Parents in a New Jersey school district are calling for the State Board of Education to end a government takeover, expressing frustrations with academic and other outcomes.
“State intervention in (Camden City School District) was meant to bring improvement,” Carla Villegas, mom of a district student, said at a Sept. 17 meeting covered by NJ PBS’ Spotlight News.
“To many in our community, those conditions have worsened, especially after budget cuts removed family engagement coordinators.”
The district, which served 7,117 students in the 2023-24 academic year, has been under state control since 2013.
“Most Camden students now attend charter and renaissance schools, which are like charters but are financed differently and follow different rules,” writes Hannah Gross for Spotlight News. “Over half of the district’s budget for the 2024-25 school year was spent on tuition for charter and renaissance schools, former Superintendent Katrina McCombs told the State Board of Education in June.”
