After 18 years, schools back to local control?

Two segments of Jersey City district return to city supervision

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer

Certain functions of the Jersey City School District will soon be placed back under the district's control after having been run by the state since October of 1989.

The state will return two out of five key areas to local control because those areas earned high scores during state monitoring, but the district will still have to improve in three other areas, including "instruction and program."

Eighteen years ago, control of the Jersey City schools was transferred to the N.J. Department of Education as the result of a bill that gave the state power to take over failing school districts.

The Jersey City school district is one of three New Jersey districts under state control, along with Newark and Paterson.

State Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy recommended on Tuesday a change in the governance and fiscal management sectors of the Jersey City school system based on an examination of certain monitoring reports.

The NJ QSAC (Quality Single Accountability Continuum) monitoring is a process in which the state investigates the school district for signs of progress in five areas: instruction and program, personnel, operations management, school governance, and fiscal management.

A team of QSAC monitors visited the district earlier this year, where they had to determine that adequate progress has been made in any of the five areas in order for the state to return control to local officials.

"[The state] DOE does not want to run school districts, but we have a responsibility to make sure they are well-run," Davy said. "QSAC was built on the principles of uniform monitoring standards, efficiency, prevention, early identification of significant problems, and DOE involvement only for the time necessary and only in areas of need."

The announcement was greeted with elation by the Jersey City Schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Epps and some members of the school board.

But others aren't so excited, or even sure what to be excited about.

Two out of five ain't bad

The reason the fiscal management and governance sectors of the Jersey City school system were singled out by the state was because they scored high marks, according to the QSAC reports.

Jersey City scored 89 percent in governance and 92 percent in fiscal management.

If a district meets more than 80 percent of the indicators in a given component, the district is deemed to be "high performing" in that area.

The district could return to full local control, but only if they remedy their scores in the other three sectors studied in the QSAC reports.

Jersey City met 57 percent of the indicators in instruction and program, 58 percent of the indicators in personnel, 74 percent in operations management. The state requires that if a district achieves between 50 percent and 80 percent, they must put together a corrective action plan for those areas within 45 days.

Epps said last week, "I am ecstatic over this announcement and believe that this is a tribute to my entire team and most importantly, my board members."

The school board members are elected by the public each year.

Epps added in a statement, "These past years have required a great deal of hard work and commitment by many individuals, and this is a confirmation that all of our efforts on behalf of our students are appreciated."

Also happy to hear about the prospect of Jersey City moving toward local control of the school system was William DeRosa, Board of Education chairman.

"I am pleased and I look forward to going back to local control," said DeRosa, who was a social studies teacher at Lincoln High School at the time of the takeover. "The difference is, I can't say anymore it is the state's fault if someone complains why something is not right in the schools. And I embrace the responsibility."

Mayor Jerramiah Healy also was happy about the news, saying, "it's a credit to everyone in the Jersey City schools who work so hard to do the best job possible."

But apparently it's not all good

Not impressed with the news was board member and former mayor Gerald McCann.

The takeover in 1989 took place while he was in the mayor's office for a second time.

"What I was told and what I actually read was two different things," McCann said last week, taking issue with the areas where the school system supposedly showed improvement.

"What is governance? That just means the school board knows what they are doing," McCann said. "And the Finance Department knows how to take care of their business. But what about the other areas?"

McCann pointed out that the schools scored lowest in the area of Instruction and Program, which means the teaching of the students. But McCann did say he saw a positive in the recent news.

"I was in favor of the takeover, but I realize that the state has no idea what they are doing," McCann said. "It's a step in the right direction, because ultimately, Jersey City knows what's best for their schools."

Also expressing skepticism is Lorenzo Richardson, an accountant with the Urban League of Hudson County and a frequent presence at Board of Education meetings.

"There were audits done that found all kinds of wasteful spending," Richardson said. "If that goes back to local control, I would like to see the books."

What's next?

DeRosa said Davy is scheduled to meet with school officials and with the school board to discuss the QSAC reports further.

Also, by the end of next year, the Jersey City Board of Education must request a special election to determine whether the locally-controlled new board will be elected or appointed by the mayor.

Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

State's exit plan finds 2 of 5 areas hit mark
CITY MAY GET SOME CONTROL OF SCHOOLS

Thursday, July 26, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A state-run school district for nearly two decades, Jersey City is on the brink of regaining some measure of local control.

State Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy announced yesterday she is recommending to the state Board of Education that Jersey City be given the power run its own affairs in the areas of governance and finance.

The state will create and monitor "corrective action plans" in three other areas - instruction and program, personnel, and operations management, Davy said in a phone conference with reporters.

If sufficient progress is made in those areas, full local control could be restored, Davy said - ending a takeover that began in 1989.

"I want to congratulate the faculty and staff of the Jersey City Public Schools, and particularly, (Superintendent of Schools) Dr. (Charles T.) Epps, for their achievements," Mayor Jerramiah Healy said in a statement.

Epps, the state-appointed leader of district since 2000, called Davy's announcement a "historic moment" and described himself as "ecstatic."

"It (Davy's decision) validates who we are," Epps added. "It speaks to all the hard work we've done to get where we are."

