Newark Schools Chief Cami Anderson Stepping Down

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Newark's schools superintendent is stepping down after an often stormy four-year tenure.

Gov. Chris Christie's office announced Monday that Cami Anderson will leave office by July 8. She will be replaced by Chris Cerf, who was New Jersey's education commissioner for three years starting in early 2011.

Anderson released a statement Monday, but did not say why she was resigning. She touted accomplishments during her tenure such as improving the graduation rate from 56 percent to 70 percent, establishing a merit-based teacher compensation program and implementing a restorative justice program that has led to a 37 percent reduction in suspensions, she said.

"I have worked for four years to usher in critical improvements to the school system that have leveled the playing field for Newark students and paved the way for academic and social success," Anderson said. "I am extremely proud of what my team and I have collectively accomplished."

Anderson's tenure was marked by conflict in Newark, where some parents and students opposed her plan to overhaul the struggling district. Some of them organized a boycott on the first day of school last September.

Among her critics' complaints was a revamped enrollment system that aimed to increase school choices but created transportation headaches for some parents whose children were sent to schools far from their homes.

The Newark Parents Union, however, promptly reacted to the news of Anderson's resignation with a tweet, saying: "THIS IS NOT A WIN FOR NEWARK HOLD ALL CHEERS AND APPLAUSE."

Newark's schools have been under state control for decades.

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