Read this article as it originally appeared on njspotlight.com

Camden Middle School is a good example of the kind of challenges -- and uncertainties -- that await Cami Anderson on her first day as Newark's superintendent of schools.

The school, like the 39,000-student district, is in transition. Last year, less than half its students passed the state tests. This fall, it is moving in with Camden Street Elementary School next door, to form a single K-8 facility.

Replacing it will be three new high schools: the Bard High School Early College, New Day Charter School and People’s Prep Charter. And with them come new teachers and new families.

This article originally ran in a special four-page section produced by the Newark Charter School Fund in Local Talk News.

The first public school in Newark to specifically address the needs of high school students dealing with alcohol and drug dependence is set to open this September as part of an ambitious roll-out of charter schools.

The New Day Charter School will offer students in grades 9-12 a traditional curriculum, but with a slant toward helping those with drug and alcohol dependence. Since the charter school is a public school, it will be open to all students in Newark, regardless of whether or not they are battling dependence.

“People get confused; they think we are a treatment program, not a school,” said Marc Wurgaft, an addiction counselor who is president of the school’s Board of Trustees. “The fact is our rigorous academic program meets all the core curriculum standards that all public schools in New Jersey must meet."