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June 24, 2024Updated Newark Round-Up: Money, Money, and Basketball
The school year is winding down but conversation remains heated in Newark Public Schools. Over the last week three stories have emerged: a controversial “Central Staff Fun Day,” a big win during contract negotiations for Newark Teachers Union, and a previously-scheduled “Nuttin’ But Azz” basketball game at West Side High School that was cancelled after promoters circulated what school board member Josephine Garcia called “inappropriate content.”
“Central Staff Fun Day”:
TAPintoNewark broke the story that the Newark Board of Education approved up to $44,000 for 275 Central Office staff members (and their 140 children) to spend the day at at Forest Lodge, which is, according to the resort’s website, a “sprawling and idyllic property located in Somerset County, New Jersey.” The $44K cap was intentional: New Jersey school districts must go out for bids on any project above that cap and so “Fun Day” required no bidding process.
Two catches: the original receipt from Forest Lodge showed a total expenditure of $50,238.50, which is above the cap. Also, the catering paid for by NPS included bar service with “a wide variety of beer on tap” but NJ Statute bans school districts from paying for alcohol. When TAPinto journalist Matt Kadosh called to ask about the cap, district spokeswoman Nancy Deering said the final cost had been adjusted to $43,813.90—$187 dollars below the cap. When Kadosh followed up by calling Superintendent Roger León to ask why the original receipt said alcoholic beverages were included, León’s “phone connection was lost.”
(There is a mandatory service charge at Forest Lodge. For “Central Office Staff Day” the service charge came to $6,683.40. If you subtract the service charge from the original total of $50,238.50, the total is $43,555, just below the cap and the revised receipt.)
Update: Matt Kadosh at TAPinto tells NJ Ed Report it was Roger León, with Nancy Deering on the line, who called him from a blocked number following the publication of the first article, to which they had not responded to requests for comment before publication. It was during this phonecall that León said no alcohol was served at the event. The second article described the adjusted receipt.
Newark’s annual budget this year is $1.5 billion.
Higher Salaries for Teachers:
Tuesday evening the Newark Board of Education approved a new contract with Newark Teachers Union’s 6,700 members. Superintendent León congratulated NTU President John Abeigon and its members, saying, “I want to thank them publicly for their assistance and support.” Under the new five-year bargaining agreement, which begins August 1st, the average NTU member will have a 4.5% raise each year. Starting salaries will begin to rise, from $65,000 per year (plus benefits) to $74,000 by the final year of the contract. In addition, teachers will have more freedom to choose curricula and instructional material.
Currently the average NPS teacher earns $80,834 a year.
The Star-Ledger notes,
“Though district officials regularly highlight the achievements of Newark’s exceptional students and improvements in attendance and other areas, the raises were approved as overall academic performance of Newark’s 40,000 traditional public school pupils continues to lag behind their counterparts in wealthier suburban districts and the state as a whole.
Controversial Game Cancelled:
West Side High School was scheduled to have a basketball tournament on July 21st sponsored by a promoter named Big Fendi. According to a promotional video that was filmed in the school’s gym during a school day, the “Nuttin’ But Azz (NBA)” tournament, reports the Daily News, would feature women wearing thongs. “‘We ain’t doing no ugly ducklings,’ Big Fendi said in a Facebook ad promoting the competition with graphic images of scantily clad women on a basketball court.”
At Tuesday’s board meeting, parents and board members were angry: Board President Hasani Council called the video “disturbing, degrading and disgusting.” Parent Latoya Jackson Tucker said, “My main concern is that we stay connected and unified because there are so many times that we don’t show each other grace, but we have to. I know it was disrespectful, but there’s a lot of other disrespectful stuff happening in the district.” Superintendent Leon promised a full investigation.
Big Fendi issued an apology:
“We were doing an event and things went a little left and out of control and I take responsibility for that. I want to apologize to the parents, to the students, and anyone else that was involved, man, my deepest apologies.”
