I will be there, too. Looking forward to it!

I'm delighted to receive Councilman Steve Fulop's endorsement. As one of few independent voices in our city's elected government, Steve is a great asset to Downtown, to the rest of the city - and his support means a great deal to me.

-- Sterling

fedup07302,
I have actually spoken briefly with a few of the other candidates but Carol Lester and I speak and appear at most of the same functions often.

Sterling

njlist,
I have no problems answering any questions as I have stated when I initially introduced myself and my candidacy.

As for your current crop of questions, I am against vouchers. My answer to the rest would be irrelevant because of the current structure and responsibility of the BOE. You see, the state still has control over the Instructional and Personnel functions of the schools, of which tenure, new hires, and the rest of your questions fall under.
Dr. Epps and his lawyers make these decisions only.

And just in case anyone is wondering, the Board members are responsible for the Governance, Operational and Fiscal functions, which is why they must decide on the Teacher's contract.

I understand you want to know more. I have laid it out here on jclist and invited everyone to upcoming events which will be posted.

And, as you know Carol Lester, ask her, she knows me too.

Sterling Waterman

njlist,
I understand your concern.

I indeed worked at Edison Schools in 2000 to 2002 as the office/facility mgr for Headquarters which was based on 43rd st, NYC, at the time. My function was to build and manage space at HQ only. I had absolutely no dealings at all with any of the schools, and couldn't tell you where any of them were located if asked.

My maternal grandmother, a sister and a brother were all educators in public schools. I went to public schools and college in NYC. I have held jobs in accounting, administration and facilities over 30 years.

Aside from being a parent of a 2nd grader & the CPA President of PS 16 (2 yrs now), which has a very strong base of parents, that is one of the main reasons why our school is one of the best in JC. We contribute to the learning and education process by sponsoring Reading Programs or buying books. We also provide outlets for the kids with the production & management of Talent & Fashion Shows, Dances and Outdoor Fairs. Most of these things I take time out and do personally.

I am also an active member of Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE), a Jersey City based Education Organization under the umbrella of SEOC which is in several cities in NJ. We led the fight last year to remove lead from the water in the schools. Our current campaign, for which we've had many rallies and face to face meetings with Dr. Epps, is 100% graducation for all High Schoolers. A tough task where the graduation rate is hovering under 70%, which would be lower if not for McNair HS, the only passing HS, and a dumbed down system of substitute testing.

I am also a Mentor in the Big Brother/Big Sister Program. In this I do not have a casual stake. I see my little brother often, including weekends.

I am also part of the Recess Committee , where over the last two years, my group has been putting together a system to insure that ALL kids are getting much needed and required recess, where in some schools they are not.

I am part of several other organizations, education or other wise.

Many of the JC residents have recently gotten to know me and what I stand for in this election, as i have spoken at several neighborhood association meetings, and attended a few "meet & greets". As I mentioned in an earlier string, I have also done a taping with Mia Scanga's "Talking Politics". In addition, I have been invited to several upcoming candidates forum with some of the Public Schools, the PCUE organization, the DCNA, JC Familities, JC Moms and several other organizations.

Everybody is welcome to attend any of the above events. Please come out and meet me and the other candidates.

Sterling

12345, JackieCruise and njlist.

Thanks for the question. At Thursday's BOE meeting, Terry Dehere, BOE member and Finance Chair, mentioned that he received details of the contract just days before, which was his reason for voting the way he did. At a taping, yesterday, for Talking Politics with Mia Scanga, Gerry McCann mentioned that there is no contract. I say these things because I know even less than these board members and haven't seen any document, contract or otherwise, despite my efforts. As such, i cannot responsibly give my opinion, at least until I get more information.

With that said, in these cynical times it is easy to forget the impact teacher?s have not just on the children in our communities, but on the quality of life for everybody. A good teacher really can be the difference between a child going to college or going to prison. It makes sense then to pay a wage to teachers that attracts the best of them to our schools.

Also, in these times of fiscal crisis, everyone must do their part. So in return for salary increases, concessions should not be out of the question. As I?ve said from the beginning, cuts should start in administration with the many high paid lofty adminstrators than on the backs of hardworking teachers.

But again, honestly, I can?t take a firm stand until I know the details. If I am fortunate enough to be elected to the BOE, I will be proactive in obtaining facts/info on issues that need a vote and will cast my vote when expected.

This contract being in limbo as long as it has certainly benefits no one.

