Camden’s Parent and Student Union Empowers Residents During School Budget Cuts
Photo courtesy of Camden Parent and Student Union Facebook page
BY CHARLES CURTIS III | For AC JosepH Media
CAMDEN – Workshops led by the Parent and Student Union in October is helping empower and guide city residents during some of the most severe budget cuts in the history of Camden City Public School.
“Education is the center of everything we do,” said Ronsha A. Dickerson. Dickerson, a lifelong Camden resident, is the executive director of Camden’s Parent and Student Union.
According to their website, the Camden Parent and Student Union their mission is to, “is to challenge and dismantle the systems that perpetuate inequality across education, housing, healthcare, and more. We must hold leaders accountable to ensure that every community has access to quality education, a safe environment, and opportunities for economic and social well-being.”
In 2014, in the wake of large-scale cuts to the Camden City school district, the Parent and Student Union was bred from the collective will of parents and students who wanted to be able to control and shape their own educational destinies.
Most recently the organization has continued its mission by hosting several civic workshops for community members to discuss and be educated on the challenges facing Camden’s public school system.
Every Wednesday night in October, the group curated Zoom sessions empowering the residents through education, civic engagement, and encouraging voting in preparation for the upcoming election between Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli.
Workshops allowed for open dialogue, included detailed timelines of educational turning points in Camden, polling information, voter rights, and much more. The group aims to build a serious base of informed voters.
The workshop culminated in an in-person event hosted by the Parent and Student Union and several of their community partners. The South Jersey/Camden Community Civic Session included presentations from the Million Voters Project and Watu Moja.
Most recently the city’s public education system ended its last fiscal year in a 91 million dollar deficit. Many believe this deficit to be the result of a lack of transparency and accountability.
“Some of our parents didn’t even know there was a deficit," Camden City Councilwoman Sheila Davis said. "And they weren’t informed on how that would affect them, many believe it to be just a school issue and that’s why we have to educate them. They’re not being told."
Dickerson said that, unfortunately, education has become "very much" politicized.
"Let’s start with the Urban Hope Act, which was the number one space of education being political," Dickerson said. "When the state takeover happened it got extremely political. And now our local school board has access to run school board candidates collectively in a non-partisan race and now anyone wanting to run is being put on the same slate as the mayor and aligning with political parties.”
Dickerson said she wanted the public to engage the gubernatorial candidates on education in Camden.
"I don’t know that the deficit will have the deepest impact but I’m hoping that it’ll move some people to vote," Dickerson said.
For Camden school board member Clayton Gonzalez said he believed the Camden school budget will influence voters.
"People are looking at the way money is being spent and they have questions because they want transparency," Gonzalez said.
Davis said she has a different outlook on the impact of the deficit as it relates to voting.
“As much as a disservice it is to the people to have a $91 million school deficit I don’t think the residents are keying in and asking those questions to our gubernatorial candidates," Davis said. "So to me in the moment it serves to that, that might not be their biggest concern at the moment."
As the city braces for the upcoming election, many individuals are looking at candidates who are looking to strengthen Camden public schools.
“I’m hopeful we can get education to really stand on its own and have people be able to choose who they think is best for their children but it doesn’t require us to have all those choices," Davis said.
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