Shavar Jeffries

Shavar Jeffries is an American civil rights attorney who in September 2015 became the president of Democrats for Education Reform which promotes more charter schools, school funding and stricter teacher evaluations to revamp public education and resigned in 2017.[1][2][3] A former assistant state Attorney General, he was a candidate in the 2014 election for Mayor of Newark, New Jersey,[4] after which he became a partner at Lowenstein Sandler in August 2014.[5][6]

Shavar D. Jeffries
Newark Public Schools Advisory Board President
In office
April 2010 – April 2011
Special Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General Attorney General of New Jersey
In office
January 2008 – January 2010
Personal details
Born1974 (age 46–47)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceNewark
Websitehttp://www.shavarjeffries.com

Background

Jeffries grew up in the South Ward of Newark. He lost his mother to violence and was raised by his grandmother, a public school teacher.[7] He first attended Newark Public Schools and later received a scholarship to attend Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange.[8] Jeffries obtained his bachelor's degree from Duke University in 1996.[9] After graduating he attended Columbia Law School where he served as managing editor of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review[9] and clerked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. He received his Juris Doctor in 1999. Jeffries lives in the South Ward with his wife, Tenagne Girma-Jeffries, and their two children.

Career

After law school, Jeffries clerked for Judge Nathaniel R. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals.[9] He then worked as an associate with Wilmer Cutler & Pickering. Since 2001, Shavar has been counsel at Gibbons P.C., a firm based at the Gateway Center in Newark.

Jeffries has been an associate professor at the Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall Law School since 2004. In 2008-2010, he took a leave of absence to serve as Assistant Attorney General and Counsel to New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram and led several departments, including the Juvenile Justice Commission and the Civil Rights Division.[10]

In April 2010, Jeffries was elected to the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board.[11] He became a partner at Lowenstein Sandler in August 2014.[5][6] In September 2015 he became the president of Democrats for Education Reform which promotes more charter schools, school funding and stricter teacher evaluations to revamp public education.[1][2] [12]

Mayoral candidacy

Jeffries announced his election bid on May 20, 2013.[13][14] Jeffries was relatively unknown in Newark,[4][15] where typically one runs first for council and then for mayor.[4] Jeffries introduced a public safety plan in October 2013[16][17] As of January 2014, Jeffries had raised the most campaign financing of the candidates.[18]

The election took place May 13, 2014 and Jeffries was defeated by Municipal Council of Newark Council Member Ras Baraka.[13] Other potential candidates, Council Members Anibal Ramos, Jr. and Darrin S. Sharif,[19][15] [20] had earlier dropped out of the race.[21]

Jeffries' eight-member council slate includes incumbents East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador, North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, Jr. and At-large Councilman Carlos Gonzalez and candidates Brian Logan (South Ward). Kevin Waters (West Ward) and Andre Speight (Central Ward). Lynda Lloyd (At-large), and former Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo (At-large).[22]

In February he received an endorsement of William D. Payne[23] and March from Donald Payne, Jr.,[24] both of whom who are part a long time Newark political dynasty. He has also been endorsed by the Teamsters,[25] State Senator Teresa Ruiz and Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor-Marin.[26] Jeffries received the endorsements of Board of Chosen Freeholders President Blonnie Watson, Freeholder Vice-President Patricia Sebold and Freeholder D. Bilal Beasley. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York's 8th congressional district in Brooklyn and Queens with roots in Newark, has also endorsed Jeffries. In May he received the endorsement of Eva Longoria.[27] Jeffries was endorsed by The Star-Ledger.[28]

Jeffries conceded the race to Baraka at the Golden Dome Athletic Center on election night.[29]

Scholarship

In 2015 Jeffries has established the Donna Johnson Memorial Scholarship to support the educational development of a young person who has experienced the loss of a parent, guardian, or loved one because of domestic violence, or whose life has otherwise been touched by violence against women.[30]

Success Academy Charter Schools

Shavar Jeffries resigned from the Board of Directors of the Success Academy Charter Schools in 2017. Jeffries is a critic of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and President Donald Trump.[31] This position was in conflict with Success Academy chief executive officer Eva Moskowitz, who had supported Hillary Clinton, but was muted in her criticism of Trump until several days after Jeffries' resignation.[32][33]

The resignation of Jeffries came before Dan Loeb, Success Academy board chair and wealthy hedge fund executive made racial remarks about State Senate Democratic leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. These comments triggered a PR crisis in the biggest charter network of NYC. Loeb's statement was the black lawmaker "did more damage to people of color than anyone who has ever donned a hood.[34]" Moskowitz said an apology for these remarks was necessary. The complete post of Loeb ridiculed the legislator for not supporting charter schools. He lauded State Senator Jeff Klein who was always vocal in backing charter institutions. 93 percent of students enrolled as Success Academy are either Black or Latino.[35] An article published in the New York Post last April 30, 2018 said Loeb will quit as Success Academy's chairman. Loeb was also criticized because of email exchanges with former Deputy Mayor Richard Buery in 2014 regarding the alleged insensitivity of Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City towards charter school accomplishments.[36]

