TRENTON – Senator Shirley K. Turner, D-Mercer and Chair of the Senate Education Committee, made the following statement today after the New Jersey Department of Education released the NJ QSAC (Quality Single Accountability Continuum) monitoring reports of the state-operated and Level II districts, which indicated that the Trenton School District has failed to pass muster on all five evaluated key components:
“Today’s news that Trenton schools are failing to meet even the most basic educational guidelines is disappointing, to say the least, though you can hardly say it’s surprising.
“I have been saying for a long time that we cannot afford to blindly throw money at the problems facing the Trenton schools without accountability and a clear plan for success.
“As the Trenton schools have struggled to get their act together, far too many children have been left behind. ‘Better’ is no longer acceptable and excuses can no longer be tolerated. “We need wholesale change. I hope that today’s report is the wake-up call that finally gets the Trenton School District serious about serving their students and achieving true success.
“It is one thing to identify problems. It is an entirely different thing to develop solutions and implement a plan. With the Department of Education’s guidance, I believe we can create a culture of success in the Trenton School District.
“Above all else, there needs to be a realization that this is a problem that affects everyone in the community, and, thus, all community members must do their part to solve it. We all must hold the district’s feet to the fire and never rest until Trenton schools are among the best in New Jersey.”