Money allotted by the city of Newark, N.J., is making way for the creation and ongoing support of community schools.
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, the Newark Municipal Council, Newark Public Schools Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf and the Foundation for Newark’s Future announced the launch of two community initiatives this week. The South Ward Community Schools Initiative and the Newark Opportunity Youth Network will help provide educational and support services to the city’s youth. The Foundation for Newark’s Future is investing an initial $1.2 million for planning and launching the two initiatives, and FNF funders expect to invest up to $10 million total in community schools and up to $2.5 million in OYN.
The investments will allow several community-based organizations to come together to offer services and support to families in need in the South Ward, as well as alternative education services for young people.
“Today’s announcement finally makes a longstanding vision a reality,” said Baraka. “As a Newark native, a 22-year Newark educator and the city’s chief executive, I know how important it is for us to work together to make the city of Newark an excellent place to live and raise a family. These two programs will help us lower the dropout rate, create more jobs, improve the quality of life for families throughout this city and thus transform Newark into a city we can all believe in.”
The new initiative aims to unite community organizations and institutions with hopes of improving student achievement and development with before and after-school, weekends and summer programs.
More than one-third of Newark’s children are living in poverty, and even higher percentages are concentrated in the South Ward. Approximately 20 percent of Newark’s population ages 18 to 24 do not have a high school diploma. More than 3,800 of dropouts are either unemployed or underemployed, and nearly 1,000 students fall behind their classmates each year, placing them in danger of dropping out or not being able to find work.
