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Newark Public Schools, New Jersey, elections (2025)
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Incumbent Kanileah Anderson, Louis Maisonave Jr., and David Daughety—who all ran on the "Moving Newark Schools Forward" slate—defeated eight other candidates in the nonpartisan general election for three at-large seats on the Newark Public Schools school board on April 15, 2025. The three candidates won three-year terms on the board after receiving the most votes in the election. Incumbents Crystal Williams and Daniel Gonzalez did not run for re-election.[1]
Heading into the election, all nine board members ran on the "Moving Newark Schools Forward" slate during their respective elections. Chalkbeat Newark’s Jessie Gómez wrote that the three candidates were “part of the Moving Newark Schools Forward slate, a contingent that has historically been heavily backed by Mayor Ras Baraka and other powerful Democrat lawmakers.”[2] Baraka-endorsed candidates first won election to the board in 2011 when he represented the South Ward on the Newark City Council. Baraka served on the council from 2010 until 2014, when he was elected Mayor of Newark. Following the 2016 elections, all nine board members were Baraka-endorsed candidates.
This election was the first one since the Newark City Council voted to lower the voting age for local school board elections in 2024. According to the ordinance, all voters must be 16 years old by the next school board election to vote.[3]
Gómez wrote that the move to lower the voting age came after Newark leaders had "raised concerns about voter turnout in the annual school board election that has historically seen around 3% to 4% of registered voters participating."[4] In 2023, 3.1% of the city's 195,000 registered voters cast ballots in that year's election.[5] Each of the three winners won with fewer than 3,500 votes.[5] According to Bolts’ Lauren Gill, “As of the March 25 deadline, 1,796 young people, or 28[%], had registered to vote.”[6]
The 11 candidates divided themselves into two three-member slates, with five independent candidates.
Anderson, Louis Maisonave Jr., and David Daughety ran on the "Moving Newark Schools Forward" slate. This election was the first time that Maisonave and Daughety ran for the board. Anderson said she would continue prioritizing programs that support literacy: “Literacy is key to succeeding in all content areas so ensuring that the current programming remains available is my priority.”[7] Maisonave said he would “prioritize protecting career readiness, vocational training, STEM, and arts programs, as they equip students with real-world skills and future opportunities.”[7] Finally, Daughety said his priorities would include “protecting student support services like mental health and social services [and] before/after-school programs and opportunities.”[7]
Ade’Kamil Kelly, Shana Melius, and Nathanael Barthelemy ran on the "Prioritizing Newark's Children" slate. Kelly previously ran for the board in 2023, while Melius and Barthelemy ran for the first time. According to Kelly, the slate’s priorities included “Enhancing Academic Excellence…Addressing Infrastructure Needs…Mental Health and Wellness…Promoting Equity in Education…Support for Special Education…Community and Parental Engagement.”[8] The slate also campaigned on bringing new perspectives to the board. Kelly said, “If a mechanic tells you your engine is failing, you don’t keep driving—you replace it. Newark, our school system isn’t running the way it should, and it’s time for a fresh start. We need bold, new leadership to put our students first.”[9] The Newark Freedom Caucus endorsed this slate in the election.[10]
The five candidates who ran independently are Elaine Asyah Aquil, DeWayne Bush, Latoya Jackson, Yolanda Johnson, and Jordy Nivar. Jackson and Johnson previously ran for the board, while Aquil, Bush, and Nivar ran for the first time.
Newark Public Schools is located in Essex County, New Jersey. As of April 2, 2025, 63 schools were in the district. The district had 41,672 students during the 2022-2023 school year.[11]
Elections
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Candidates and results
General election
General election for Newark Public Schools Board of Education (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Newark Public Schools Board of Education on April 15, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kanileah Anderson (Nonpartisan) | 21.9 | 2,915 |
| ✔ |  | David Daughety (Nonpartisan) | 18.8 | 2,499 |
| ✔ |  | Louis Maisonave Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 18.4 | 2,442 |
 | Ade’Kamil Kelly (Nonpartisan) | 8.1 | 1,082 | |
| Nathanael Barthelemy (Nonpartisan) | 6.7 | 886 | ||
| Shana Melius (Nonpartisan) | 6.6 | 879 | ||
 | Yolanda Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 5.3 | 710 | |
| Latoya Jackson (Nonpartisan) | 5.1 | 680 | ||
| Elaine Asyah Aquil (Nonpartisan) | 4.4 | 587 | ||
| Jordy Nivar (Nonpartisan) | 3.0 | 401 | ||
| DeWayne Bush (Nonpartisan) | 1.5 | 200 | ||
| Total votes: 13,281 | |||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: New Jersey elections, 2025
June 10, 2025
- New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2025
- New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2025
- Municipal elections in Essex County, New Jersey (2025)
- Municipal elections in Hudson County, New Jersey (2025)
November 4, 2025
- New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2025
- New Jersey General Assembly elections, 2025
- Municipal elections in Essex County, New Jersey (2025)
- Municipal elections in Hudson County, New Jersey (2025)
- City elections in Jersey City, New Jersey (2025)
- City elections in Newark, New Jersey (2025)
- Jersey City Public Schools, New Jersey, elections (2025)
Help inform our readers
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About the district
- See also: Newark Public Schools, New Jersey
Newark Public Schools is located in Essex County, New Jersey. The district served 41,672 students during the 2022-2023 school year.[12]
Election history
To see results from past elections in Newark Public Schools, click here.
2025 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This is a battleground election. Other 2025 battleground elections include:
- New Jersey gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2025
- Mayoral election in Detroit, Michigan (2025)
- Virginia gubernatorial election, 2025 (June 17 Republican primary)
See also
| Newark Public Schools | New Jersey | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Chalkbeat Newark, "Have a question for the 2025 Newark school board candidates? Help us build a voter guide.," February 27, 2025
- ↑ Chalkbeat Newark, "Newark school board election 2025: Moving Newark Schools Forward slate had substantial lead on Tuesday night," April 15, 2025
- ↑ City of Newark, "Ordinance: Creating Title XXI, Elections, Chapter 1, School Board Elections," accessed April 10, 2025
- ↑ Chalkbeat Newark, "First-time candidates join returning contenders in this year’s historic Newark school board race," March 7, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The New York Times, "In Newark, 16-Year-Olds Win the Right to Vote in School Board Races," January 10, 2025
- ↑ Bolts, "Newark Teens Gear Up for School Board Elections After Voting Age Extended to 16," April 4, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Chalkbeat Newark, "Newark Board of Education 2025 election: Meet the candidates," April 2, 2025
- ↑ Instagram, "Ade'Kamil Kelly on February 11, 2025," accessed April 10, 2025
- ↑ Instagram, "Ade'Kamil Kelly on March 24, 2025," accessed April 10, 2025
- ↑ X, "Newark Freedom Caucus on April 13, 2025," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Local Education Agency (School District) Universe Survey Data," accessed April 4, 2025
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Local Education Agency (School District) Universe Survey Data," accessed June 26, 2024
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