Charles Love is a fourth-generation, lifelong resident of Newark who is passionate about helping at-risk youth. He worked for more than 15 years as a substitute teacher, a special needs paraprofessional and a community engagement manager for Newark Public Schools and currently works with a nonprofit organization that serves at-risk teens in Essex, Passaic and Hudson counties. In this role, he is responsible for managing a program that helps young fathers or fathers with teenage children become better parents.
A graduate of Central High School, he has served as a community organizer for a variety of Newark-based organizations, such as the International Youth Organization (IYO), Babyland Family Services, Habitat for Humanity and FP Youth Outcry. A graduate of Lincoln University, Charles has studied family research at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, and Nonprofit Leadership Development at Rutgers Business School. He is currently working on his doctorate in Organizational Behavior at Fielding Graduate University. He also runs an educational policy consulting business.
Charles and his wife Christine have three children who attend public school. His motto is “It’s time to take back power from politicians and give it back to the people.”
Positions
Engagement of Parents and Community
I believe that true parent engagement is paramount in moving our district and city forward. It is critical that we engage parents, grandparents, caregivers, stakeholders and the community at-large regarding our children. We can no longer operate in silos and pray for the best. Every meeting must be fully publicized and The Office of Family Engagement should work with School Board Members to ensure that our community is engaged and informed. As a former Family Engagement Specialist, I know first hand the importance of meeting parents where they are and offering diverse opportunities to participate. This includes; outreach within the faith-based community, social service agencies, local shops, radio, print and social media, but most importantly our collective grassroots efforts in the evenings and weekends. It's a myth that parents don't want to be engaged and it is our job as board members to offer them every possible opportunity to do so. I would host weekly round-table discussions in every ward (at the above mentioned locations) and stream live so that the students, parents and our community remain engaged.
Fiduciary Responsibilities (Budget, Potential Deficit, Contracts, etc.)
I think that the main ingredients to Fiduciary responsibility are: transparency, integrity and accountability. First and foremost, I must be transparent with the voters of Newark in admitting that I've never operated a $1B budget in my career. Although, I've served on several nonprofit boards, hold a Master's in Human Services and I'm currently pursuing my PhD--- $1B is a lot to consider as an individual. However, I believe that I have a clear understanding of the Fiduciary responsibilities as a result of regularly attending the NPS budget meetings and Trenton to review the School Funding Formula. In reviewing our budget, we should collectively ensure that the majority of our tax-payer dollars make it into the classrooms and we eliminate wasteful spending. We should closely review every contract and line-item. I use every resource available to make informed decisions; such as guidance from the New Jersey School Boards Association, GFOA, The NPS Business Administrator, The District's Policy Manual and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to ensure that we are compliant. Additionally, I would engage and empower parents and fellow board members to lobby for full funding at the state and federal level. Finally, I would work with my board colleagues to leverage our public/private partnerships with institutions such as Prudential, Verizon, Audible, etc.to reduce gaps and/or expand quality programs.
Ability to review and adopt Effective Educational Policy (One Newark, Required Assessments, etc.)
I believe that it is important that we review and adopt effective educational policies that are in the best interest of our students. I also think that it is imperative for the board to review outdated policies and amend annually and/or as necessary. Furthermore, Policies like One Newark appear flawed at best. The algorithm has not been adequately explained to parents and community members and therefore its needs to be reconfigured immediately. Every student across every school within our city deserves a world class education. We have to prepare them to compete in a global economy and train them for emerging fields. Assessments can be a clear indicator of student growth, but there are multiple ways to measure student outcomes; such as portfolios, projects, etc. As a former special needs educator, I understand the importance of differentiated instruction, assessments and sound educational policies.
Ability to review and adopt Effective Curriculum and Programs (Culturally Relevant Curriculum, Literacy Development, Math, etc.)
I had the privilege to work at several Newark Public Schools for most of my career. I understand how to review curriculum and programs that work best for our kids. When elected, I would love to work on the Curriculum and Design Committee and collaborate with the Office of Curriculum Services to ensure that we have culturally relevant curricula including resources that support the demographics of our students including ELL, ESL and students with special needs. I believe that the curriculum should be tailored to meet the needs of the specific school population. Our goal should be to offer authentic learning experiences that enable students to apply content knowledge, develop skills, and collaborate with students from around the world to prepare our scholars for the 21st-century workplace. Finally, I would work with high performing schools, other districts (both locally and nationally) to adopt the very best curriculum for our students.
Accountability and Autonomy (Superintendent, Principals, etc.)
Accountability is paramount for every educator, administrator, school leader, superintendent, etc. My running mate, Dr. Deborah Terrell and I are uniquely qualified to ensure that educators feel supported, held accountable and receive the necessary resources and autonomy to effectively operate our schools.It is imperative that school leaders share best practices district-wide and for the board to highlight their successful outcomes and/or areas of growth with our community. It is the job of the elected school board to hire a qualified Superintendent and fairly review the profiles of prospective candidates to work within our district. We are prepared to begin working toward that end. Thank you Again. On April 25th, Please vote for Qualified leadership 8A Charles Love 10A Deborah Terrell.