Matthew Brewster

The meeting commenced with roll call and greetings, followed by the official announcement of the results for the New York Board of Education election held on April 21, 2015, resulting in the seating of new members. New board members were sworn in. Following the swearing-in ceremony, the board elected a new chairperson, Ariana Pell, and a new vice chair, Maris Aquil Lewis. A departing board member, Dr. Mccre, gave concluding remarks expressing his dedication to education and community engagement. The new chair acknowledged the previous year's stagnation and expressed readiness to focus on children, teachers, and the community first. The board then moved to approve multiple sets of prior meeting minutes from February and March 2015. Public participation followed, during which a member of the public noted that a mandated discussion regarding a complaint investigation from the Newark internal audit unit had not yet appeared on the agenda.

The regular board meeting included greetings from the Principal of Science Park High School, who highlighted academic rankings, student internships, and recent successes in girls' soccer. The board moved to approve minutes from previous meetings. A motion to enter executive session for attorney-client privilege and personnel matters was tabled briefly for a student representative report. The student representative provided feedback on a recent college fair, noting its success but requesting improved communication channels, such as an Edmodo page, for disseminating information about board meetings and student advocacy opportunities. Following the student report, the board proceeded with the executive session. Upon returning to session, the board adopted a resolution regarding harassment, intimidation, and bullying. The Superintendent's report covered various updates, including congratulations to several high school football teams advancing in championships, cross country participation, and the status of soccer sectionals. The Superintendent also detailed meetings held with the Essex County delegation and a delegation from China, and discussed the success of the recent college fair, noting plans for another fair in the spring for the Class of 2020. Financial updates included the awarding of three laptops to high-achieving seniors. Furthermore, the report covered the opening of the new South Street School and the renaming of North 10th Street to Salome Aranea School, recognizing her contributions. Participation and positive takeaways from the NJ SBA workshop, including training sessions on topics like the Sunshine Law and implicit bias, were noted. Finally, the Chair concluded with reminders about upcoming midterm elections, emphasizing the public question regarding the Type 1 or Type 2 School District structure.

This three-year strategic plan for Newark Public Schools is the result of extensive collaboration among teachers, principals, students, parents, community organizations, and city officials. The plan focuses on building upon previous successes, addressing areas of struggle, and emphasizing quality implementation across all priorities, strategies, and action plans. Its primary objective is to achieve stability and improvement by effectively executing key initiatives and shared goals.

This document outlines the East Side High School's Title I Annual Schoolwide Plan, developed through a comprehensive needs assessment and stakeholder input. The plan focuses on improving student achievement through specific SMART Goals in effective instruction for ELA and Mathematics, student attendance and support, and graduation rates. It also includes longer-term Middle States Goals for ELA, Mathematics, and attendance, extending to 2032. The plan details how Title I funds are utilized to provide smaller classes, additional staff, training, extra instruction time, supplemental materials, and parental engagement activities, aiming to ensure a higher quality of education for all students.

The meeting included recognitions for the Arts High School Latin band, students meeting the academic challenge, and the Central High School speech team. The superintendent reported on the importance of student attendance, noting improved attendance rates and the hiring of attendance counselors. The board chair reported on global ambassadors, a breakfast with the superintendent, and the citywide Title One parent conference.