Newark are now asking the same questions I did last Fall.

As I have admitted, since starting this blog, my own concerns and temperature about our School District have gone up, and this Winter that the temperature is now rising for many – as are the rumblings.

So here we go again.  We have all seen this movie before when Cami Anderson was here.  While I would not necessarily say we are in Cami territory, it looks like a Part II might be in development.

But regardless of the name-calling and the investigations, I think Roger can help his standing in Newark by being honest with us and answering this question - Are Our Boys and Girls Attending School or Not?

I started this blog to vent and share my worries about our city in the middle of a pandemic. As I have continued to reflect, write, and pray on my fears, it is clear that what keeps me up at night is the state of public education in Newark.

To both me, the blogger, and you, the reader, I continue to focus on Roger Leon, our Superintendent. This was originally not by design. I have known Roger for some time. He has worked in the school district for a long time. There is a history of friendship – and I celebrated the day he was finally selected to lead our school district as Superintendent. But since getting the job, a position he personally coveted for years, I have been in disbelief from what we have seen from him.

Take in point Roger's most recent announcement that our schools are not opening anytime soon.  

As appropriately headlined the NJ education blog New Jersey Left Behind, "In a Win for Newark Teachers Union, Schools Will Remain Closed Until April.

Instead of doing what is right for our families, Roger is taking his cues from one of Newark's most corrupt bosses in Newark, NTU President John Abeigon. 

All you have to do is look at the NTU website, where they boast, "The NTU continues to work closely with the Superintendent and the district's Reopening Taskforce." Or as Abeigon stated himself in ChalkBeat Newark. "Right now, we're doing everything in our power to try to stop it [opening Newark schools]."

Basically, Roger has allowed John Abeigon to sit at the table, whisper in his ear, and even pull the strings.

Whether it be the underage drinking he has promoted in Newark, the many stories going around strong-arming parents who disagree with him at School Board meetings, and doing all he can to put his interests and the hundreds of thousands of dollars he makes a year over the needs of our kids, Abeigon has a bit of a reputation, to say the least. And as most of us know, he has never met a parent he actually likes. Our needs and goals for our kids are most certainly not his priority. 

Seriously, this is the same guy insisting that we make it mandatory that our kids are vaccinated before coming back to school. I'll be damned if this guy is going to tell me how to parent.

So what does Roger do?  

Instead of making his own decision or listening to parents' needs in Newark, he again flip-flops and allows this guy to decide when we open schools.

Listen, we would not want someone like Abeigon anywhere near our kids, and sure as hell, I do not want him involved in the decision-making of when my kids are back in school. 

Just this week, an extremely powerful piece made its way into many of Newark's social media groups. Please take a look if you have a moment.  

As stated, "An estimated 3 million students may have dropped out of school learning since March, according to Bellwether Education Partners, a national nonprofit that focuses on underserved youth. The group's study cited a lack of Internet access, housing insecurity, disabilities, and language barriers as major obstacles to attending virtual classes during the pandemic."

It's time for a plan, not a puppet as our Superintendent.  

I deeply worry that, based on his actions and erratic decisions, Roger has reached a point where he is in way over his head and flailing.  

What I am seeing is NOT the Roger I know and is certainly not the person who met privately with so many of us, wishing that someday he could one day become Superintendent.

Roger, stop listening to John Abeigon and start listening to Newark's parents!

A Victory for Taxpayers-- But Is It Also The Return of Cami Anderson as Newark's Superintendent?

Earlier this month, I questioned the lack of actual learning time our students in Newark were receiving during COVID-19. Most of all, I pointed out that Newarkers are paying the same taxes, yet our kids in Newark's public school are receiving far less learning time.

I pointed out that parents in other cities were suing over this, but wanted to know where Newarkers could get their refund on lost learning time and who I should call. Roger Leon? John Abeigon? Randi Weingarten?

Like we saw with my last post about Superintendent Leon, he reacted almost immediately. Except this time he didn't call and threaten to sue me--he immediately moved to change the standards of virtual learning and increase instructional time for kids in a major way!

Victory, right? You'd think I'd be jumping for joy at this because it's a good call.

The problem is how he did it: a back-room decision that didn't engage parents and students in the process. 

Look at this petition from thousands of Newark high school students and allies. Once again, Newarkers are pushing back on Leon's way of doing things. As the petition states, it "is unfair for not thinking about how this decision made by a person who is not a student and does not understand our struggles will affect us. They took over without asking the students how we feel. They put aside our opinion and our rights to make decisions for the benefit of our well-being. They made a choice on our behalf without our consent and feelings in mind."

This isn't the only example. Leon shut down one of the highest performing district elementary schools without telling parents who chose them in the universal enrollment process just months before. Parents spoke out about the lack of transparency and inclusion at board meetings, but ultimately were ignored.

Leon also moved to make FAFSA a mandatory requirement for graduating seniors--a good thing that the charters have been doing for years. But he proposed the policy in a chat box in a zoom board meeting. No process, no document, just change by dictate.

These tactics sound familiar to anyone?

Is Roger Leon, Cami Anderson's former deputy, coming back with more of the same?

Anderson's years as Newark Superintendent were some of most volatile for our community. While some of her ideas were actually good ones, she showed insensitivity to our community through her actions. She made big decisions without engaging our community. She showed no interest in working with parents. As a result, many good ideas didn't go as far as they could to help children.

Unfortunately, rather than learning from Cami's mistakes, Roger has chosen to run our school district like a bully--just one with Newark roots.

Let's be real for a second, and maybe I will be a bit too real, but let me share what I hear about Roger. 

Roger, who is an appointed official, does not work well with our elected school board. He often ignores them. He hires too many people outside of Newark. He shows little effort in engaging parents. Sound familiar? 