Education reform remains a controversial policy concern in the USA. The National Assessment of Educational Progress published a gloomy report showing many American high school senior students are not yet ready for college. This woeful situation stimulates the schools choice movement and supporters of charter schools which include Shavar Jeffries. He demonstrated disappointment regarding the low-key political discussion regarding the worsening quality of primary and secondary education.[37]

References
  1. Los Angeles Times (3 September 2015). "Democrats for Education Reform's Shavar Jeffries on how to fix his own movement". latimes.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  2. "Ex-Newark mayoral candidate Jeffries to head education lobbying group, reports say". NJ.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  3. Brody, Leslie (3 September 2015). "Ex-Newark Mayoral Candidate Shavar Jeffries to Lead Education Group". Retrieved 15 April 2019 – via www.wsj.com.
  4. Giambusso, David (June 2, 2013). "With three major candidates declared, Newark braces for mayoral race". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2013-12-02. "We intend to show people that when I become mayor we all become mayor," he said. Jeffries, a former assistant state Attorney General, has a strong narrative. He grew up in the South Ward and lost his mother to violence. He graduated from Duke University and Columbia Law School and came back to Newark to raise his family. He has strong connections to charter schools, as well as Duke and Columbia alumni, which gives him an edge in fundraising. But Jeffries is relatively unknown in Newark, where typically one runs for council before shooting for mayor.
  5. "Former Newark mayoral candidate Jeffries joins national law firm". NJ.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  6. "Shavar D. Jeffries – Our Professionals". lowenstein.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  7. W, R (August 14, 2013). "When Cory's gone". Democracy in America. The Economist. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  8. "About Shavar Jeffries". For Newark Mayor 2014. www.shavarjeffries.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-06. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  9. "Shavar D. Jeffries". Gibbons. Archived from the original on 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  10. "Shavar D. Jeffries". Seton Hall Law. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  11. "Tom Moran: Public support is integral to Newark schools reform". NJ.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  12. "DFER Announces New National President: Shavar Jeffries". Democrats for Education Reform. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  13. "Shavar Jeffries". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
  14. Giambusso, David (May 21, 2013). "Shavar Jeffries officially jumps into the ring for Newark mayoral contest". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  15. Glover, Vivian (October 15, 2013). "Who will run Newark without Cory Booker?". The Grio. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  16. "The Jeffries Plan" (PDF). The Star-Ledger. October 23, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  17. Giambusso, David (October 23, 2013). "Newark mayor's race: Shavar Jeffries lays out public safety plan". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  18. Giambusso, David (January 30, 2014). "Newark mayor's race: Shavar Jeffries outpaces candidates in fundraising". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  19. Giambusso, David (August 16, 2013). "Darrin Sharif announces run for mayor of Newark". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  20. Giambusso, David (June 2, 2013). "With three major candidates declared, Newark braces for mayoral race". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  21. Queally, James (February 12, 2014). "Newark mayoral race narrows to 2 as another candidate drops out". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  22. Giambusso, David (February 26, 2014). "Newark mayor's race: Jeffries rolls out council slate and senior plan". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  23. Frasier, Craig D. (February 27, 2014). "Jeffries gaining ground in Newark mayoral race". Amsterdam News. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  24. Mark Bonamo. "Newark mayor's race: Payne endorsement boosts Jeffries' local legitimacy, while Baraka-Payne feud fueled". New Jersey News, Politics, Opinion, and Analysis. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  25. "Shavar Jeffries gets first union endorsement". amsterdamnews.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  26. Bonamo, Mark (March 22, 2014). "Shavar Jeffries Newark mayor's race: At North Ward endorsement rally, Jeffries campaign shows resurgence, defiance". NJ Politicker. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  27. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2014-05-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. "Shavar Jeffries for Newark mayor: Editorial". The Star-Ledger. May 8, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  29. Wright-Piersanti, Tom (May 14, 2014). "Shavar Jeffries concedes Newark mayoral race". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  30. "Scholarship - Shavar Jeffries". Shavar Jeffries. Archived from the original on 2015-09-21. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  31. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/11/17/advocacy-group-warns-fellow-democrats-dont-become-trumps-education-secretary/
  32. Shapiro, Eliza. "At odds over Trump, Democrats for Education Reform chief resigned from Success board". Politico PRO. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  33. Goldstein, Dana (23 November 2016). "What New York City's Biggest School Reformer Sees in Donald Trump". Retrieved 15 April 2019 – via www.newyorker.com.
  34. "At odds over Trump, Democrats for Education Reform chief resigned from Success board". Politico PRO. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  35. "Loeb will remain chair of Success Academy board, following racial remark". Politico PRO. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  36. "Billionaire Dan Loeb stepping down as Success Academy chair". New York Post. 2018-04-30. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
  37. David, Javier E. (2016-04-30). "Income gap can't be solved with taxes or free college, but this: Advocate". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-06-07.
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