Camden has a new superintendent who was introduced to the public last month. Paymon Rouhanifard sat down with NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider to discuss his plans for the public schools.
Some have raised concerns that Rouhanifard doesn’t have the traditional superintendent’s background. But he said he’s ready to hit the ground running and touted his track record working in New York City. “My job there was to develop and transform over 150 schools that positively impacted tens of thousands of students so I do have that track record and I can tell you that the governor and commissioner selected me because of that track record,” he said.
Rouhanifard said the Camden school system has the resources available to succeed, including close to $24,000 per pupil. He said he’ll be able to garner support by going into the community and proving the agenda will work. “We’re gonna spend the next 100 days listening. So there’s actually a two-pronged effort. One is to go out to the community, listen, talk to parents, students, teachers, community-based organizations, faith-based institutions,” he said. “And then the second part of that is to do a deep analysis of our central office, the quality of our curriculum and instruction. And those two things will come together to ultimately lay out a strategic plan around December.”
With $24,000 per pupil available, there is a disconnect between resources and results in Camden. Rouhanifard said he has to examine all the practices in the district. “Clearly we’re not getting a return on that investment. So we have to rethink the resources we’re investing in the central office in our schools and figure out a better way forward,” he said.
Rouhanifard’s focus right now is listening and learning about the new district. “I have a lot of due diligence to do. I have a lot of people to speak to. But I can tell you based on what I’ve heard that there are some real issues that we need to address,” he said. “[Parents are] telling me that they’re ready for dramatic change. And so yes it does begin by looking at the bureaucracy and the role it’s been playing. But it also involves bringing parents into the equation and hearing from them what changes they want to see within the schools themselves.”
Camden is often referred to as one of the poorest and most crime ridden cities in the U.S., but Rouhanifard said that doesn’t mean children can’t succeed in the classroom. “What I believe in deeply is if you put students in the right learning environment, we can fundamentally change their life trajectory for the best,” he said.
Rouhanifard said he saw firsthand the way schools could be transformative when he worked in New York City. “The impact of poverty that I saw on my students was real. But I also saw those students were capable of achieving greatness,” he said. “I saw the same thing in other parts of New York City in the work that I did. I saw it in Newark. And I know we can see that in Camden as well.”
Some say Camden has a cultural difference that could make it more difficult for children to strive for high academic achievement, but Rouhanifard disagrees with that. “What I know is that if you create great schools and provide access to those schools for students and families, then again we can put them on the pathway to college and career readiness,” he said.
Having a working relationship with the city’s teachers is important. Rouhanifard said one of the first people he met with was LaVerne Harvey, president of the Camden Education Association. “I thought we had a great initial conversation. And I’ll tell you this. No one person, no one entity, can do it on their own. I’m gonna need the support of the teachers, I’m gonna need the support of families,” he said.
The student to teacher ratio in Camden is currently 9-to-1 or 10-to-1, according to Rouhanifard. He said the ratios are sufficient, but he also must investigate the quality of instruction.
When asked if he has the flexibility to remove teachers who don’t perform at a level he believes is acceptable, Rouhanifard said, “This is part of the 100-day due diligence plan here. There’s a lot I need to learn and I’m really looking forward over the next three months laying out those priorities come December.”