NJ District Closes Aging Schools, 150 Employees Face Layoffs

Four of Camden’s oldest school buildings will close permanently at the end of the school year as part of the district’s reorganization plan, officials said.

Harry C. Sharp Elementary School
Photo Credit: *Google Maps*

Jon Craig

01/27/2021 10:25 a.m.

City of Camden officials have said they can no longer afford to teach less than 6,350 students at 19 different schools, in a district that used to educate nearly double that.

Cramer School, Harry C. Sharp Elementary School, Wiggins School, and the Yorkship Family School will be closed for good in June.

The shutdown plan will also result in staff layoffs, and as many as 150 jobs could be affected, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The teachers union has opposed the closures, which will impact about 1,200 of the district’s more than 6,300 students, the report said.

When the state took over the Camden school system in 2013 after years of poor student performance and low graduation rates, the district enrolled more than 11,000 students in more than two dozen buildings.

Three of the four school buildings set to close are more than 100 years old. All four are in need of structural repair, school officials said. The four buildings are all 30% empty, according to a statement from the Camden City School District.

“Our students are entitled to the best facilities, education, and support,” Camden School District Superintendent Katrina T. McCombs said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Many of our older buildings are deteriorating, while we have space available in our newer district facilities," McCombs said.

Camden Mayor Francisco “Frank” Moran said he supports the closures, citing a projected school budget deficit of $40 million in fiscal year 2022.

“Closing buildings that are 30% empty and in a state of disrepair is the responsible course of action; our students deserve a better learning environment,” Moran said in a statement.

School district changes and guaranteed seats are detailed below:

Sharp School: Students entering grades K to 5 will go to Veterans Memorial School and students entering grades 6 to 8 will go to Davis School.
Cramer School: All students will go to Davis school.
Wiggins School: Students entering grades K to 5 will go to Forest Hill School and those entering grades 6 to 8 will go to Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy.
Yorkship School: Students entering grades K to 2 will go to Cream School, students entering grades 3 to 5 will go to HB Wilson School and those entering grades 6 to 8 will go to Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy.

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