Considering the state of Jersey City schools (see today's riot at Dickinson) I think the the Board Of Education could use someone with the talents of Lorenzo Richardson (sarcasm)

cancel the elections there is too much TRASH in the political landscape.

Letter was misleading about my comments

Dear Editor:

I'm writing in response to the letter written on 10/26/14 by school board president Sangeeta Ranade's husband in which he attempts to mislead your readers about comments I made at the June 2012 Board of Education meeting.

Sangeeta's husband and my political opponents, in their frenzied and desperate attempt to undermine my candidacy, have simply shown they are willing to say and do anything to win. At the June 2012 board meeting in question, the nine-member Board of Education -- including one of my opponents who was a board member at the time --lamented to the public that they were under siege with threats and pressure from state and elected officials who were putting a figurative gun to their heads to force them to select Marcia Lyles as our new school superintendent. My figurative reply to the board was to say they should stand up to outside influences and not be bullied. I believe the voting public is intelligent enough to know the difference between a figurative and literal statement.

This letter from Sangeeta's husband was a complete lie. The fact that the school board president's husband would deliberately contort my words to malign my character for the sake of an election is really troubling.

Let the record show that I have demonstrated -- by my words and actions -- my commitment to the children of Jersey City Public Schools. I have attended practically every board meeting for the past 14 years and have a proven track-record of standing up on the issues that parents and the community care about most. I stood up and said "no" when the current board members voted "yes" to limit the public's right to free speech at board meetings -- a decision the ACLU recently condemned. I stood up when the current board members remained silent while the teacher and support staff contracts languished for almost two years. And I stood up and said "no" when the current board voted to hire substitute teachers from a outsourced, private company.

As a board member, voters can count on me to continue to stand up for Jersey City Children First -- even when faced with threats from outside interests.

Lorenzo Richardson 1H

http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... mments?instance=more_page

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Yes it does, the Governor and Mayor has to take personal ownership of the education system and not palm it off to unprofessional parents with only 'goodwill or 'passion' as their experience.

We can elect and not elect Governor's and Mayor's that fail our kids and make them accountable - they will have to take it seriously and it will directly affect any future political aspirations they have if they screw-up ... they would need to research and employ the best to survive and they can go national to pick the best, not some downtown JC mom and dad, bored retired senior or politically hungry wannabee.

The BoE should be sort nationally, not locally and under direct accountability to the Mayor and overshadowed by the Governor if they screw up

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Lets not kid ourselves again ... increased student enrolment is due to the population explosion in JC; those big buildings being built and have been built, do have children in them !

As for schools are better ? Where is the evidence, just saying it, doesn't make it so !

What is the purpose of the state "taking over" control of 'failing' school districts, when they are unable to do any better? They take-over, and then are unable to improve on any of the measures that led to their original takeover, so you have absurd situations where the state has taken over shool districts for decades, and nothing has improved.

How are the state take-overs supposed to improve things? Do they have additional resources or experts to bring to bear on the problems?

Not a rhetorical question, I genuinely can't figure it out.

Robin.

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I was in fact at the debate which is exactly what lead to my statement.

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Feel free to enlighten me with independent facts and figures - I can't find them; any links would be great .... I'm sure you would have researched the history to understand how to move forward !
I have no qualms if I surmise incorrectly and some-one leads me to a better understanding.

Even this NJ report on Education (2012) highlights problems that appear no different to those in 1989:

http://www.nj.gov/education/stateaid/1213/report.pdf[/quote]

The district received back control in certain areas, I believe it was finance and governance. This was actually in the Charles Epps era.

Recently, the state took 6 of 16 schools off the "Regional Achievement Center" list. This is the list where the state can extensively intervene in school affairs, and in some cases shut them down.

More students are enrolling in the schools.

A lot of work still has to be done, but the schools are better.

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it truly baffles me how anyone would Not support Gina. It is obvious you did not attend the debate at Lincoln H.S.

