[Newark, New Jersey – April 26, 2020] In support of the City of Newark’s effort to ensure that everyone in every household is counted, Superintendent Roger León, of the Newark Board of Education has designated Monday, April 27, 2020 as Census 2020 Day for all schools in the district.

“We have been emphasizing the message that everyone in the great city of Newark, must be counted”, said Superintendent León.  He added, “The consequences for an inaccurate count for our school district is detrimental and will be realized in a number of fiscal, programmatic and legislative shortfalls.  We cannot afford to let that happen.”

Understanding that our parents hold the key to accurate counts, members of the district’s parent engagement teams attended monthly training sessions on the importance of Census completion with Census Bureau staff from the tri-state area. Title I and many other federal programs use the Census number to distribute millions of dollars to school districts, multiple times in any given year.  Needless to say, accurate counts have the power to change the lives of children. 

Census 2020 Day marks the culmination of activities spanning more than a year.  To reinforce our message, the Newark Board of Education has lead a number of Census related activities, which include but not limited to the following:

• Census 2020 Workshops for parents were conducted in most of our schools.
• Parent Liaisons in each school, facilitated small group Census completion sessions and assisted families in navigating the Census website.
• Bureau volunteers from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, fielded parent questions while manning information tables during our Districtwide Report Card night.
• Students participated in the Essex County Fairy Trail Census Program where they learned about the impact the Census count can have on their community.
• Elementary school students submitted more than 50 entries in the Newark City Art Census Logo competition, designed to raise awareness.
• Worked with the Complete Count Committee and other partners, to develop a bilingual PSA.
• Advocates for Children of New Jersey provided Census materials in multiple languages, which were strategically placed in all schools and on the district’s website.

On Monday, Census 2020 Day, every Social Studies teacher will use their period with students to review the importance of completing the Census, discuss the benefits and remind them that them that it only takes a few minutes complete.

Finally, during the month of May, we will continue to strengthen the learning by including the Census in mathematics lessons, so that each week, students will study the Census through statistics.  Everyone must be counted, No Excuses, No Exceptions! 

Newark Board of Education President, Josephine Garcia said “I am proud of the work that is being done because statistics reveal that urban areas like ours are historically undercounted, which is why we must make every effort to see that everyone who should be counted is counted.”

About The Newark Public Schools District

The Newark Public Schools District, with 66 schools, 5,877 employees and a student population of 37,291 is the largest and one of the oldest school systems in New Jersey. Its origin dates back to 1676. Barringer High School, in Newark’s North Ward, is the third oldest public high school in the nation. The ethnic diversity of the city provides a rich educational experience for pre-kindergarten to secondary school students. The district continues to revise its services to meet the changing needs of students.