Posted by
Essex County Politics · May 28, 2021 3:28 AM
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By CARLY SITRIN
05/27/2021
Politico
Desks are arranged in a classroom at Panther Valley Elementary School, Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Nesquehoning, Pa.
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Many states are churning out innovative policies in response to a worsening teacher shortage that could reach a full-blown crisis next fall, but in New Jersey, several districts are laying educators off by the dozens.
Non-renewal notices have gone out to at least 14 elementary school teachers — including a Teacher of the Year recipient — in Union Township, 11 educators in Glen Rock (though that number has been disputed by the Board of Education), 36 staff members in Lakewood and 70 staffers in Toms River. Librarians are also reporting firings, with one district eliminating the position of school library media specialist for all of its schools.
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Posted by
Essex County Politics · May 28, 2021 2:56 AM
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PATRICK WALL, CHALKBEAT NEWARK | MAY 28, 2021
NJ Spotlight News
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten is urging all schools to operate fully in person this fall. On Monday, she met with Newark Public Schools Superintendent Roger León.
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As Newark schools inch back toward normalcy, the big question now is what to expect this fall.
Will students and staffers still be required to wear masks and socially distance? Will eligible students get vaccinated? And will parents who kept their children home this spring even after classrooms reopened be ready to send them back in September?
Those uncertainties hung in the air as Randi Weingarten, a national teachers union leader, visited a Newark school Monday. The visit was part of the union’s publicity campaign promoting educators’ role in reopening classrooms this spring and calling for a return to full-time in-person learning this fall.
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Posted by
Essex County Politics · May 27, 2021 2:03 AM
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A digital rendering of what the new site will look like under May Newark LLC's proposal.
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NEWARK, NJ – Plans to turn the former Newark Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium site into a thriving hub for residential, retail and small business spaces are beginning to make headway under its new developer.
Just one month after the Newark City Council amended a redevelopment agreement for May Newark LLC, an affiliate of Accurate Builders and Developers, to head the project, the new developer has completed the purchase of the property and released its initial plans for the site.
The plan calls for the construction of a mixed-use development to be built in nine phases. It will consist of approximately 4,200 residential units; 200 affordable units; up to 3,000 parking spaces; at least 100,000-square-feet of hospitality/destination retail; co-working space for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and freelancers; and publicly accessible green space.
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Posted by
Essex County Politics · May 26, 2021 3:16 AM
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JOHN MOONEY, EDUCATION WRITER | MAY 26, 2021
NJ Spotlight News
Students heading back to school
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New Jersey’s school leaders are getting a first look this week at the details for more than $2.7 billion in federal pandemic aid heading to their public schools.
Needless to say, the amounts for many districts are dizzying, yet so are the processes and procedures for how it will all work.
The state Department of Education this week notified districts of their aid amounts and other details in the massive COVID-19 relief program approved by President Joe Biden and Congress — a total of $122 billion distributed to schools across the nation.
The money — the largest of three major school-relief packages from Washington since last year — is meant to bolster districts’ resources for a wide range of support and services for students during and after the pandemic, from extra academic programs to counselors to air-ventilation systems.
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Posted by
Essex County Politics · May 24, 2021 1:31 PM
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By SAM SUTTON
05/24/2021
Politico
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy speaks during a news conference in Hoboken, N.J.
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New Jersey is lifting its mask mandate after having been one of the few holdouts in adopting the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday.
Murphy’s new directive, which takes effect Friday, the start of the Memorial Day weekend, gives New Jersey residents — even those who aren’t fully vaccinated — the green light to remove their masks and other face coverings in most cases. Matching the CDC’s guidance, the order excludes settings such as health care facilities, jails, schools, child care centers and public transportation networks.
Businesses can continue to require customers and employees to wear coverings, Murphy said.
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Posted by
Essex County Politics · May 22, 2021 4:03 AM
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By Nikita Biryukov, May 21 2021
New Jersey Globe
Gov. Phil Murphy.
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Millions of dollars in federal funds could soon bring high-speed internet to the state’s rural and low and middle-income communities.
Gov. Phil Murphy and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) on Friday announced funding for broadband expansion from a $190 million fund provided to the state under the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill President Joe Biden signed into law in March.
“Every New Jerseyan deserves access to reliable, affordable, and fast broadband internet,” Murphy. “Unfortunately, too many residents and businesses, especially in rural and low-income areas of our state, are still unable to take advantage of broadband internet access.”
The pandemic exposed inequities in internet access across the state. As the virus pushed students out of the school buildings and into remote classrooms, many found themselves without suitable devices and connections.
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