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Newark voters are headed to the polls on Tuesday to choose from a mix of 11 new and returning candidates who are running for three seats on the Board of Education.
Voters will choose among the largest set of first-time candidates in the Newark school board race, including one incumbent running to keep her board seat, three returning candidates, and seven newcomers. This year’s race also marks a historic moment as Newark’s 16- and 17-year-olds will be the first in New Jersey to cast their votes in a school board election.
The three winning candidates will serve a three-year term and are tasked with deciding policies, approving a budget, and overseeing New Jersey’s largest school district.
The 11 candidates are divided between two three-member slates – “Moving Newark Schools Forward,” a city-backed group that has won every election since 2016, and “Prioritizing Newark’s Children,” a new group formed by a former school board candidate – and five candidates running independently.
Incumbent Kanileah Anderson is running for reelection along with newcomers Louis Maisonave Jr. and David Daughety on the “Moving Newark Schools Forward” slate.
Returning candidate Ade’Kamil Kelly is running alongside a duo of newcomers, Shana Melius and Nathanael Barthelemy, on the “Prioritizing Newark’s Children” slate.
The two slates are joined by returning candidates, Latoya Jackson, a two-time school board candidate, Yolanda Johnson, a three-time candidate, and newcomers Elaine Asyah Aquil, Jordy Nivar, and DeWayne Bush.
More than 90 churches, senior centers, and schools across the city’s five wards will open their doors from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day to serve as polling places.
Newark leaders have raised concerns about voter turnout in the annual school board election that has historically seen around 3% to 4% of registered voters participating.
This year, city leaders have spent weeks working to get new teen voters registered and ready to vote. Nearly 1,800 teens have registered to vote in the election, but that number falls short of the 7,257 eligible to sign up, based on estimates from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.
Newark became the first city in New Jersey last year to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections. But the youth vote was delayed until the 2025 election due to voter registration issues, according to city officials in 2024. This year’s youth vote also sparked school and local efforts to ensure teens are ready for Tuesday’s election.
In February, Newark Public Schools launched the Vote 15+ voter registration campaign to get students registered. Nonprofit groups such as The Gem Project held civics trainings for new young voters, where they said they want to see younger school board members represent them, improve school lunches, and adopt a curriculum that reflects their experiences. The Newark branch of the NAACP also held a forum to hear about candidates’ positions on school policies, funding, and looming federal cuts.
Newark Public Schools also welcomed Gov. Phil Murphy, Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, Mayor Ras Baraka, and other officials in March to the Newark School of Data Science and Information Technology to encourage youth to vote in the school board election.
The winning candidates will decide policies for the district home to about 40,000 students across 64 schools.
The new board members must also contend with recent criticism from the community over transparency in addressing racism in schools, the school board’s attempt to remove one of its longest-serving members, the district’s decision to roll back on paying board members’ attorneys fees in their fight against an ethics complaint initiated by a high school principal, and the board’s approval of thousands of dollars for a staff fun day that the state’s education department deemed an inappropriate use of funds.
In Essex County, Newark joins Irvington in holding April school board elections.
Residents can vote at their designated polling location or vote by mail if they registered for that option by April 8. Ballots must be postmarked no later than April 15 and must be received before polls close on election day. County officials will release results after polls close on Tuesday.
Check back later for updates and election results.
Jessie Gomez is a reporter for Chalkbeat Newark, covering public education in the city. Contact Jessie at jgomez@chalkbeat.org.
Jessie Gómez 2025-04-15 10:30:00
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