NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Twenty-two years after a state takeover, Newark has officially regained control of its schools.

Mayor Ras Baraka celebrated the milestone on Thursday, telling students that "we are not giving the keys back."

The state took over Newark's schools in the mid-1990s after years of mismanagement and academic underperformance.

State-appointed schools superintendent Christopher Cerf has been replaced by an interim superintendent until Newark's school board chooses a full-time replacement.

The state's board of education voted in September to return local control to Newark, citing the district's improved performance.

New Jersey became the first state in the country to approve the takeover of local school districts in the late 1980s, and eventually took control of school districts in Jersey City, Paterson and Camden in addition to Newark.