Tawana Johnson-Emory is a homeowner in the West Ward section of Newark. She is a college educated single mother to a special need 16-year-old -boy. Her son has a neuromuscular disorder that has significantly impacted their lives. Having witnessed firsthand what it is like to navigate a school system that is underfunded and not equipped for children with special needs, Tawana serves as an special needs advocate for parents across New Jersey. Much of the services her son receives is due to her relentless advocacy and unwillingness to see her son fail. 
Tawana wears many hats. She is a Tower Operator for the New York City Transit Authority and has been a proud member of the TWU Local 100 union for 26 years. She also served as President of the Parent Council for 8 years at her son’s school. During her tenure she partnered with several companies and co-founded activities and programs for the Scholars. “Soo Pretty” and “Cool Young Men” are two programs that are near and dear to her. She is also proud of her partnership with Rutgers University (Newark Campus) to bring Girls Who Code, a STEM program to get girls excited about Coding. Certain not to forget about the mental health of students, Tawana partnered with a licensed Clinical Social Worker outside of her son’s school to assist students with this ongoing crisis.
Tawana would like to see someone on the Newark School Board that aligns with parents with special education and special needs children. Seeing her 16-year-old son battle bullying in school and watching the impact of it on his mental and physical health has been heartbreaking. She feels that there is no better candidate to speak for the underrepresented, disenfranchised and the forgotten students who tackle these issues daily. She believes that students deserve and needs a representative who will fight for them on the Newark School Board.
2023 Candidate Q&A
Q1: Why are you running for a seat on the Newark Board of Education?
I am running for a seat on the Newark Board of Education to bridge the gap between parents of Special Needs children and the school district. For years, I have worked as an advocate for parents of Special Needs children as I navigated my own journey as a mother of Special Needs son. It was during this time that my voice grew and my position in this work to support this underserved population of students became my primary concern. It is my overall goal that all students are provided with the same access to resources and support that will allow them to excel and thrive in the Newark Board of Education system and beyond.
Q2: What is your vision for the public education sector in Newark, NJ, over the next three years?
My vision for the public education sector in Newark, New Jersey over the next three years is focused on three important areas:
- Cultivating a culture of transparency by using data and other measures
- Creating a system that will ensure compliance is met
- Creating a transitional plan to support students and increase transition from
resource classrooms to general education classrooms
I believe that cultivating a culture of transparency by using data and other measures will allow us to have a clear understanding of what needs to be done and where we need to begin. My vision is that this data will allow us to identify the number of Special Needs students who are in need of new/updated evaluations and/or implementation of related services. Additionally, this will allow us to create a manageable system that will ensure compliance of services is met for our children. Our children deserve to excel and thrive! By providing Special Needs students with adequate and consistent resources, we will be able to monitor their academic and social emotional success and ultimately create a plan to transition them from resource classrooms to general education classrooms. I believe that this vision will not only support the immediate needs of Special Needs children, but also prepare them to be independent citizens in our community.
Q3: What are you planning to accomplish as a member of the board of education?
My plan for the next three years is to collaborate with families and the school community to ensure that the Newark Board of Education school system is an equitable system for all students. This includes creating opportunities for my vision outlined above to be implemented to support the following:
- Ensure that all schools are in compliance for students with IEP and 504 plans;
- Increase communication and engagement with parents and community stakeholders for IEP and 504 evaluation processes and findings;
- Update the Newark Board of Education website to include the vast amount of resources available to families with students with Special Needs.
Q4: How will you define success as a board member after one year? Two years? Three years?
I believe that success will be defined by seeing my vision and plan fully implemented and executed. After year one, my vision is that all schools are in compliance for students with IEP and 504 plans. In addition, there is an increased communication and engagement with parents and community stakeholders for IEP and 504 evaluation processes and findings. After year two, we will see an increase in Special Needs students transition from resource classrooms to general education classrooms. This transitional plan will also impact the graduation rate with hopes to have at least a 50% increase by year three. By the end of year three, the vision will be to have families and the school community working cohesively around the needs and progress of our Special Needs student community while ensuring that access to resources and support is available to every student.