A reader was kind enough to pass along this year old Inky piece featuring two different views from Board of Education members on what the state takeover of education would mean for Camden communities, schools and children. Here are the prescient excerpts from each: 

Felicia Reyes-Morton:

So today while the room is quiet and still I add my voice to this Grand conversation on what education in Camden City could look like for if Urban Boards of Educations are to succeed the playing field must be even; an educational tool kit that includes the

1.       Ability to Recognize and Reward excellence an innovation within the district, empowering us to become fiscally leaner and granting us the contractual Flexibility to do so.

2.       We need the power to Re-program the current system and Release ourselves from contracts, methods and models that no longer has as a primary concern, ___ the educational achievement of Camden’s Children.

3.       The governor’s plan today provides time in transitioning the existing structures into a cohesive system that integrates the interest of Boards Of Education, Renaissance Schools and Private Charters with managed outcomes that benefit specific interests of children and families. I often wonder how can Urban BOE’s function or plan long term in relation to the various educational systems that function around them without communication.

4.       Let us take advantage of this opportunity to Construct our interest and come together to map out the future of Urban Education so that my child and her generation of leaders are not sitting out at the table resolving issues that we left incomplete. “

Kathryn Ribay:

I cannot participate in the continued disenfranchisement of the city of Camden. Real school reform is hard, slow, and not very glamorous. I could point out that the Regional Achievement Center is understaffed and unable to carry out its mission due to a lack of state funding. I could point out that the state’s idea of a “model curriculum” is a joke among education professionals across the state. I could point to the continued low achievement present in districts currently under the management of the State Department of Education. However, there is no joy gained from pointing out any of these missteps because the stakes are too high. The school district needs leaders who will think critically and creatively to address the gaping issues in the Camden public school system- leaders who will have honest and critical dialogue with each other to move the district forward. However, the system currently being instituted by Governor Christie will result in leaders who are afraid to criticize for fear of losing their appointments. The children of Camden deserve better.

It’s been less than a year.