It truly baffles me how anyone could support Gina

Supporting the Children First Team

Dear Editor:

As a parent with a child in the public school, I am supporting the Children First Team, Lorenzo Richardson 1H, Gina Verdibello 5H and Gerald Lyons 7H for the Jersey City School Board election this November 4th. One of the reasons that I support the Children First Team is due to their un-wavering support and advocacy of the public school system. While I do not oppose the charter school system, I feel that a well-balanced school board, which includes public school advocates, is important, not only in the short term, but more importantly, the long term. The great divide within the school system is becoming increasingly more apparent, having a set of stake holders reflective of the city seated at the table, working together, would help bring the needed unity we all wish to see. As charter schools continue to open, desperately needed funds for public schools are directed there, leaving many that remain in the public school system, especially those in lower socio-economic districts, to do more with less.

To the best of my knowledge, PS 29 does not have a school nurse still to this day and rodents are now infesting our buildings. The siphoning of funds without careful watch leads to public schools in disrepair, lack of books, malfunctioning computers and, teachers and students left without hope. Issues such as: lead in the drinking water, the hiring of Strike Force without board approval which brought armed guards on school premises without school staff knowledge, the decision to outsource for substitute teachers by hiring Source4Teachers and the questioning of how our tax dollars are spent from the massive $600 million school budget are only some of the issues that the Children First Team stood and continues to stand at the forefront of.

Of course, many of the issues that plague the public schools throughout the city go unheard by the public because of the edict to stop televising the public speakers portion of school board meetings which was enacted by the current school board president. The Children First Team was first to stand up to this misguided decision which struck at the core of our first amendment right and prevents the public?s ability to hear the concerns of others by televised broadcast. This matter was most recently addressed by the ACLU in a letter to the school board. I urge everyone to consider the direction of the public schools and to help prevent our school system from becoming the next forgotten public institution by being hollowed out. The Father of American Education, Horace Mann, believed that public schools were the ?Great Equalizer?, affording every child the opportunity to advance themselves through education. This ?Ladder of opportunity? has helped millions of Americans advance themselves throughout our history. It is a belief that I agree with and feel we should uphold. Vote for the Children First Team for the Jersey City Board of Education to help keep our schools the best they can be for all children throughout Jersey City.

Anna Christodoulakis


Read more: Hudson Reporter - Supporting the Children First Team
http://hudsonreporter.com/view/full_s ... t-Team?instance=more_page

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Feel free to enlighten me with independent facts and figures - I can't find them; any links would be great .... I'm sure you would have researched the history to understand how to move forward !
I have no qualms if I surmise incorrectly and some-one leads me to a better understanding.

Even this NJ report on Education (2012) highlights problems that appear no different to those in 1989:

http://www.nj.gov/education/stateaid/1213/report.pdf

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This statement and those above it in the post are just factually inaccurate. There are - for the first time in years - real statistical upswings at the BOE. And they just completed a three yr Strategic Plan to continue and expand the last two years of positive progress.

But, by all means...if you still feel the way you do, you should vote on behalf of those that yell the loudest, those that best represent your Howard Beale-esque sentiments.

Dr. Lyles, teacher?s contract are the issues
Eight candidates run for three seats in Jersey City Board of Education election

by Al Sullivan
Reporter staff writer Nov 02, 2014

Two slates of three candidates and two independents are running to fill three seats for three-year terms in the Board of Education election to be decided Tuesday, Nov. 4. The biggest issues are the stalled negotiations for a teachers? contract and support or non-support for Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marcia V. Lyles.

The board?s $655 million budget for 2014-2015 was passed last April and is not on the ballot.

Incumbents Carol Harrison-Arnold and Bertram C. Okpokwasili are seeking re-election with Monica Kress, and have been endorsed by Parents for Progress, whose members are the board majority.

That group also supports Superintendent Lyles. Some of the other candidates are unhappy with her leadership.

Challenging them are Lorenzo Richardson and Gina Verdibello on the Children?s First slate, along with former board member Gerald Lyons. Richardson and Lyons have been endorsed by the teachers? union, which supports independent candidate Joel Torres, rather than Verdibello. Richardson was among those who had supported Acting Superintendent Franklin Walker for superintendent before Dr. Lyles was appointed. Some Walker supporters believe Walker did not get an opportunity to make his case before the board. He is currently an associate superintendent.

Michael Reilly, a retiring Jersey City teacher and coach, is the eighth candidate.

Candidates on the Children?s First slate and some independents question the progress the schools have been making under Lyle?s leadership, and blame the board ? which is mostly made up of people elected with the backing of Parents for Progress ? for not addressing physical problems with the schools, such as lack of paint and leaky roofs, as well as the lack of a signed contract with the teachers.

