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Re: Schools in the Heights
#1
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How do you "get in" to MS4? Do you test in? What if your local zoned school already offers a 6 - 8 program? Are you still eligible to apply to MS4?

Posted on: 2015/1/30 17:28
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Re: HUGE GAS PIPELINE COMING - through Jersey City
#2
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JGJDNYCJC - This is not a normal household pipeline. This Spectra pipeline is a massive 30 inch, highly pressurized transport pipeline, meant to feed NYC (it provides no benefit to JC). It combines two particularly dangerous characteristics - it is very large (30 inches) and is highly pressurized.

Think of it this way, a small household pipeline at low pressure can cause a pretty good explosion (think - the recent NYC gas pipeline explosion that happened a year or two ago and kiled a couple of people and leveled the building). The Spectra pipeline of this magnitude would cause an explosion that would engulf a HUGE blast radius. Check out the link dtcview provided below.

Posted on: 2015/1/30 16:02
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Re: HUGE GAS PIPELINE COMING - through Jersey City
#3
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Additionally Borisp, we obtain a benefit from driving and assuming the risks of driving. With the JC pipeline, JC residents do not obtain any benefit at all - we simply assume the (particularly deadly) risk so that a corporate entity and NYC can benefit.

Our pipeline is rather unprecendented in the USA because it was run directly through heavily populated areas, including directly next to several schools, nurseries and playgrounds. There was an alternative route, but Spectra didn't want to spend the money. It's an unconscionable disregard for the lives of JC residents. It is immoral, as Pebble has stated. Unfortunately, those that stand to gain on these projects rarely think about the people that may suffer because of it.

Many of the recent explosions (and there have been many - just do a google search on gas pipeline explosions) had lower body counts because they occured in unpopulated areas. Were the same type of explosion to happen to the JC pipeline, it was be a human tragedy on a scale not seen before in the USA.

My opinion is that, generations from now, we will look back at the expansion of natural gas infrastructure as a real mistake.

Posted on: 2015/1/30 14:59
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Re: Schools in the Heights
#4
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DANL - your response is not very helpful, as it is more of a lecture. I tend to suspect you don't have young kids in the system right now, so it is easy for you to opine about a matter that doesn't have any immediate personal relevancy to you.

Many of us parents in Jersey City are appreciative of the diversity of our community and would love to send our kids to the public schools, but are very concerned about the quality that is offered in JC. The chances of getting in to the charter schools are slim, so we need real input on the remaining options. There really is not a "wealth of options" here in Jersey City. We need more options. We need more charters and magnet schools. Unfortunately, the City seems slow to respond to the need to improve our school district.

Posted on: 2015/1/29 21:24
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Re: TALDE JERSEY CITY
#5
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I'll chime in with a 3rd on that, Tommyc and Fraulein. I'm willing to pay the $$$ for fresh, wild caught fish. I bet it would be a hit.

Posted on: 2015/1/28 23:23
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Re: Liberty Science Center announces $230 million expansion
#6
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Yvonne: St. Peter's prep is only for boys ( and is private catholic) and there are literally thousands of kids vying for that coveted spot at McNair. The rest of the kids have, sadly, few options.

Posted on: 2015/1/25 21:28
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Re: Liberty Science Center announces $230 million expansion
#7
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I really hope that the planned "grade school" becomes a reality. Why not extend it to a high school as well? We certainly need some new high schools in Jersey City. Wouldn't it be cool if they created a math and science magnet school, similar to, say, the Bronx School of Science in NYC? We should not waste these opportunities to do so! We could actually build a public school system to be proud of. With City land growing scarce, we need to take advantage of such opportunities to create new and improved schools and create something special.

Posted on: 2015/1/23 15:21
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Re: Chinese Company in Talks to Buy Jersey City Site:
#8
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I honestly don't see where you see "xenophobia" on this thread with respect to the school issue. The simply issue is that our Jersey City elementary schools are already at overcapacity. Stuffing little kids in trailers is just not an answer. As parents, we are frustrated that the City does not appear to be taking steps to alleviate the recognized problem of overcrowding that is happening - particularly in downtown schools. Any parent of a Jersey City child understands this problem. And contrary to popular belief, middle to "upper class" folk that are buying these 500K plus properties are choosing to send their kids to public school. This is simply a very important public policy issue that needs to be addressed along with the development.

