Camden residents share concerns about school budget cuts, student achievement and superintendent hiring process

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A few Camden residents appeared before the New Jersey State Board of Education to list their concerns about the Camden City School District, which has been under state control since 2013.

During the Tuesday afternoon public comment period, residents said they are  concerned about the lack of significant academic improvement in the district, the effects of deep cuts to address a $91 million deficit and the lack of transparency in the hiring process for the next superintendent of the state-run district.

“Over a decade ago, the state of New Jersey took control of the Camden City School District promising to fix our failing schools and provide better outcomes for our children,” said Alesha Figueroa-Falcon, executive director of Parents Invincible, a nonprofit that advocates for school choice. “We are on the verge of a reality where Camden no longer has city public district schools. That’s unacceptable.”

Faheem Lea, canvassing director and community liaison for Camden Parents Union, a community group, said he agrees with Figueroa-Falcon.

“In the last 13 years or so, we’ve seen a sharp decline in schools and literacy rates, traditional public schools being closed and we’re seeing a lot of people leaving the district,” he said.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the district’s graduation rate showed modest gains, while the dropout rate has declined since 2013. But, student performance still lags behind the rest of the state. The district is also grappling with chronic absenteeism that is higher than before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lea said there is an opportunity to hire a superintendent who can improve the district, but the community needs to be part of the process.

“We need to know who they are,” he said. “The community needs to be involved and who is coming to our city to regulate the Camden City School District.”

Kevin Waters, who retired from the Camden City School District before the recent cuts were implemented, said the support staff who lost their jobs due to the budget crunch served critical roles in schools.

“As a therapist and a counselor myself, those individuals who were let go, were a part of a function to help in the way of providing students supports,” he said. “Those individuals on some level need to be able to come back.”

Wednesday’s public testimony session was one of three scheduled by the state board for the school year where people can come to speak about any topic they wish to address. The other sessions are scheduled for January and May, according to the state’s website.

At least 20 people registered in advance to speak before the board. They were split up into two groups. The majority of concerns from Camden residents were heard by board Vice President Nedd James Johnson and Board Member Jack Fornaro.

At the beginning of the meeting, Johnson said that testimony would be shared with other board members.

Last June, students from the Camden district tried to address the state board, but board members were not taking public comments. That prompted the students to hold a rally outside of the Department of Education building to express their concerns and opposition to the district’s budget cuts.