Sterling

JC_SOS,
Thanks for the question.

I believe having measurable familiarity with the current BOE members, the structure of their meetings and the various committees they chair or share, gives me a distinct advantage over my competition.

I am highly respected and regarded for the way I have handled matters affecting my school and others, over the years.

With that said, I expect to have a very professional and productive working relationship with them all. I will bring my dogged determination and "no holds bar" approach and hope it is met with the same.

It, however, will be clear from the inset that I will not stand for the status quo and will do everything within my power to change the perception and the reality of doing "not enough".

I hope I have answered your question. Please excuse the length.

Sterling Waterman

Thanks, Geoff. I really appreciate it.

Geoff,

Great question. Unfortunately, there are no magic fixes for the budget crisis or the educational challenges facing our schools. I do believe, however, that there are improvements which can be initiated immediately to both address the budget crisis AND begin to better our schools:

- Identify, route out and eliminate wasteful spending
- Eliminate high paid, unnecessary job functions within the administration
- Eliminate no-bid contracts
- Reduce/eliminate the number of high paid consultants (use resources from within)
- Redirect some of the savings to programs proven successful in our schools
- Redirect the rest to balance the budget
- Change the culture of the Board of Education by opening a competitive search for the Superintendent position and requiring the candidates to propose specific, practical methods for doing the above

It isn't rocket science; but with all due respect to the current Board members, there hasn't been the will to engage these problems and create workable solutions. Now we have a crisis. But even after this crisis has passed, the Board must change the way it does business. It must fix nuisances before they become problems, problems before they become crises. The students and taxpayers deserve -- at least -- that. And the voters must be sure they demand it.

Sterling

rollergirl,
I apologize as I meant to discuss more.

The first part of the meeting which I mentioned was "Board business" is televised.

The second part which gives the community a chance to speak on their schools or whatever they'd like, is not televised.

As I am at 99% of these meetings, unfortunately, not enough people attend.

Another change I'd push for is to have the entire meeting televised, including the "community speak" part so everyone can hear what is happening in the district.

Thanks again,
Sterling

Hi rollergirl,
Thank you for your excitement

The BOE mtgs are every 3rd Thursday of each month.

The first part of the meeting is Board business, ie, accepting various agenda items from each individual committee meeting into record. Unfortunately, the public gets bits and pieces but not enough to fully understand, object or accept what is being done. Even if we did understand, we couldn't do anything about is as it is only our place to listen, not to be part of the decision making.

rollergirl, you ask what changes I would make if elected. The first thing I'd do is make any and all decision making for each committee TRANSPARENT. I'd get the public involved before anything is committed to record.

I have much more to share as there are many holes to fill/fix.

Please stay tuned as I will be posting future "meet & greets" as well as attending many candidate forums.

Sterling

Hello thrifyT,
Thanks for inquiring.

The Concerned Parents Association is PS 16's version of a PTA. Aside from myself, there is a VP, Treasurer and Secretary.

The School Leadership Committee is a group that discusses issues within or affecting the school. It is made of the principal, 2 parents and 6 teachers.

The Coalition of Parent Council Presidents is a group I founded that includes various PTA, PTO and other forms of Parent Council Presidents of Jersey City Schools. Currently we have 9 Presidents in the group.

As for the question of so many organizations, i believe with so many issues with our current school system, it's impossible for one organization to take on all tasks. My passion and desire for change incorporates all grade levels hence the involvement in so many groups.

I am running, essentially, because I want my 2nd grade son and the multitude of children i interact with daily, to have better opportunities to succeed in Public School now and in the future.

The specifics of how I plan to do that once on the Board could fill a book; so very soon I'll be posting an invitation for an event that all can attend and we can flesh out the ideas together.

Hey JCListers --

My name is Sterling Waterman and I am running for the Jersey City Board of Education. The election is April 20.

I have a son in the 2nd grade at PS#16; there, I?m the president of the Concerned Parents Association and a member of the School Leadership Committee. I?m also the Founding Head of the Coalition of Parent Council Presidents along with many other qualifications. Bottom line: I work hard everyday to better my school and I will work just as hard for the betterment of all schools. I?m not part of the machine. I?m not out for financial or any other kind of gain, other than that for my son and all of the hardworking students and teachers of JC.

This is my first time on JCList but you don?t have to take it easy on me. Please ask any questions or voice any concerns you have and I?ll do my best to answer as many as possible.

Looking forward to the conversation.


-- Sterling