Roger Leon and Donald Trump Have A Lot in Common - They Both Think We are Suckers

 

This summer, my daughter was assigned to West Side High School through Newark Enrolls.

 

The whole process has been one of the most disorganized I have ever seen. Hold on a second, I should not use the word "process" because there has been no process.

 

Having not received any specific information from the school district, I took the morning off from work on the first day of school to confirm my daughter was set up for the new school year. I was told by the school to come back another day with the rest of her paperwork, and this went on, ready for this, for three weeks!

 

We had a classroom schedule for my daughter, the school lost enrollment information that was provided months ago, and as I attempted to reach various departments, it was clear no one walk talking to each other. Bottom line, she was not able to start at West Side until 9/24/2020, yet she had a scheduled and we were told she was registered without having the supporting documents.

 

Let's be real. We all know the drill. This is what Newark school district parents are accustomed to. Unfortunately, many of you reading have your own story. We all do. It frustrating, and as parents, we should not all be struggling so hard to ensure our kids can receive a public education.

 

But here is where my frustration really turns to anger.

 

While we are dealing with all of this with my daughter, while so many parents are dealing with their own frustrations, according to ChalkBeat Newark, our District Superintendent, Roger Leon, has been running around bragging to our Mayor and School Board that Newark's school attendance has been - get this - 99.8 percent.

 

I am going to repeat this -

 

According to Newark's District Superintendent Roger Leon, our school district, the largest school district in the state, has maintained 99.8% attendance through this global pandemic.

 

It made me wonder if Leon counted my daughter as "present" while struggling to attend classes in September?

 

Last week, I spent a good chunk of my blog questioning why our Superintendent announced a ten-year strategic plan in the middle of a global pandemic, incredibly when he has been mostly silent on the real concerns we as parents face right now.

 

No one is happy right now. Too many Newark kids don't have computers or wifi to participate in these remote classrooms. Too many kids are stranded alone during the day. And parents are frustrated and have been provided with little communication or support from the school district since this horror all began. To be fair, this is not all Leon's fault, but my point was that this was no time for a PR stunt. Instead of trying to change the subject, Leon should be investing his time addressing the immediate concerns of parents.

 

Little did I know that just as I was writing all of this last week, Leon doubled down and taken a page right out of Donald Trump.

 

It seems we have it much worse than just an obtuse Superintendent who does not understand our concerns. We actually have a Superintendent who is a liar, providing Trump-like alternative facts, and willing to say or do anything to benefit himself.

 

No need for the facts. No need for reality. No need for the truth. No need for checks and balances.

 

Thousands of Newarkers are dead or sick.

 

Classes have been pushed to remote learning, where - as I mentioned just last week in my blog - too many kids do not even have a computer, wifi, or needed supervision.

 

Yet somehow, through a miracle that only Roger Leon seems to believe, Newark classrooms have received a nearly perfect attendance score? Come on!

 

We live in a crazy time, a time when we have a President who dares to lie constantly. He has lied to us about the pandemic. He has lied about racism and inequity in our country.

 

We need honesty. We need transparency. We need the truth.

 

Roger Leon should be ashamed of his bogus enrollment claims.

 

99.8% - really?

 

Leon seems content to say whatever he wants, truth be damned.

 

By cooking his books, Leon is providing a terrible example for our kids.

 

Being a frustrated parent in the Newark school system, unfortunately, is expected.

 

But as we saw with Cami Anderson, it takes a special kind of Superintendent to make parents angry. And lying is simply inexcusable. Yet we all want to continue to blame Cami and say Roger is the savior.

 

Do our kids now feel empowered to not show up at school, knowing they will be marked as "present"?

 

Do our kids now feel that if Leon can cheat, so can they?

 

People, this is insane!

 

And again, these are the actions in Newark that keep me up at night. How can we allow this for Newark?

 

STRUGGLING THROUGH VIRTUAL LEARNING

 Last week I launched my blog - Newark Neighborhood View - and I want to thank you all for providing your thoughts and ideas after my first post. 

Hearing from so many of you and receiving so many responses was not something I was expecting when I launched this blog. In some cases, I heard from Newarkers who I had not talked to in months because of COVID, and some friends outreached who I had not seen in even years. 

Thank you for reading, and thank you for reaching out. Your encouragement meant a great deal to me this last week, and I hope to use this platform wisely.

Being a Father, entrepreneur and activist takes up many of my hours during the day, but I hope to contribute to this ongoing dialog at least once a week. 

For this week, I want to talk about one of the many reasons I started this blog, and one of the many reasons I can't sleep at night. I want to share what it has been like to be back to school in Newark. Because right now, I am feeling so frustrated and angry.

As a Father, this new world has been a struggle, and I know that I am not the only one struggling either. Many parents are struggling right now - specifically Newark's single parents and our grandmothers who are raising children again or watching over them during school hours.

I don't feel that the powers that be have forgotten us, at least not yet, but I do feel people in high positions are ignoring the problem, trying to change the conversation, and are not listening to the voices of our neighborhoods.

Newark Superintendent Leon made a huge mistake during the opening weeks of school that really upset me.

