Re: Segregation in the Jersey City Public Schools
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Newbie
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Baseless and Shameful. A new Low.
This suit shows they are not working in the best interests of the children. Have you seen what Sangeeta Ranade, Jessica Daye and and I look like? Baseless drivel using racist allegations and children to divide and conquer. Where are Felicia's kids going to school? Are they even going to school in Jersey City? JC Residents, teachers and all. Show them you are smarter than this. Vote 2H 6H and 8H in force. Bertram
Posted on: 2014/10/23 15:55
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Re: Parents For Excellence - Carol Harrison-Arnold, Monica Kress & Bertram Okpokwasili
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Newbie
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From Bertram Okpokwasili, Parent, Jersey City resident and School Board candidate.
The work of the Board of Education is help steward the public education of Jersey City so that it best serves ALL 28,600 children in our schools and keeps our communities moving forward. In today?s world, students have to learn more and achieve more. When our schools are better, Jersey City is better, and our neighborhoods are better, and our quality of life is better. I understand the concerns about our schools in a real way because I am the parent of three kids that attend Jersey City Public Schools. I want to continue positive policies of raising Student Achievement and policies that take us forward. Five important issues: 1. We need to raise Student Achievement. Our children and schools and communities benefit if we do. To do that we first must have an effective school board. There are nine seats on the board. It takes 5 votes to move forward on anything. If there is no consensus we move backward. We need constructive individuals who can agree to disagree without threats. According to the American School Board Journal, signs of highly effective board members including keeping within the following parameters: 1. Going solo's a no-no (Basically saying it is a ?team? effort that moves things along.), 2. Respect the team. 3. Understand the difference between board and staff, 4. Share and defend your views, but listen to the views of others, 5. Do your homework and ask tough questions, 6. Respect your oath 7. Keep learning. See K. Blumsack and T. Mccabbe, ?Seven Signs of highly effective school board members? American School Board Journal, July/August 2013. Many Jersey City students are lacking in their preparation for higher education. I want to use my best efforts to move forward as a team to make things better for all children in Jersey City Public Schools. Second we have to address our schools that need to do better academically, and drop-out rates have to be improved. The good news is that the State will recommend that six Jersey City Public Schools will come off the Regional Achievement Center ?RAC? list and the drop- out rates have decreased by half if you compare the last two years to the two years before. The district did so by having assigning community officers to engage the public to assess issues with the children that were absent. We have made progress but there is still work to be done. Third, we have to be able to collect student achievement data that shows us where best practices, and different models of teaching, individual or group learning models, are working and may have to be applied. If something is working at a school, let us emulate success, and not file a law suit to stop it. Fourth, we increase training for our teachers and advancement opportunities to support amazing teachers and administrators who care for the children in our schools. 2. We need to continue to fix facilities and capacity issues. Real work is being done in this district. We have to do our best to address facilities and capacity issues. I believe our facilities need to be upgraded to be current with today?s technology. We have made tremendous strides on this in a short time. Wireless technology has been completed for 35 schools to date. New auditorium sound systems installed at PS#6, PS#15, PS#22, PS#38 and Lincoln High School. New Magnetic Door Security Systems at PS#15, PS#38, MS#40, Academy I and Ferris HS. New Security Camera Systems have been installed at 25 Schools, and the district is currently installing at PS34 and MS 49 and 12 systems are scheduled for next year. I believe that we need to equip our students to be ready for higher education. We must work with the school development authority to get money to fix long standing issues that were present before this superintendent. Recently, a new cafeteria was built at PS 25, a new gym floor and renovated Science Lab at Dickenson High School, a new gym floor was put into Dickenson high school, classroom expansion and new library renovation at MS 40, a new roof for PS 15 and a new roof being worked on at Ferris, and a new PS 20 is being built. There is a new gym floor at PS 16, a library renovation at PS 27, and sidewalk renovation at PS22. A lot of the work was done by Local union 2262 which should be lauded for their professionalism and commitment. There is still a lot of work to be done. But see for yourself on page 2-5. http://www.jcboe.org/boe2015/images/p ... iness/facilityTour1.4.pdf We need to move forward. There is great work being done by good people in Jersey City. We have to say no to the distractions and lies and law suits of the so called ?Children?s first? team managed by Felicia Palmer. (I do not believe they have the best interest of the children in mind, but that is what they call themselves.) They have always lied, tried to sue to get records on specific children and threatened people and attacked people with lawsuits. When Dr. Lyles was being considered they lied and said the hiring would cause massive layoffs. How can a person who threatens with violence ever hope to be a member of an effective school board. http://www.parentsforexcellence.com/lorenzo_richardson_video They are not an example for our children. Let?s build partnerships and talk to other elected officials and the New Jersey School Development Authority and make sure Jersey City Children get the facilities they are owed and deserve. 