They also largely oppose the school district policies for outsourcing and expanded support for charter schools, which they believe drain resources from traditional public schools.

The Jersey City Education Association, the union which represents about 4,000 school teachers, is apparently seeking a 19-percent increase in salary over the next three years, although union officials said this was not an official figure.

Read more: Hudson Reporter - Dr Lyles teacher s contract are the issues br font size 2 i Eight candidates run for three seats in Jersey City Board of Education election font i br
http://hudsonreporter.com/bookmark/26 ... ation-election-font-i-br-

We need a repeat of 1989:

An administrative-law judge today approved New Jersey's plan for a state takeover of Jersey City's public schools for at least five years because of ''deep-rooted and endemic'' problems, including poor educational quality, political patronage and fiscal mismanagement.

Unless Jersey City appeals, which is considered unlikely, state officials said a new superintendent appointed by the Department of Education could take control of the district as early as October. The system has 33 schools, 28,000 students, 3,300 teachers and staff members and a budget of $180 million.

A takeover would be the first in New Jersey, long a bastion of home rule and local control of schools, and a fulfillment of Gov. Thomas H. Kean's long campaign to upgrade faltering urban school districts.

JC has a history of useless BoE officials and we need another flush-out ... we have not progressed 1 inch and the same group of candidates, in my opinion, are likely to do no better then those SINCE 1989.

I can NOT find any statistics or evidence to prove we have progressed since 1989 - JC needs professional administrators to run the DoE, not good intentioned volunteer's looking to fluff up their resume's.

There has NOT been one 'group' or individual that has gone beyond making standard value statements or stating the obvious. Not one has a solid business action plan - if they were to seek funds from a Bank, they would all be turned down because of poor planning.

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A fundamental disagreement with this statement is the reason why I choose to spend time on civic activity in Jersey City. By getting personally involved in issues of municipal policy, this city is far more likely to be what I want it to be.

We have issues we care about, right? In Jersey City, we have the opportunity to delve into the issues and take ownership of decisions under consideration by our local leadership at a level impossible on a national or statewide basis.

Any of the people on this forum could pick up a phone or send an email to our mayor or our council representatives or school board trustees and possibly make a difference in their decision-making process. We could also choose to make a difference by spending an hour or a couple of hours or a day volunteering on behalf of candidates we believe in during an election.

The Board of Education election Tuesday is a real chance to make a difference in our schools and in our city. I hope everybody takes the time to educate themselves on the candidates (even JCList can provide a good window into their merits) and takes the opportunity to volunteer on the campaign of their choice. Or at least votes.

The Board of Education candidates are on the right side of the ballot in Column H.

As a parent of a child in public school, I am voting for Carol Harrison-Arnold, Monica Kress, and Bertram Okpokwasili. Make your own decision and get out there Tuesday on behalf of whoever advances your interests best.

VOTE!

Unfortunately JC is littered with trash in our political landscape - every aspect and positions of public service is littered with such individuals or groups that are politically motivated or influenced

Lets make it abundantly clear that this is an OPION piece that certainly seems to favor one side over the other.

And yes, if your focus is to get the best contract for the TEACHERS then you should certainly go ahead and vote for the JCEA candidates.

But if your focus is on the future of Jersey City and it's children, you should vote Parents for Progress.

I think the choice is clear.

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Not so fast. Some voters might consider that the kiss of death. In any event, most of us can make up our own minds. To paraphrase my favorite author, I am only resolved to vote in that manner, which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness, without reference to Mayor Fulop, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me.

It is sad to see Fulop's political ambition take precedence over the education of JC students.

If Mayor Fulop truly cared about the quality of education in JC he would use his position and endrse Bertram, Monica and Carol.

It's not too late do the right thing Mr. Mayor...

Teachers contract backdrop for Jersey City school board race

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal
October 31, 2014 at 8:01 AM

The year-long struggle to settle a new contract for Jersey City teachers is the backdrop for this year?s school board race, which finds the same trio of school district critics who failed to win spots on the board last year trying again next week.

Teachers have worked without a contract since August 2013, and the local teachers union, the Jersey City Education Association, is making a massive push to take more control of the nine-member school board after publicly sitting out last year?s race.

