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Staff and teachers urge Newark Unified board to prioritize transparency in superintendent search; criticize program cuts
Summary
Classified staff (CSEA) and the Newark Teachers Association told the board they want a superintendent who listens, enforces accountability and reverses recent cuts — raising concerns about staffing shortages, library-hour reductions and the postponement of a Miyawaki forest project.
Classified employees and teachers appealed to the Newark Unified School District board to choose a superintendent who will restore staff trust and stop unilateral decisions by central office.
A speaker representing CSEA told the board the union seeks leadership that "listens before making decisions," holds district leadership accountable and treats classified employees with dignity. The speaker detailed day-to-day impacts: paraeducators covering for aides who "sit on their phones," lack of substitute custodians leaving bathrooms uncleaned, and reduced library hours that force closures at least once a week, which the speaker linked to students' ongoing reading challenges.
Rachel Bloom, president of the Newark Teachers Association, told trustees that a consultant hired for the superintendent search contacted NTA but that district management "has provided us with a myriad opportunities to double down on our desire to have our next superintendent not be shady." Bloom criticized a recent decision to cut hours in the Newark Memorial High School STEAM lab, said the district appeared to renege on a Golden State Pathways Program (GSPP) agreement, and described being blindsided by a proposal to increase transitional kindergarten (TK) from four to 6.5 hours without prior consultation with teachers.
"My TK teachers were absolutely blindsided," Bloom said, asking whether the change had been properly vetted and why educators were not consulted.
Parents and other speakers reinforced those concerns. Fallon Takahashi, a parent leader, and other volunteers said the Miyawaki forest planting at Schilling Elementary was postponed days before scheduled planting, despite funds raised by parent groups and partner organizations, and urged the district to complete its review quickly so community-raised funds and purchased saplings are not lost.
Board members acknowledged the complaints and asked staff for clarifications. Trustees repeatedly urged more timely communication with site staff and recommended that staff provide analysis and documentation where decisions affect working conditions or grant-funded projects. Superintendent and staff representatives said they would follow up directly with speakers and encouraged use of surveys and LCAP input to inform the superintendent search and budget choices.
The item ended without a board motion on the search criteria; staff were asked to report back with additional documentation and to reach out to the concerned parties.