Davy's decision would not affect the more than $425 million Jersey City receives in state school aid, since that funding is driven by the district's classification as one of the poorest in the state, officials said.

The process, known as the Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC), took several months for the state to complete, and involved a team of educators visiting the district and pouring over hundreds of documents and engaging in dozens of interviews with parents, teachers and school administrators, officials said.

QSAC gives the state a way to surgically intervene in districts instead of taking control of them as is the case in Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, and to a large extent, Camden. Perhaps just as importantly, QSAC gives the state a way out of the takeover districts, which the original takeover law never provided for, officials said.

"This is an escape hatch for the state of New Jersey," was Franklin Williams' blunt assessment of Davy's announcement. Williams was the superintendent when the state took over the district in 1989 and is vice chairman of the current Board of Education.

"We're happy to see them (the state) go because they did such a poor job," Williams added. "Local control is the best control for the students of Jersey City."

According to the QSAC scoring process, if a district met more than 80 percent of established indicators in a given area, then the state would relinquish control in that area.

Jersey City met 89 percent of the indicators in governance and 92 percent in fiscal management, but 74 percent in operations management, 58 percent in personnel, and 57 percent in instruction and program.

But even in instruction and program, where Jersey City came up short, Davy shed a positive light on the district's performance.

"QSAC goes beyond minimum levels," Davy said. "The progress Jersey City has made in student achievement didn't get them over the bar, but it shows they've made progress in the right direction."

Davy's decision goes before the state Board of Education for ratification on Aug. 1.

"I'm personally very happy," said board chairman William DeRosa. "Finally the stigma of being a 'takeover' district will be removed."

=====================================
To come: Elected or appointed board?
Thursday, July 26, 2007

State and local officials readily acknowledged yesterday that Education Commissioner Lucille Davy's recommendation to return some local operations to the Jersey City school district puts the city, state, and district in uncharted territory.

What is clear, they said, is that a "transition plan" will be in place by summer's end.

The district also has 45 days to give the state "corrective action plans" for the three areas still subject to state monitoring.

As far as the local elected board taking full charge of governance and finance - the two areas Davy wants to return to local control - that could take "weeks" or "months." It all depends on the transition plan, she said.

It is also certain that a year after the state gives up governance in the school district, a "special election" must be held for local residents to decide if they want an elected school board or one appointed by the mayor, state officials said.

During the transition period, Schools Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr., whose contract expires next June, would continue to the report to Davy, said Department of Education spokeswoman Kathryn Forsyth.

But it remained unclear yesterday if the state officials during the transition phase - or board members after the transition period, but before the citywide election - could sign Epps to a new long-term contract, or, in the case of the board, dismiss him.

If voters decided to keep an elected board, then the current board members would finish out their terms, Davy said.

On the other hand, if voters decided to switch to a mayoral appointment system, then the board members would immediately lose their posts, she said.

Mayor Jerramiah Healy declined to say yesterday which method of selection he would favor.

KEN THORBOURNE

JClaw is both right and wrong.The state is giving back some control to the city,Which will allow them to once again pad the payroll with family and freinds.

This does not mean that the funding will stop.

Won't this also mean that the main burden for the $70 million will have to come from the UNABATED property owners taxes?

Tell us how to fight it and we'll try.

Quote:

2 New Jersey School Districts Regain Some Local Control

By WINNIE HU
Published: July 25, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/nyr ... 60-/Vs9HS+Rt74uZWOtct/QPg

Warning: Do NOT read this as good news. This is AWFUL news.

This means that the State is preparing to make JC pay the annual $70 million tab for its school system instead of continuing to pick it up

AND

This means that the usual JC cronyism and patronage will now go into the operation of the school system which will result in even LESS $ getting into the classrooms to be spent on our childrens' education.

If you care about the value of your home, FIGHT THIS PLAN.

Newark, Jersey City may get some local control of schools

by John Mooney
Star Ledger
Tuesday July 24, 2007, 1:51 PM

State Education Commissioner Lucille Davy plans to recommend some return of local control to Jersey City schools and, to a lesser extent, Newark schools, the first steps in potentially ending the state's takeover of each district more than a decade ago.

Today, the state released monitoring reports indicating the two districts were ready to assume some controls, although neither in the critical area of instruction. The state took control of Jersey City schools in 1989 and Newark schools in 1995, both due to claims of mismanagement and academic failure.

If Davy's recommendations are approved by the state Board of Education, Jersey City would be permitted to elect or appoint its own school board in the next year and would have control of fiscal operations. Newark would gain control over facilities and other daily operations, although not yet its fiscal operations or instruction and curriculum, all of which would stay in the hands of a state-appointed superintendent.

The release of the reports for these two and five other districts under either state control or oversight are the first steps in the state's efforts to better monitor school districts and provide assistance where needed. The state also evaluated Irvington, Asbury Park and Trenton schools, finding none of them fully reached the required benchmarks in any of the five evaluated areas.

The state is expected later this week to release its evaluation of Paterson schools, which has also been under state control since 1991.

The state's announcement and reports can be found online.

http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2007/0724etr.htm