Ask any principal, elected leader, or parent. Whenever an issue arises, we have all heard Roger blame his staff for something rather than owning the decision he has made. "Call me personally if you ever have an issue," we hear. Most of us don't believe it anymore. We have heard it too many times. Roger can look you in the eye, smile and hug you during one moment and then lie and stab you in the back the next. 

Roger's words are not true. Instead, he likes to act depending on the audience of the moment. Cami liked to be an actor as well. We all remember how she used to brag in public speeches that she was trained as an "improvisation actor." 

There are many similarities that Cami's former chief deputy has with his former boss. But the worst is that Roger has decided to continue the Cami Anderson way of doing things in Newark – by making significant decisions without any consultation with the community.

And please, let's face it, we are NOT seeing Leon making these drastic decisions because he has "higher expectations" than the rest of us. 

It's about him wielding his power and making knee-jerk decisions based on his own whims.

My blog has questioned some of Roger's actions in the past. I even highlighted Roger's bullying tactics with me personally, which, once I posted, seemed to remind many of the Cami days.

But here is what is keeping me up at night, Newark - 

Cami's downfall was simple. Newarkers had it with her. There were just too many times to count where she should have listened and built consensus rather than implemented on her own. 

Now, many years later, Cami's former chief deputy is following the Cami playbook - and it needs to stop.

Roger has followed Cami Anderson and created his own "One Newark" Plan." Just like the days of Cami, no one really understands his long- term vision for our school system. He seems to have very little interest in what his Board, Parents, Teachers, and Students think. And his actions are not bringing people together. Instead, Roger's "One Newark Plan" seems driven only by his own whims and implemented without consensus or working together. Just like Cami, Leon's new version of "One Newark" is only about one person – himself.

Where's my Refund? Newarkers Are Still Paying the Same Taxes, But Our Kids Are Receiving Less Learning - So How Do We Get Our Money or School Time Back?

 

As you know from my previous blog posts, my daughter attends West Side High School - and over the last few weeks I have shared some concerns about remote learning that just about every Newark parent currently feels.

 

Parents are concerned that many of us now have to pay for the added cost of technology for public school learning.  We are concerned with the lack of in-person adult supervision during classroom time.  We are concerned with the questionable attendance data the district has provided the state.

 

Today, I have a new concern for you - and like the others, it is something that has started to keep me up at night. 

 

Between my daughter's shorter remote learning schedule, technical difficulties, last minute class cancelations, etc - by my count, her hours of actual academic instruction is about half of what it was before COVID.   That is a lot of learning loss, right?

 

So over Thanksgiving break I started thinking - When will my kid and other Newark kids be provided all the learning time they have lost?  And what can we do about it?

 

Newarkers are paying the same taxes for public schools that we did before COVID, only our kids are now receiving less learning.  So where do I go to get my rebate?

 

 

Who do I send the bill to? Roger Leon? John Abeigon or his Boss Randi Weingarten who have been pushing for this.

 

 

I found this article about Los Angeles Public Schools and it rings true here in Newark.

 

The article starts off like this, "The Los Angeles Unified School District's distance learning plan has caused "enormous learning losses" and left tens of thousands of Black and Latino students without a basic education, according to allegations in a class action lawsuit filed against the district Thursday."

 

You should read the article.  Perhaps Newark parents should follow LA's and file lawsuits to get their refund! Not money, but learning time.

 

As Newarkers, we have seen inequity in our city's public education system for generations and our fight for fairness, opportunity, and a strong education for our kids has continued for decades.

 

We have seen a state unwilling to fully fund our city; school buildings turning to ruin; waste fraud and abuse from our centralized district office; and until recently, a state unwilling even to allow Newark's own people to run our own schools!

 

Learning loss has been a constant for all of us in Newark.  Funding does not get to our classrooms or our kids - and in many ways many of us those of us born and bred have become a product of learning loss.

 

And now, over 250,000 Americans have died because of this global pandemic. We have a current President obsessed with throwing away African American voting ballots, along with their health care, rather than helping our families during this health crisis. And with COVID rates dramatically expanding in recent days, we have heard the calls of our Mayor, and we know our city is in a terrible crisis.

 

It is a chaotic time and a scary time. I do not deny that.   But when it comes to education, this is simply more of the same.

 

So where do we go for our refund?

 

As children of Newark - and now as parents of Newark – the challenges that Newarkers face is not unchartered. We have seen crisis and inequality for generations. We have not backed down or remained silent during some of the most challenging moments in our city's history. In fact, it has been just the opposite. These times, these moments in our history, require us to ask questions and to fight.

 

Now to be clear, I am not advocating that we open up classrooms right now. While there is a very fair argument to do so, I am not a health care expert.

 

However, Newark, it's time to ask –

 

Who is making these decisions for our children?  Is it the Superintendent? Is it the Mayor? Is it the Governor?  Do these people even have their children enrolled in the Newark public education system?

 

It is a lot easier to close our public schools if you do not have a child in the Newark Schools. These deciders are not affected by the decision and do not understand our struggle right now.

 

Months from now, are our leaders going to call this moment a "lost weekend," or is there a plan to actually invest in our community and our kids and provide what has been lost?

 

I tell you what, my daughter deserves her full 100 percent – and so do all Newark kids.

 

Think about it. We know this. So many of our Newark kids have special needs. Many need more resources. Every hour, every day, every week, every month of lost time affects our kids' future.

 

Our kids are losing instruction, and with it, their equity and opportunity.

 

Newark, since no one else is addressing it, it looks like we need to we have to fight for our fair share. So it is time for Newark to stand up, just as we have done in the past, and ask the sensible question to our Newark leaders - When will my kid and other Newark kids get paid back for all the learning time they've never received?

 

It's up to us, Newark.