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.

Newarkers - It is Time to Vote and Its Time to Help - There is No Excuse

 

We have been waiting for this bad dream to be over for four years. Newarkers, we are now less than a week away. We now finally have the opportunity to change our country and defend our black and brown people, our security, and our health.

 

If you have not sat in line and voted early. If you have not mailed in your ballot by today, please MAKE o a plan to vote on election day. There is nothing more IMPORTANT.

 

This incompetent, racist monster who is our President needs to go. His division will lead to our demise.

 

Look, 70 MILLION people have already voted, national polls look strong, swing states look good, and here in New Jersey, it is clear where our loyalties are - but that is simply not enough.

 

Everyone needs to MAKE A PLAN for election day.

 

For those who have voted, we need to make sure your vote counted.

 

We all need to do more, whether it's offering someone a ride to vote, keeping someone company for the hours it may take to vote, or keeping people safe from intimidation.

 

It is our responsibility to vote - but it is also a moral imperative that we also help those who have registered to vote - our family, our neighbors, and those less fortunate to get to the polls next Tuesday.

 

There is no excuse. A short distance away from Newark, we see that Philly - the City of Brotherly Love, a symbol of our county's Democracy - is burning right now. The Freedom bell is not ringing at this moment in our country especially in Philly. This disruption is by design to destroy our democracy.

 

I have been all over the country during this election cycle, From Florida to Alaska - hear me out - Philly is the battleground. Make no mistake.

 

In an election that may be determined by Pennsylvania's outcome, Newarkers should consider helping registered Philly voters get to the polls. Let's get real because we have seen this all before. We know what voter intimidation looks like, and all the signs leading up to election day are there.

 

There is no excuse. If you have friends or family in Philly, check in on them. See if they need any help. We all know where Trump stands. The fewer people in Philly who vote, the more of a chance he could win the state. Even though he is President, he would prefer to suppress the Philly vote than have our democratic rights be fulfilled. And if Trump wins Pennsylvania, we are in trouble.

 

We also know that Trump has his lawyers ready to pounce the day after election day, claiming voter fraud.

 

There is no excuse. Newarkers - we cant lets this happen. This is why even in New Jersey, voting matters. Yes, we know Trump will lose Jersey, but that is not enough of an excuse not to vote. To make sure Trump's lawyers are put into place, we need to run up the score. We need the highest popular vote margin possible - and if we don't do it, if we give Trump the slightest inch, he will take it, run with it, and I assure you this election will be taken from us once again.

 

There is no excuse. Trump has taken action to provoke attacks against our black communities. He has supported acts of aggression at peaceful protest against us as black Americans. He has instituted policies that have hurt us as black men and women. We are more concerned about the future for our children and angry than ever before. And as I mentioned in my last blog, let's never forget the Central Park Five and his disgusting racist actions as a landlord. Taking out full page ads in the most popular New York City Newspapers to attack innocent BLACK MEN.

 

And let's never forget the way this hater has waged war on both the first African American President and now the first African-American woman vice-presidential candidate.

 

Trump created his political career by questioning the birth certificate of our greatest President, and let's be real, it was no coincidence that he did it because he was a black man. He constantly uses his power and influence to question the role of BLACK MEN.

 

Disrespecting our Black leaders has only continued into his presidency, he did it with Brother Lewis, Brother Cummings, and now we see it yet again with Sister Kamala. He repeatedly attacked her when she ran for President. It has continued since being selected as Biden's running mate. He has mispronounced her name, called her a "horrible woman," a "nasty woman," a "madwoman," a "monster," and an "insult to our country."

 

We know the code that Trump is speaking is the code that incites attacks against our community, our people, and our future - and now, my fellow Newarkers, it's time we do something about it.

TRUMP LEFT NEWARK TO OUR OWN DEVICES – LITERALLY!

I am counting the days to Election Day.  Trump (he is not even worthy of being called President) has made me feel disrespected, angry, very angry, scared.

We all have our share of Trump stories, but I wanted to share my personal worst Trump moment, the moment I had it with this guy.

Last Spring, our state and city went into lockdown. We were in shelter and place status. And we heard nothing from the federal government. Trump was a deer in headlights. There was no plan.  He had anticipated nothing. And there was no direction.  It was clear to all of us, Newark was on its own.  A short time later, our schools opened for virtual learning, and it was a complete mess.

As I have talked about before, our kids were left home alone, many did not have the computers to join online classrooms, and far more families did not even have needed wifi technology.

When it came to COVID, Trump left Newark to our own devices - literally.  

As a father – this was my worst, most frustrating Trumpian moment.  I was angry. I was worried. And I could not sleep, which became the reason I eventually started this blog.

Last week I spent time explaining how the change we all seek must be led by us - that we cant really depend on anyone but ourselves.  Trump inaction is a good example of this fact - he has provided us plan, no computers, nothing - all during a time we needed it the most.

But here is a realization I had last week.

I just read this story in TAPinto Newark. I was struck by the investment University Heights Charter School made in providing free laptop computers to each of their students – over 850 students.

And there has been many other public schools that have done the same over the last few months.

