By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press
NEWARK — A year after a schools opening marked by protest and boycott, critics of the policies of the new superintendent in New Jersey’s largest city said they’re willing to give him a chance.
This week, there’s been praise for the early work of Newark School Superintendent Christopher Cerf, a former state education commissioner. He was nominated in June by Gov. Chris Christie after Cami Anderson left the job after four contentious years overseeing a district’s transformation efforts aided by a huge donation from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Classes begin in the district on Thursday.
John Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union, has a lot of problems with Cerf’s background in what Abeigon called the “reform for profit movement” and the policies he favors, but he said he prefers dealing with him to Anderson.
“He’s more affable, he’s more personable, even when you disagree with him, you can still have a civil disagreement with him,” Abeigon said.
Abeigon said Anderson had stopped dealing with the union at all, but that Cerf has met with him in person, spoken on the phone and exchanged emails with him during his first weeks on the job. Abeigon also said he’s not planning any immediate job actions even though the teacher contract expired in June.
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