Posted on: 2015/1/21 23:47
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Re: Chinese Company in Talks to Buy Jersey City Site:
#9
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MIkeyTCB - mark my words - there will be families moving in to these condos, they will have young children, and yes, there will be a good percentage that will send their kids to PS16. PS16 is generally considered probably the "best" of the public elementary schools in JC. But it already has capacity issues, as does the entirety of the downtown elementary schools. The City needs to do something quickly to deal with this problem. We need new schools built in downtown. The population boom is happening here.

Posted on: 2015/1/21 14:59
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Re: 360 9th Street in Hamilton Park (reveal)
#10
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Don't love the design, particularly for that neighborhood. I used to rent in that area and walked to grove street PATH every day - not a problem for me.

Posted on: 2015/1/15 23:34
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Re: Jersey City seeks 20-year tax break for hotel outside Grove Street PATH station
#11
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except that it's usually not the fat that gets cut --its the schools and essential services.

Posted on: 2015/1/15 16:43
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Re: Officials break ground on $54M elementary school in Jersey City Heights
#12
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Yvonne, its not property taxes and water that are putting a strain on young parents - its the big ticket items, like massive student loans and mortgages (a 2 bedroom condo in JC these days cost $600,000+). And many younger folks aren't putting their kids in Catholic schools because they no longer believe in the strict tenants (and benefits) of a Catholic education. The Catholic Church is facing this as an overarching issue in Church attendance; hence the major closings and consolidations of many churches in the NYC / NJ area (as well as nationwide). This has nothing to do with Charter Schools.

St. Peter's Prep is less affected because it runs a stellar academic program at a much cheaper price than private tuition at other schools (thanks again to the subsidy of the Catholic Church).

Posted on: 2015/1/14 3:50
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Re: Officials break ground on $54M elementary school in Jersey City Heights
#13
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Yvonne - your statement that Catholic schools are now Charter schools is totally nonsensical. The Catholic schools were put out of commission by the Catholic Church itself, as it has to cut costs and catholic schools were often heavily subsidized by the Church. The subsidy from the Catholic Church as a whole is the only reason that tuition at Catholic schools was so much less expensive than other private options ( say 8000 a year vs. 20,000). That is the reason so many catholic schools in NYC and NJ are closing -the Church can't (or doesn't want to ) afford them anymore. Charter schools are a completely separate issue . NYC has plenty of them that operate very successfully. Jersey City should as well, particularly because our public school system is less than stellar.

Posted on: 2015/1/14 2:43
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Re: Education/PARCC Testing
#14
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Boodipah - have to agree. I've looked at the math for this testing and I don't see the problem. I haven't taken math classes in 25 years, but its not that difficult and I actually enjoy the theoretical/conceptual approach.

I did read a recent article recently that the problem with some of these new standards is that teachers are not adequately prepared to teach them. If you don't understand the concepts yourself, how can you adequately teach your students? Perhaps we need more emphasis on math and science in teacher training and schooling.

Posted on: 2015/1/12 16:58
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Re: Officials break ground on $54M elementary school in Jersey City Heights
#15
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Consumed - it is not true that most of the parents in Jersey City are on public assistance and have 10 kids. Isn't there a recent thread about "gentrification" in Jersey City? Again, if you want Jersey City to improve and become more like NYC in its amenities, then you have to be able to attract, and keep, middle to upper class families with children. Families buy properties and make great neighbors and citizens. Contrary to popular belief, though, even middle class to upper middle class families cannot afford private tuition in Jersey City in this day and age. It costs well over 25K per kid per year to send a kid to the private school options in Jersey City (MDM - the catholic school option (which was more affordable) is falling by the wayside in Jersey City - many have closed). (Over 40K per kid per year for a Manhattan option). SO even a family with a reported income of $250,000 per year will not be able to afford private schooling for 2 kids, particularly if they have student loans to pay and a mortgage on a property to pay ( a 2 bedroom in downtown JC now costs well over 600K).

My point is, the "wealthier" families are only going to stay in Jersey City if the schools improve. Otherwise, they are going to move to the suburbs, where the living is cheaper and the public education is better. So if you want JC to continue its upward mobility, creating a decent school system is imperative. And this is looking at the situation from a purely selfish perspective, rather than from a moral perspective.

