PATERSON, N.J. (AP) - Nearly three decades after New Jersey took control of the troubled Paterson School District, the state Board of Education voted Wednesday to return control to local officials.
The state intervened in 1991 when the district was engulfed in several scandals over financial irregularities and nepotism, the Bergen Record reported.
The school district has 29,000 students and about 3,900 school employees, with an annual budget of about $618 million.
When the state took over the district, dramatic changes were implemented, such as the elimination of art and music classes in favor of more academic instruction.
Patterson officials and community members celebrated the return to local control, saying that the decision affirmed the progress made in recent years.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.