Scarce oversight: State let Newark charter crisis flourish, staff say

“Sign up for Chalkbeat Newark’s free newsletter to get the latest news about the city’s public school system delivered to your inbox. This story was first published on NJ Spotlight News, a content partner of Chalkbeat Newark. Charter schools in Newark educate about a third of the city’s students, have proved popular among parents, and overall deliver higher scores on math and reading tests. What happens, though, when a charter school struggles? In theory, the state is supposed to shut it down if it can’t improve. Even supporters of charters say that’s important for the overall success of the charter movement, like pruning dead branches from a healthy tree. Yet is the state doing its job? That’s the question raised in the wake of reported troubles at New Horizons, an underenrolled, roughly 370-student school. It’s been put on probation by the state for three years due to poor test scores, ineffective instruction, and rising chronic absenteeism, according to a letter from the state Department of Education. Staff members, most of whom spoke to NJ Spotlight News on condition that their names not be used, describe a dysfunctional environment rife with executive self-dealing, falsification of key metrics, a toxic work culture, and failures to handle violence or provide vital services for kids. The charter school denied those allegations. Through a lawyer, school leaders called the claims “meritless” and made by “disgruntled former staff members.” New Horizons “has undergone review, monitoring and improvement processes, as many schools do, and we have continued to make progress in strengthening systems, instruction, compliance, and student support,” the lawyer, Perry L. Lattiboudere, said in a statement. “We remain focused on teaching and learning, continuous improvement and serving our students well.” The FBI recently requested financial records from a former New Horizons staffer, who told NJ Spotlight News about providing board minutes showing large compensation, including bonuses and stipends, paid to its top administrators. That raises a question: Why didn’t this school get closer scrutiny from the state? Critics say previous governors were lax on charter school oversight “It is part of the responsibility of the charter school office in New Jersey to make sure that public dollars are being spent effectively,” said former New Jersey Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf. During his tenure under Gov. Chris Christie — a charter school supporter — Cerf shut down roughly 10% of such schools for low performance. Of New Jersey’s 84 charter schools, four are on probation, including New Horizons. All the state’s charters are overseen by a state Department of Education office with a staff of about six people. If a charter school’s remedial plan is insufficient or if it fails to meet its probation terms, the state can shut it down. Christie’s successor, Gov. Phil Murphy, was lax on charter school oversight, critics say. High-performing charters were denied expansion while those with “operational concerns” faced no intervention, according to Harry Lee, head of the New Jersey Charter Schools Association. The state Department of Education “has broad oversight authority and must hold schools accountable when they aren’t doing the right thing,” Lee said. He expressed hope that Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration more proactively will limit “unnecessary and unreasonable expenditures” for schools on probation. Charter school teachers and leaders typically are paid less than those in traditional public school districts, he added. A new law aims to curb payroll abuses by requiring the Department of Education, both annually and during charter renewals, to review pay for the top three administrators, and to publish clearer budgets showing total executive compensation. Former staffers allege problems at New Horizons Founded in the late 1990s, New Horizons is a small school that’s consistently underperformed compared with major charter networks. It performs about level with the city’s public school district, with 27% of students reading and 13% doing math on grade level, and has been on probation for the past three years. The floundering isn’t limited to academics, according to 10 current and former staffers interviewed by NJ Spotlight News. They allege that it’s being irresponsible with public funds, filing inaccurate reports and treating students and staff inappropriately. The school denied any wrongdoing. It declined to comment on specific allegations, citing staff and student privacy laws. The charter’s superintendent, Rhonda Wilson, had a publicly funded salary of almost $240,000, while the state average is less than $198,000. Many of those administrators oversee operations for multiple schools with thousands of students. New Horizons’ enrollment is less than half the maximum 750, public records show. She also was paid nearly $60,000 in bonuses and $11,000 in stipends in 2024 -25, and $3,000 a week to substitute as principal in 2023, expense records show. Staff members allege she used school employees for personal chores and showed favoritism in pay, awarding herself and her inner circle high overtime and other perks. The business administrator, Tom Omwega ,received $57,000 