Instead of addressing immediate issues, Leon chose to launch some kind of PR stunt, announcing a "historic" 10-year strategic plan. As well as using the summer months to start frivolous lawsuits against private developers who purchased old school buildings through a bidding process. Distractions from the real issues at hand. This summer we could have better prepared for the issues we see today. Other districts are excelling with hybrid models and we can not get virtual learning together after the test run  we all were forced to endure earlier this year.

Take a look right here - https://www.nps.k12.nj.us/press-releases/historic-10-year-strategic-plan-to-build-a-new-educational-ecosystem-in-newark/

A 10-year plan? Why do we need a 10 year Plan when most people are uncertain about tomorrow, or the day after.

So our schools are not open. Our kids lack the technology to learn. Newark parents are confused and frustrated. And Leon is talking about a ten-year plan? Really?

Let's be real - instead of addressing our immediate needs, Leon tried to change the subject. 

I mean, let's face it. Our worlds are collapsing right now. 

We have not heard from Leon or any other elected official that represents the children of Newark at all, and finally, he shows up with a ten-year plan? Sir, right now, I am just worried where my kids will be in 10 days. I don't get it.

Right now, we have single parents in Newark having to work. Our kids are in their homes alone, with no one to stay with them. In many cases, we do not have wifi or can't even get wifi if we could afford it. And even if we have wifi and the needed technology to learn, so many parents, especially our elderly, need help to educate their at-home children during these times. Instead of addressing these issues, STOP, dreaming about ten years from now. How about a plan to help our families now?

With this push to get students in front of the camera, we can get a glimpse of what life is like right now. 

We are seeing that people need help, and every household is not set up the same to be apart of the virtual learning experience. 

This is what keeps me up at night. This is why I started this blog. 

So many Newarkers cant access wifi.

So many Newarkers are dependent on free and reduced lunch and others that are not dependent are still in need of better options for providing food to their families. 

Parents are asking themselves, what should I spend my money on wifi or making sure my child has something to eat?

Everyone, this is real. 

While our Superintendent is thinking about how to plan for the next 10 years of his leadership , he seems to be missing the issues that we are facing right now.

The truth is that we need to know better. 

We must all come together and help each other during these times. As many of us saw first hand, when we all went to these same Newark schools, decades ago, while somethings have changed some things are business as usual.

To create change, it is going to have to come from all of us. 

If you have space for a child that you know needs help during these times, then it is our duty to open our doors to ensure an entire generation of children doesn’t fall grade levels behind during a world pandemic.

We all need to step up.

Introducing Newark Neighborhood View – Let's Be Real, What Keeps Us Up At Night?

As many of you know, I am a Newarker. I was born and raised here. Many of you know me, understand the love I have for this City, and take pride that you know my failings and the real-life lessons I have learned, sometimes the hard way.

I was introduced to many of you through my Dad, through Cory, and when I first served as a young (very young) City Council member. 

Politics is no longer my purpose. I now put the energy I gave to City Hall towards my kids – and I am very proud of that fact. 

Parenthood has given me a sense of purpose. It has filled a void that I lacked when in public office and allowed me to finally embrace maturity. There are times when I take a step back from my daily life, and I am proud that the raw passion I once had has developed into something far more impactful – wisdom. 

During so many times these last few months, I have prayed, reflected, and worried. 

I have been worrying a lot lately. 

And as I have witnessed the effects of COVID, Lead, and racism, among other issues in our City this year, I have found myself more and more worried about our neighborhoods, our people, and our families. 

Perhaps these worries are just part of gaining wisdom and growing older, or maybe there is something else going on. Perhaps things genuinely are as bad, as scary, and as messed up as it seems to be. Perhaps it's time, considering all that is going on right now, to worry.

A great deal has been on my mind, a great deal I am worrying about, and after thinking about it over the summer, I decided to start a blog – and I have decided to share it with each of you. 

There is much that keeps us all up at night – and there is much for us to worry about – so many issues, concerns, and frustrations. To address what is on my mind, I have decided to begin communicating what I am seeing and hearing. I have created this blog to advocate – and at times, even to fight - for what I think is right. There is simply too much in my head right now that I need to share - and as I have talked to many of you, I know you feel the same.

Like the many other decisions I have made – in politics, parenthood, advocacy, and business, many of you have been with me through it all – and I wanted Newark to be a part of this next adventure. 

I hope you will stay with me and hear what I have to say in the coming days and weeks. 

You may agree. You may disagree. 

My words may encourage or inspire you to do more. This blog may educate you and help us build a broader conversation. 

Of course, it may also trigger you to unsubscribe as well, but I hope that is not the case. 

This blog is about my love of Newark. All of Newark is part of my family, and I chose to speak up because there are issues and ideas we need to talk about. There is pain happening that is affecting all of us right now – young and old. We need to admit it. We need to talk about it. And we need to find a way to go beyond coping and worrying – and start addressing it. 

Regardless of how you may interpret what I am doing, I wanted to welcome you to my blog either way, and I hope you will continue on this journey with me. 

Thank you for listening. And I look forward to getting started.