Finally, the funds used to build this school are not funded through Jersey City taxes, but rather through the NJ School Development authority. See http://www.njsda.gov/GI/Overview.html

I also want to note that one thing that actually makes NYC attractive in some ways for families is the plethora of fantastic public school options for motivated students. Sure, there are crappy schools too, but if a kid (and their parents) are motivated, there are a ton of really fabulous public options, such as Stuyvesant, for example. Jersey City, on the other hand, does not have those same options.


Posted on: 2015/1/12 16:51
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Re: Officials break ground on $54M elementary school in Jersey City Heights
#16
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We need new schools in Jersey City. This is a great thing. Downtown elementary schools are already overcrowded and the problem is only expected to get worse. It's really not fair to the children to keep shoving them into temporary trailer space. Moreover, many of the schools are old, little or no green space, aging rapidly and, frankly, health hazards (JC has the embarrassing distinction of having a major lead problem in its schools that nobody seems to care about). The Authority was established specifically to deal with problems such as these. In my opinion, they are not doing enough. If JC is going to continue to grow and improve (and for those of you that are property owners, I assume you want this to happen if, for nothing else, the sake of your property value), we desperately need to improve our schools. The current infrastructure is terribly inadequate.

Posted on: 2015/1/11 20:24
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Re: Parents For Excellence - Carol Harrison-Arnold, Monica Kress & Bertram Okpokwasili
#17
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amc - the point is - nobody cares - your people won - case over. But I really wouldn't be bragging that they did it "jersey city style". That's actually pretty embarrassing and not something to be bragging about.
And as much as you would like to poo-poo charter schools, why do you think every parent in Jersey City is trying to get their kid in one? Several of the Charter schools in JC have great reputations and are a much better alternative (if you can get in) to the local public school. It really disturbs me that there seems to be a faction (possibly now on the BOA) that are attacking our excellent charter schools - the one good thing JC has going for it.

Posted on: 2015/1/8 19:31
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Re: Parents For Excellence - Carol Harrison-Arnold, Monica Kress & Bertram Okpokwasili
#18
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Maybe it is ridiculous to you, Yvonne, since you don't have any children currently in the system. But for those of us that are in the real-life situation of having school age children, more charters would be a huge blessing. The schools in downtown currently have more capactiy than they can handle, in any event, so I don't think we need to worry about capacity issues.

Posted on: 2015/1/8 17:21
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Re: Parents For Excellence - Carol Harrison-Arnold, Monica Kress & Bertram Okpokwasili
#19
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Whats so wrong about bringing charters to Jersey City schools? I think most parents would welcome more. Every parent is clamoring to get their kids in charters, because the public school system at large in JC is not particularly attractive.

I don't want to do education "jersey city style". This is not something to brag about.

Posted on: 2015/1/8 17:03
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Re: Is 'Gentrification' good for Jersey City?
#20
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Quote:
As a lifelong resident 99% of friends that I grew up with moved out as soon as they either married or started a family. Years ago you moved to a different section now they move out altogether.


Things are changing though, Heights. Many younger households now have two full-time working parents, which creates different types of difficulties in raising children - most importantly, time management. A huge draw for those families where both parents work in NYC is the great commute JC offers. That is why my family lives here, plain and simple. If we moved to the burbs, my spouse and I would barely see our kids, but for weekends. That extra hour commute (with two working parents - one can't pick up the slack for the other on the household front), is simply killer.

Posted on: 2015/1/8 0:04
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Re: Is 'Gentrification' good for Jersey City?
#21
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Quote:
I agree that it is the schools. JC is actually cheaperthan the suburbs when you consider list prices, property taxes, much cheaper transportation into NYC, and much less need for a car.


I am specifically referring to downtown and specifically referring to people with kids. Right now, you would be hard pressed to find a 2 bedrrom apartment (without parking) for less than $650,000 to purchase. You can buy a nice house in the "fancy" burbs for that. Moreover, cost of daycare for young children is substantially less in the burbs - even the expensive ones. Downtown JC prices for daycare for a 1 year old are at least 20K (often more) per year if you need full-time coverage (i.e. you are a working parent). Nannies are more expensive here. You need to have a car if you have kids, and parking is more expensive. Schooling becomes more expensive in many ways - for instance, even you you send your kids to public school, you need to pay for aftercare programs (again - working parents). You have to pay exorbitant amounts of money for a 3 year old to take a simple dance or soccer class, whereas in the burbs those programs can be found at the Y for much less. Babysitters are more expensive and harder to find. All in all, downtown JC living with children is prohibitively expensive for most, leading to the move to the suburbs, where you can buy a decent size house and enjoy decent public schools at much less cost.