in bonuses and stipends in 2024-25, records show. Wilson has “been operating like this for a long time,” a former staffer, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, told NJ Spotlight News. “They keep their files a mess on purpose.” The FBI’s Newark office, like the state comptroller’s office, would neither confirm nor deny any investigation. The charter says it is unaware of any inquiry and operates “with integrity and transparency.” New Horizons staff ‘run that building very much like a penitentiary,’ parent claims Strict state Department of Education oversight limits New Horizons, a charter school on probation, to “reasonable and necessary” spending. Asked if the state Department of Education approved all bonuses, a spokesman for the department said those decisions “are made solely by a charter school board of trustees.” That board is closely allied with Wilson, former staffers say. Its president, Edgar Nemorin, did not respond to questions from NJ Spotlight News. Relying solely on the judgment of the charter’s own board is “philosophically inconsistent with the duty of the state,” says Cerf, the former education commissioner. Current and former staff at New Horizons say administrators pressured them to falsify data to the federal government and the state. The charter fabricated hours for employees who worked at an after-school program funded by federal Title I money, a former staffer alleged. Staff say they were told to log inaccurate attendance and safety data: inflating attendance figures, labeling suspensions as “resets” in order to report zero such removals to the state, sending students home for a week without home instruction, and failing to report fights. Adonijah Williams, the parent of a former student at New Horizons, confirmed that her son was suspended multiple times, including for a week. Top administrators berated students harshly for small infractions, current and former staff said. “They run that building very much like a penitentiary,” said Wesley Collins, a former teacher. One student, lacking a required aide, “terrorized” the school, current and former staff say. New Horizons, though, reported virtually no violence, they say, and her suspensions were deemed “resets.” One time, at least a dozen students waited in a staircase for the student so they could record one of her fights, current and former employees say. The school also denied assistance to roughly 100 students with disabilities — waitlisting them for years to be evaluated, just to qualify for services, according to the current and former staffers. At least one student was sent elsewhere because a needed elevator was broken, they said. An eighth grader was added to the evaluation waiting list two years ago, they said. About to leave for high school, the student had yet to be tested, they said. Newark school board supported New Horizons’ renewal with one condition The treatment extended to staff as well, the employees say, and New Horizons had a nearly 50% staff turnover rate during a recent 18-month period. The reason, they say, is a toxic work environment. Principal Stephen Webb, also a pastor, is accused of making inappropriate sexual comments by three former employees, one of whom filed a formal complaint. He reportedly brushed off concerns about potential lawsuits, saying that’s “why I keep a good lawyer.” Staff also allege selective accountability. A social worker was fired for sending a child in a medical crisis to a hospital while administrators were at a Disney resort in Orlando for a conference, current and former staffers said. The dismissal came after a parent objected for reasons that were unclear, according to staff. Former teacher Terrence Knox and others recalled one odd incident in particular. A teacher received a disciplinary letter for mocking a student with special needs in front of the class, allegedly saying, “At least I’m not special ed.” The letter was rescinded, they said. Despite state findings that New Horizons failed to provide a high-quality education, the acting commissioner under Murphy, Angelica Allen-McMillan, renewed its charter with probation in 2023, citing confidence that its initiatives to improve culture and emotional support would reverse poor academic trends. The Newark school board, including Superintendent Roger León – who has fought other charter schools – supported New Horizons’ renewal on the condition that it improve special services programs, which a former staffer described as resources for special education students. While the charter isn’t at half capacity and lacks approval to expand, the principal tells students that New Horizons is opening a high school next year, current and former staff said. New Horizons’ leaders deny that. Knox, the former teacher, called such claims “putting on a show for the public.” The goal: “to make it seem like everything is great and fine and dandy.” Julie O’Connor has written about politics, legal issues and education in New Jersey for more than 15 years. She was a member of the Star-Ledger editorial board and previously reported on criminal trials in Superior Court in Elizabeth. Now she covers urban education, particularly in Newark, Trenton, Paterson, Camden, Plainfield and Jersey City. Email her at OConnorJ@njspotlightnews.org.

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