After 22 years, Newark, N.J., residents have regained control of their schools.
Christopher Cerf, a former state education commissioner who has been the city’s schools superintendent since 2015, stepped down as the district’s leader. One of his deputies, Robert Gregory, a former principal, will serve as the interim superintendent.
The elected school board, which primarily served in an advisory capacity, will now act as a fully functioning school board—though a monitor will be following the district’s progress and compliance with a transition plan over the next two years.
In recent years, Newark has seen its graduation rate improve to 78 percent, and the district now outperforms most school systems with similar demographics in reading and math, according to the district.