Eight candidates are seeking three three-year seats.
Reform-minded group Parents for Progress, which has supported most of the successful Board of Education candidates since 2010 and holds a majority on the board now, is nervous that even one or two of the JCEA?s candidates would be enough to create a logjam and halt what they see as significant progress in the state?s second-largest school district.

And this is all transpiring in the first school board race in four years in which Mayor Steve Fulop is playing a hands-off role.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

Jersey City Mayor Fulop sitting out this year's school board race

By Terrence T. McDonald | The Jersey Journal
on October 31, 2014 at 8:16 AM

Among the players jockeying for power in this year?s Jersey City school board race, one name is conspicuously absent: Steve Fulop.

The mayor built his political brand partially on his involvement with the school district, championing almost every single successful Board of Education candidate since 2010. His rivals in last year?s mayoral election painted him as the board?s puppet master and said he was involved to the point of steering district contracts to his benefactors, a charge he denied.

But this year, Fulop is on the sidelines.
Sources who asked not to be identified criticizing the mayor say one reason is his public feud with the board?s leadership, who are aligned with Parents for Progress. The mayor is still angry the BOE torpedoed a plan to rent pre-K spaces built by a developer seeking tax breaks from the city.

Read more from the Jersey Journal

Having a plan "B" is never a bad thing.

In her very early days, the late, great, Jean Stapleton was a secretary. It was a way to support herself till she got that big break. She never let those skills slip away just in case.

Part of my role as an educator is to prepare students for a successful future. When a student tells me that he/she is planning on attending New York Institute of Technology to study architecture, I ask that student to research the total cost of that degree and how long it will take to pay off the college loans. I ask them to research the salary of a starting architect and the potential for getting a job in the field. NYIT?s five year architect program will cost over $200,000. If they want to study architecture and are not getting financial aid or scholarships, I encourage them to go to the community college for two years and then transfer to a program like New Jersey Institute of Technology where they can get the same degree as NYIT at a fraction of the cost. When students tell me they want to get a degree in psych or history, I warn them that the job market is extremely small and they need to have a ?back-up? plan. If some fault me for encouraging them to do their research and not dig a huge financial hole, I suggest they speak with the recent college graduates who are desperate to find any work so that they can begin paying off their debt. The reason I discouraged my student from getting a history degree is the difficulty in finding employment. He graduated with honors from Rutgers (he was also taking classes in NJIT). He continues to work part time at Walmart returning carts to the store. I stand by my advice and continue to work with him to find a full time job where he can use his recent degree.

Political Insider: Jersey City school board race heating up

By Agustin C. Torres | The Jersey Journal
October 25, 2014 at 10:25 AM

A school board race in Hudson County is not my favorite political subject. They are often more pretentious in rhetoric and emotional than most governmental contests.

Career politicians had been waiting for an escalation of rhetoric in the Jersey City Board of Education election, or as one city official calls it, ? when the bullets start to fly.? Some of that ?go for the jugular? came out at a recent school board meeting when The Children First Team candidates spoke during the public comments session, mostly to carry the water for their backers, the Jersey City Education Association, the teachers union.

Lorenzo Richardson, nephew of former city Councilwoman Viola Richardson, and Gerald Lyons were chief antagonists, who, along with Gina Verdibello**, make up The Children First election ?slate.? They attacked the school board for paying a contract-mandated $34,000 merit bonus to Superintendent of Schools Marcia Lyles while still claiming there?s no money for increases in pay for teachers. The JCEA has entered into a second year without a new contract for members.

Among the school trustees firing back were Carol Harrison-Arnold and Bertram Okpokwasili, who, along with Monica Kress, who are backed by Parents for Progress. These candidates are part of a progressive movement that has been victorious in the last three school board races. Among their benefactors is hedge fund manager David Tepper.

Read More:
http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2 ... oard_race_heating_up.html

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS7P_dKz6JY

You are correct, but when viewers see this, it is a metal structure, they do not see the entire object.

Metal structure? It's called a microphone stand....

This is the board of ed debate at school 16. I apologize to candidate Gina Verdibello. There was a metal structure near her, the videographer asked the presenters if it could be removed but they said no.

http://vimeo.com/109985455