Trustees won't halt school closings despite protest
By: Joe Malinconico
Paterson Press
PATERSON - The Board of Education on March 4 [2026] voted down an attempt to delay a controversial school restructuring plan until after the changes go through a comprehensive review.
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As a result, the Paterson district will move ahead with the closure of four choice elementary schools and grade reconfigurations at four other schools.
..... The vote took place after about a dozen parents from choice schools targeted for shutdown asked the board not to move forward with the plan.
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"I hope this puts it to bed," said Board of Education President Joel Ramirez.
..... Joining Ramiriez in voting against the delay were Valerie Freeman, Della McCall, Hector Nieves, Mohammed Rashid and Kenneth Rosado. Those who voted for the school changes to undergo review were Alex Mendez Jr., Kenneth Simmons and Corey Teague.
..... Teague's failed resolution said the school restructuring should be examined for its fiscal, operational and programmatic impact on the district.
..... Teague and Simmons argued that such a review never occurred when the district decided to convert to a middle school model, with some buildings housing kindergarten through fifth grade and others for grades six to eight.
..... Moreover, Simmons assented that middle school plans from years ago never mentioned anything about closing the choose elementary schools. "They are two separate things," he said.
..... But Freeman and McCall said the middle school plans never contained any language that excluded the possibility of cloisonné the choice schools and sending those students back to their neighborhood schools.
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Parents have argued that the neighborhood schools are unsafe and provided an inferior education.
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Superintendent Laurie Newell has said closing the choice schools was an effort to achieve "equity" in the district. some education advocates said the changes will bring a better balance in class sizes throughout the district.
..... The city school board also came under fire from parents and students last year, [2025] when changes in grade levels we being implemented at School 9 and Dr. Hani Awadallah School in south Paterson. McCall and Freeman said they voted against delaying the next phase of the middle school model because it would be unfair to the School 9 and Awadallah families who had the changes imposed on them despite thier protests.
..... The four choice schools being eliminated at the end of June [2026] are Alexander Hamilton Academy, Renaissance School 1, Norman S, Weir and Young Men's Leadership Academy.
..... The other changes taking place this year:
* School 10, which is K through 8, will become K through 5.
* School 18, which is K through 8, will become K through 5.
* School 26 will switch from K through 8 to pre-K through 5, incorporating the School 1 building.
* School 21 will transform from K through 8 to a middle school with grades 6 through 8.