School chief urges some control for Jersey City, less for Newark Focus on math, reading may hurt other subjects Wednesday, July 25, 2007 • BY KASI ADDISON AND JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff The state's top education official plans to recommend that some local control be returned to Jersey City schools, and to a much lesser extent Newark schools, in a decision which may mark the beginning of the end of the state's more than decade-long takeovers of the districts. The state Department of Education yesterday released evaluations indicating the two districts were ready to assume some control. The reports, issued by Education Commissioner Lucille Davy to the state Board of Education, recommended that Jersey City be permitted to elect or appoint its own school board in the next year and regain control of its fiscal operations. Newark would gain control over facilities and other daily operations, though fiscal operations and personnel would stay in the hands of a state-appointed superintendent. "DOE doesn't want to run school districts, but we have a responsibility to make sure they are well-run," Davy said. The state took over the Jersey City schools in 1989 and Newark schools in 1995 amid academic failure and allegations of mismanagement. Newark and Jersey City were reviewed under the state's new monitoring system known as the Quality Single Accountability Continuum, or QSAC. The legislation was passed in 2005 and viewed as a solution to criticism that the state jumped in to take over districts without an exit strategy. Under QSAC, a district must pass a detailed checklist of about 350 items in five areas: governance, fiscal management, personnel, instruction and operations. Earlier this year teams of educators were sent into the nine school districts to evaluate their performance. Districts that score above 80 percent in an area are considered "high performing," and a score between 50 and 80 percent requires an corrective action plan. If a district falls below the halfway mark, the department will intervene to figure out where the problems are and provide help. Davy wouldn't specify what would happen in the case of a state intervention, but said it would likely mimic the job already being performed by fiscal monitors, or financial watchdogs, in districts around the state. "We would do the work the same way, go in and provide the work necessary and once progress is made, step back if necessary," Davy said, giving as an example the Burlington County district of Willingboro, where the fiscal monitor gradually reduced time spent supervising operations. Reports were also released yesterday for other districts under state oversight, though none -- Asbury Park, Camden, Irvington and Trenton -- fully reached the required benchmarks in any of the evaluated areas. The exception was Salem City, which was found to be proficient in operations and fiscal management. Evaluations of Atlantic City, which is under state oversight, and Paterson, which has been under state control since 1991, are expected later this week. Reactions to yesterday's announcement were mixed. William DeRosa, president of the Jersey City school advisory board, said he was gratified that some control would be returned to the district. "I'm especially happy for the staff who has been here all these years and teaching all this time," he said. "They'll be able to say it is over, the stigma can be removed." The news, however, was met with disappointment in Newark. State-appointed Superintendent Marion Bolden said giving back control of operations does little to change the day-to-day management of the state's largest school district. Her biggest gripe was with Davy's determination regarding fiscal management. Though a state-appointed evaluation team found Newark performed highly in the area, which would have meant a return to local control, Davy's review deducted a significant number of points. "Our fiscal operation is as solid as the rock of Gibraltar," Bolden said. "Why send in a qualified audit team and not respect their findings? It seems unfair." She also questioned how local control over operations would work in Newark if the school board remained in an advisory position, unable to make final decisions about school operations. As a state-appointed superintendent, Bolden has power to veto board decisions. "They operate as a board now, but will they feel any more empowered today than they did yesterday? No," she said. The commissioner's final report incorporated the team evaluations as well as information from the Education Department, a department spokesman said. Newark plans to appeal, Bolden said. Kasi Addison may be reached at kaddison@starledger.com or at (973) 392-4154. © 2007 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.