Posted on: 2015/1/6 22:27
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Re: Is 'Gentrification' good for Jersey City?
#22
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I disagree, Monroe. Most people I know that moved to the burbs from JC and Hoboken were people that just couldn't afford to live here with kids. There is no dispute that the living is cheaper in the burbs, particularly when you factor in kids. Daycare alone is double the cost in downtown JC as it is in Montclair, for example.

I also disagree that those buying expensive properties have no complaints regarding path service cuts. Many work and socialize in nyc and do, in fact, utilize the path.

Posted on: 2015/1/6 18:04
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Re: Is 'Gentrification' good for Jersey City?
#23
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It will only keep happening and spread to the areas outside of downtown JC if the City, state and BOE take drastic measures to expand and improve the schools. The vast majority of people looking for houses (rather than apartments), and thus interested in parts other than downtown, are those with families. They are not going to move into neighborhoods with crappy schools. This is why it is important that all property owners in JC support dramatic measures to improve our schools - investing in new infrastructure, providing adequate space, green space, and top notch public school programs.

Posted on: 2015/1/1 18:45
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Re: BRIGHT STREET REDEVELOPMENT needs action
#24
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There is a legitimate concern for parking for families that live in Jersey City. Anybody that has children knows that it is pretty much essential to have a car. You have school issues, doctor appointments and a whole host of other requirements that come along with children that often involve a car, particularly if both parents work and have to utilize daycare. Try walking a mile or two to a doctor appointment with a 3 month old sick baby. I'm not saying that parking should be free, but it needs to be conveniently located nearby for such families, and Jersey City is lacking that, to a big degree.
NYC has a much superior public transportation system that allows families and children to get to school, doc appts, and virtually anywhere in the city fairly easily. There are cabs everywhere. It is much easier to get around NYC without a car than it is in JC and amenities in general are more accessable. Notwithstanding, most people I know with kids in NYC still have a car. NYC also has plenty of parking garages around the City, so long as you are wiling to pay.

If we want JC to be a city of single or childless people, then certainly go car free. But families will continue to move out because it is family unfriendly. Families make good neighbors - they raise property values, keep their properties looking nice, provide long term stability, take pride in their neighborhood and volunteer, support local business to a greater degree, and work to make the City a better place to live because they have such a vested interest in doing so. We do need to balance the needs of all people that live in JC.

Posted on: 2014/12/22 21:31
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Re: Are Top Chefs Really Fleeing New York for Jersey City?
#25
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Don't forget Presto's, which has been around as long as I have been here (14+ years). There are quite a few others that have been here long term.

Posted on: 2014/11/26 19:34
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Re: Excellent article on school funding that shows how JC taxpayer benefit
#26
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For all the working parents out there, here is an interesting and relatable article regarding the difficulties of the modern american school system - how it fails parents and students. It's sad how many Americans don't appear to value a good school system for children in our Country. It's a societal failure, in my opinion.
http://qz.com/295756/frances-secret-t ... tus-of-women-all-at-once/


Posted on: 2014/11/21 16:47
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Re: Considering a move from DT to JSQ or Heights - any tips here?
#27
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check out the area known as "the island". Its right up the hill (past the cemetary) from downtown. Two of the main streets there are Elizabeth and Henry street. We have friends that have moved to that location and enjoy it. Definitely more bang for the buck, but a very short walk to downtown, zoned for PS5 (if kids are in your future), a diverse neighborhood, and appears to be up and coming.

Posted on: 2014/10/20 20:43
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Re: Jersey City has some of the most expensive wine in the country; WTH!
#28
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THe prices are higher for the same reason everything is more expensive in JC - the cost of real estate. Think how much it costs a business owner to rent a storefront in downtown JC vs. Springfield NJ (using Monroe's example). The business owner has to make up the difference somehow.

Posted on: 2014/10/19 1:30
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Re: Jersey City Board of Education Election- The Children First Team
#29
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Do any of these candidates currently have children enrolled in the Jersey City public school system?

Posted on: 2014/10/18 1:27
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Re: chemical smell in Hamilton Park
#30
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Still worth calling, dtjcview. When I called, DEP told me that they track the number of calls they get in any particular area, which may affect enforcement, etc. It creates a record of the problem.

If you find out any details, please do share!

Posted on: 2014/10/17 15:22
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