The Newark Public Schools District, the state’s largest, is drawing criticism from Republican lawmakers about how administrators spend state and federal dollars to educate roughly 43,000 students. Some community members, too, are raising concerns about a $500 million deal to lease an elementary school.
In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, Superintendent Roger Leon responds to much of that criticism. This interview has been lightly edited.
Joanna Gagis, anchor: We’ve seen state leaders on the Republican side raising a lot of questions about how your district spent $287 million in COVID relief funds. They sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education asking for some oversight, possibly an investigation into how you spent those funds. Would you welcome an investigation there?
Roger Leon: In 2023, the federal government actually did an audit, I believe, across the country, and I know definitely in New Jersey. We were one of the two school districts that were audited for months of reviews from the inception of the receiving of dollars to their expenditure and everything that’s required in between. Not only was it completed, one commendation and then 18 acknowledgments for being consistent with federal guidelines for allowable uses. So that request has actually come and gone and we’re excited about that.
JG: I want to point out a couple of things. There were $33,000 in funds that needed to be returned to the state because of a staff Fun Day in 2023. Some have pointed to that the money was returned, but some have pointed to that as evidence that there is misuse of funds in the district. And Republicans asked for an investigation into one specific fact, which is that 15,803 students were recommended for tutoring, they say, through the COVID relief funds. And only 1,938 actually received it. They say only 12% of students received the tutoring that they needed. Is that true?
RL: You’re mentioning two obviously different topics. On the first one, with regards to recognizing the incredible work of the staff in the district and the district Fun Day that we did, it’s a matter where we are in clear disagreement. And complied with actually what the requests were as outlined by that review that came and also went.
“Those dollars were allocated accordingly. I’m just sharing with you that there were a number of other opportunities that the students and their families wound up taking advantage of.”
As it relates to the number of students that actually attended tutoring: We have a formula that we looked at, based on the work out of Harvard, that was extremely important and that was three days of tutoring. That dosage was determined to be the most effective. We have clear evidence that the students that underwent three days of tutoring during the course of a week outperformed counterparts based on different factors and categories.
The idea that there were more than the 1,938 students that you referenced that received tutoring is clearly undeniable. There are more than that. We’re talking about the strict number of students that actually adhered to the three days of tutoring. We had other students that were in our extended day program that also received tutoring. There are wraparound services that are provided way into the evening.
JG: Are there funds that were allocated for students to be tutored that were not used accordingly?
RL: No. Those dollars were allocated accordingly. I’m just sharing with you that there were a number of other opportunities that the students and their families wound up taking advantage of. When we submitted that report to the public, it was to strictly adhere to the idea of high-dosage tutoring and the number of students that we were seeing and how they performed well or better definitely than their counterparts on the state test.
But the idea that students were engaged in other activities is the ultimate point of that. The extended day program has a tutoring component. There were clubs that students participated in, depending on the grade. There were athletics opportunities that the students are obviously engaged in as opposed to the specific tutoring that that report referenced.
JG: The Board of Education has moved forward on approving a deal that would be a $500 million lease for a new elementary school. Now, some say, look, to build a new school would cost about one-fourth of that, about $134 million to build a new high school, which we know is more expensive than an elementary school.
The K-8 Ann Street School in Newark’s Ironbound was built in 1892.Why spend $500 million on a lease when the district has no guarantee of even owning it at the end and could potentially build multiple schools for that amount?
RL: Yes. So I obviously want to acknowledge the Newark Board of Education for their incredible leadership, as well as their guidance through a lot of what we are implementing in the district that has resulted in the New Jersey Department of Education recognizing us as a high-performing district.
With regards to Riverfront Elementary School, unfortunately, because the district is one of the 31 Schools Development Authority districts, the authority is the only organization that actually can purchase land and build a brand-new school for the district. The law would only allow one of the 31 districts like Newark to actually get into a lease agreement, and that is what is actually occurring here. The idea that it’s being financed and that the law allows us to lease it is where we’re at right now.
JG: Is this way for the district to put pressure on the Schools Development Authority to say, “Look, you’re not building a school, we’re going to use taxpayer dollars to lease it and at four times the amount?”
RL: The idea that the Schools Development Authority and the School Construction Corporation previously promised, during state operation, the city of Newark 40 new buildings and has only complied with nine of them speaks volumes with regards to where the issues ultimately are.
We have thousands more students today than in 2015, almost 7,000 more students. The idea that the city is growing and that enrollment is increasing is in an issue that is before us right now. The leadership of the Schools Development Authority has been incredible with assisting us with particular properties as well as new buildings. They have clearly outlined in their strategic plan that the city of Newark will actually get 13 new buildings.
JG: So is $500 million the best use of taxpayer dollars to lease a building? You stand by that.
RL: Well, the idea that the building doesn’t cost $500 million and that we would pay about $1.4 million per [month] to lease it is a great strategy for us to implement given the realities of where we are right now.
JG: You did write an op-ed where you looked at some of the success that the district is having, like 90% graduation rate. Does that include charter schools?
RL: The graduation rate that I reported out was strictly the Newark public schools.
JG: And absenteeism down. Where are you right now with that?
RL: At 10.4%. This is something that we’re constantly monitoring. It’s a third year in a row. The lowest chronic absenteeism in the history of the district and well below the state average, all three years in a row as well.
JG: And of course, some of these numbers since local control was returned in 2020.