3. Training and advancement opportunities for teachers and avoiding past practices of mass teacher layoffs in contract negotiations ? We have to ensure that teachers are getting the tools they need to help all Jersey City public school children succeed and that we do not have a repeat of a contract that leads to teacher layoffs as in the past. We have to be fiscally responsible. I respect the teachers and come from a family of teachers. My parents taught at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, NJ. In regards to the contract, I will work as hard as I can to see that the teachers get a fair and equitable contract. I do not want a repeat of past practices where a contract results in teacher layoffs and low morale. We have to respect ALL our teachers, be fiscally responsible and not write checks we cannot cash. I want a fair and equitable contract for the teachers and for the children of Jersey City Public Schools. The contract is not a one-sided affair. It takes both sides to come to an agreement. I believe it has been stated publicly that offers were made in line with the state averages yet at present the JCEA and the District will be going to mediation. See for yourself. http://www.boarddocs.com/nj/jcps/Boar ... f%208-28-14%20Meeting.pdf 4. Reach out to families and community to get feedback and build partnerships ? We need to work on getting members of the community more involved so we can have constructive discussion on bringing about positive results for all Jersey City Public School children and the schools in their communities. I believe we should engage the leaders of PTA and Neighborhood associations and invite them to caucus so they could not only speak to the issues of their communities, but we all can, as one Jersey City Community, figure out what works and what doesn?t work, and what can be fixed relatively easy, and what issues may need a more complex approach or solution. If something is going well in one neighborhood, then maybe these same practices can be applied in another neighborhood. 5. Positive Communication, In-Sourcing, Absenteeism and Substitute Teachers and Fact vs Fiction. There is a misconception going around. We need to defeat the misconceptions of professional multiple time candidates like those of Felicia Palmer?s team and better our communication. There is more in-sourcing here in Jersey City than in other districts our size. There is a 4 million dollar ?cap? on spending for source for teachers ?IF? the district needs substitutes for the next 12 months. If there are no absences, the district doesn?t have to pay any of that money. This is important and a fact that shouldn?t be drowned out by all the fear mongering. This is a smart sound short term fiscal solution to an absenteeism problem that wasn?t adequately addressed before when our students were left with empty classrooms and no instruction. However, I believe in supporting our incredible local talent, and that the best person should get the job. I want to continue policies that work with our local unions, such as local 2262 who did a great job with our facilities issues this summer at PS15, PS 25, and Snyder High School and others. See letter on behalf of AFSMCE and Local 2262 below. http://www.boarddocs.com/nj/jcps/Boar ... tt.%203.01%20Addendum.pdf I will also engage the district to work on a long term in-house solution for substitute teachers. We must work together to find solutions to long standing problems and knocking them down one by one. I was appointed in 2014 and did not shy away from my responsibilities for political reasons while touting myself as an independent as one of my opponents has. http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... ision-is-in-states-hands/ . Why should we elect a person that walked away from his responsibilities before? Why is he interested now? My team is comprised of professionals who are independent in thought and are constructive in action and most of all, respect each other and all the stakeholders involved. I find it insulting on behalf of teachers, that the Felicia Palmer?s team talks about respect, when they can?t be honest with the teachers, and are stoking the fears of our community and teachers with lies, information and trumped up law suits. You can?t be for the students when you are trying to get student records for a law suit of one of the best educational programs in the district. You show real respect by lauding accomplishments of teachers and emulating what works elsewhere. I show my respect for the teachers through my actions, and not with lies. The teachers that teach and taught my kids are special. I went on a school trip with the teachers of my son to an aquarium. They do the good work everyday. They support our kids and we support them. I am running with Carol Harrison Arnold and Monica Kress to continue the progress that Dr. Lyles has been able to accomplish in two years. Carol Harrison-Arnold, as a board member for 3 years, helped bring in change to our district, helped bring in Dr. Lyles, to raise student achievement, and has run a literacy program for kids during the summer and served on school PTA boards. Monica Kress has been an educator for almost 10 years and has opened up her own home to children in need as an educational guardian. We are parents for excellence and our priority is giving the opportunity for excellence to ALL children in the Jersey City Public School system and ALL schools. Our team has the institutional knowledge of the board, and knowledge as teachers and the best interest of ALL Jersey City children at heart. It is very important that on Nov 4th you VOTE for Bertram Okpokwasili 2H, Carol Harrison-Arnold 6H, and Monica Kress 8H. Vote for Student Achievement. Vote for Fiscal Competence. Vote for Professionalism. Vote for Excellence. Vote for our Teachers. Vote for Communities. Vote against bullying, disrespect, and fear-mongering. Vote NOV 4th for 2H, 6H, and 8H. Regards Bertram Parents for Excellence 2 + 6=8
Posted on: 2014/10/23 15:34
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