Four Paterson elementary schools to close following last-minute reversal
The schools slated for closure include Alexander Hamilton Academy, Norman S. Weir School, Public School 1 and the Young Men’s Leadership Academy. All four will shut their doors after classes wrap this month.
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Several elementary schools in Paterson will permanently close at the end of the school year, leaving hundreds of students and their families preparing for a major transition.
The schools slated for closure include Alexander Hamilton Academy, Norman S. Weir School, Public School 1 and the Young Men’s Leadership Academy. All four will shut their doors after classes wrap this month.
For parents like Kenyatta Lighty, the decision is deeply personal. His son Kyronn, a fifth grader, has attended Alexander Hamilton Academy since kindergarten.
“This is a good school. To see it close is gonna be really, really difficult,” Lighty said. “Paterson is a city people don’t think much of, but there are a lot of bright kids here. They need the resources, and I feel like it’s constantly being taken away from them."
The Paterson School District first announced the closures earlier this year, but the decision saw a brief reversal when the Passaic County superintendent said the schools would remain open. That announcement was rescinded this week, making the closures final.
“I felt they really should have had some kind of forum with the parents, sit down or something to really get our ideas, just talk to us,” Lighty said.
Students who attend any of the four schools will be reassigned to their neighborhood public schools next year.
Local officials told News 12 the move is part of a larger effort to improve the district by shifting to a middle school model that separates younger and older students.
“They’re not closing schools. They’re repurposing,” said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh. “This is a repurposing plan to better meet the academic needs of students. There are some districts that don’t have eighth graders and kindergartners in the same building, and they said that would be more conducive to have them separated.”
Some parents expressed concern about the future of public education in the city, telling News 12 that many students from the affected schools are choosing to move into charter schools.
However, Sayegh told News 12 he does not believe any of the four schools will be converted to charters.