This story in NJ Spotlight, highlights the work of the Newark School District, which states, "More than 98% of the district's roughly 37,000 students now have access to a laptop or tablet…That's a marked improvement from March, when nearly 30% of students needed devices for virtual learning after classrooms closed. In order to get students online, the district has given out more than 16,000 new and used laptops since the spring, according to data obtained through a public records request."

Other public schools, such as the KIPP NJ schools and the Uncommon Schools, have also provided computer lab tops for our kids in Newark.

And most of all, look at the great efforts of our Mayor and his team to address the issue. And he was doing this before COVID-19 event hit.

Friends, this is progress! This is creating needed change!  And most of all, this is change Newark created for themselves.

My most frustrating Trump moment, the moment I was at my worst and most vulnerable, eventually became a great moment for Newark.

Newark leaders stepped up. They filled the tremendous void that Trump created. We did not have computers for our kids – so we figured out a way.

This realization gave me pause – and it gave me hope.

If somehow we were able to step up and get our kids what they needed to learn, certainly, we can address the many other issues we must face.

So join me. Please share your worst Trump moment. All of us have a specific Trump incident or event that we will never forget. Feel free to email me directly or post on Facebook.  Perhaps that one Trump moment, that moment when he showed his cards on how truly terrible he is, also became a moment where Newark stepped up.

And while you are thinking about the last four years, let's all make sure we think about voting – making sure each of us has a plan to vote – so we can VOTE Trump out of office.

NEWARKERS – STEP #1 IN OUR FIGHT FOR EDUCATION EQUALITY – FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SDA.

As I've mentioned before, my daughter attends West Side High School in Newark. A long time ago, the State of New Jersey promised a new school building for West Side students. IT's been over a decade and we're still waiting. This has me up at night.

The SDA stands for the New Jersey School Development Authority. These are a big series of words for something very basic and desperately needed in Newark. The SDA is the government agency that plans and funds our school improvements and builds new school buildings. More specifically, the SDA is a multibillion-dollar state agency created specifically to build schools in cash-strapped districts – like Newark.

And how has the SDA treated all of us in Newark? Not very well.

As Newarkers know, our bricks and mortar public schools are a hot mess. 

Throughout our school district, classroom ceilings leak, the drinking water Is not clean, buildings are crumbling – and some have not been replaced since the Lincoln Administration – that's President Abraham Lincoln for those who were not around during the last civil war.

Unfortunately for our kids in Newark, the only thing more of a hot mess than Newark's school buildings is the actual SDA. Last week, you might have read the news.

A report was filed by the State Commission of Investigations describing how the SDA does its job – and let's keep this quick, the SDA ain't doin a very good job.

The investigation cited "irregular hiring practices," classified Murphy-appointee SDA CEO Lizette Delgado-Polanco as "a woefully inexperienced CEO." It claimed that the top members of Gov. Phil Murphy's staff knew about the SDA issues and did nothing about it. And finally, the report stated the following, "The bottom line is this: the SDA may cease to exist altogether unless the state can restore lost public trust that will enable it to obtain a new round of large-scale public financing." 

So who is shocked by this? 

Probably no one reading this – I mean we do live in the Soprano state, right? 

So what if Murphy hired a bunch of unqualified friends and political supporters to run the SDA? What else is new? This is how New Jersey works!

Well, here is why Newark needs to start caring – 

Murphy's friends ran the SDA into the ground. This billion-dollar department now has no money left to build new schools! Billions of dollars are now gone! 

So hopefully now you are following me – no money means no new school buildings in Newark. 

To realize how Newark is affected by all of this – we need to look no farther than our own West Side.

We have been waiting to improve our high school for years. There is even a shovel ready project designed and proposed already to build a new West Side High School Building.

But wait, if that is the case, why hasn't a new West Side High School been built? Well, now we know – because the SDA is run by a bunch of cronies, who wasted billions of dollars.

Are you following me now, Newark?

Instead of building schools, the SDA and Murphy were too busy hiring friends and family members for jobs they weren't qualified for.

And the result for Newark – even though we were promised a new West Side High School a decade ago – no progress has been made, and my kids certainly won't have the opportunity to attend a new West Side High School.

The SDA scandal is an excellent example for the reasons education inequity continues in Newark.

But here is what keeps me up at night. 

Ideally, the Governor should stop putting his donors and friends ahead of the people who actually voted for him. We were there for him when he ran in the primary almost four years ago, and he should be doing more for Newark.

But really, let's be honest, are we shocked by this?

The answer is – NO.

We can't trust Murphy or anyone we are doing the right thing. The only people we can trust are ourselves.

If we are truly going to create change, we ALL need to know how the SDA and other agencies work.

It's up to us to know more about the SDA, make sure the SDA has the right leadership, and demand that people like Murphy do the right thing for Newark.

Yes, Murphy and our system has to change, but so do we. Until we stop blindly trusting the politicians who only seem to remember us every four years, we will never get anywhere.

Newark needs better schools. 

Our kids are certainly more important than Murphy's political patronage.

But friends, we cant depend on Murphy or anyone else. 

Yes, this SDA investigation is a Murphy mess, and we had nothing to do with it. But until we all stand together, educate ourselves on agencies like the SDA, and demand more from them, we will never see the priorities we dream about get addressed.

SDA is a lesson to all of us - it's up to us, not anyone else.