Thanks Abourgon!

Hello all! I am coming out of the closet and posting as myself so that people understand the importance of voting this Wednesday, April 27th. Below is the post that I have been sending out but I do want to add how Carol Arnold Harrison is an amazing candidate, mother, lawyer, and activist.

As a community activist and a Mom of 3 children, and a member of PS#5 Parent Council, I, too, am asking voters to support Vidya Gangadin for the Jersey City Board of Education. She is a mother of 4 children in our schools who attend County Tech High, Academy 1, and PS#38. I met Vidya through the Jersey City Coalition of Parent Teacher Organizations who meet monthly to share and discuss school issues like security, funding, and curriculum. She is Vice President of the Parent Council at Academy 1, a member of the PS#38 Parent Council, serves on the Parent Advisory Council of Board of Education where she meets with the Board of Education staff. She is no stranger to the Board of Education and our Jersey City Public School system.

I believe that Vidya is the best candidate, not just because she is a mother but because she is a Financial Analyst. As a Vice President in a private sector financial firm, she oversees 200 employees. She understands budgeting and the need for a process that will allow board members and the public a chance to review the budget in a timely fashion. She will assist building a process that works and has the ability to scrutinize where cuts to overhead can be made and not cuts in the school staff.

I am supporting Vidya Gangadin because she is the ONLY candidate with children who are currently attending Jersey City public schools. After this election, it is her children and mine that will still be attending the Jersey City Public Schools while most other candidates will disappear once again into the background.

Vidya was compelled to run because OUR children are in this public school system now. While I believe that being a parent of children in our schools is not the only prerequisite or skill required to be a school board member, presently only 2 board members are parents with children in our schools out of the 9 member board. I believe that we need another parent who not only has sound business skills but will represent the diversity of our schools and city.

On April 27th, please join me and vote for the Mom with the skills, Vidya Gangadin, 7A.

Thanks,

Pam Andes

This is a reminder to all parents of the 28,000 Jersey City School Children to get out and vote on April 27th for the Board of Ed. Your Parent Associations formed a coalition called the JCCPTO and we encourage you to vote for the following Candidates:

Press Release:

JC PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENTS UNITE TO ENDORSE TWO BOE CANDIDATES
Financial Analyst and Mom, Vidya Gangadin and Team Fulop?s Carol Harrison-Arnold receive nods from the Jersey City Coalition of Parent Teacher Organizations


The Jersey City Coalition of Parent Teacher Organizations (JCCPTO) announced today their endorsement of candidates Vidya Gangadin and Carol Harrison-Arnold for the April 27th, 2011 Jersey City Board of Education Election.



The endorsements come one week after the JCCPTO?s Board of Education candidate forum where, for the first time, students from across Jersey City Public Schools were given the opportunity to meet and quiz the ten Board of Education candidates. The JCCPTO also conducted one-on-one interviews with the candidates about their positions on the top issues facing JC public school parents including academic achievement, health and safety.



?We are delighted to have identified two candidates who we believe best represent the issues important to Jersey City Public School parents,? states Felicia Palmer, chairperson of the JCCPTO. ?Vidya and Carol stood out to us because of their demonstrated commitment to Jersey City Public School children and their first-hand perspective of our school?s challenges. The fact that they are both professionals ? one a financial analyst and the other an attorney ? provides added value to help us work through the tough issues ahead.?



Vidya Gangadin is a parent of four children (and 13 nieces and nephews) in Jersey City a public school and has lived in Jersey City for over 25 years. For the past 20 years, Mrs. Gangadin has worked as a financial analyst and operations manager at a successful private financial firm managing over 250 employees worldwide. She actively serves as a parent leader in the Jersey City Public Schools in the following capacities: PTA vice president (Academy 1 High School) working with parents on student activities, School Leadership Committee (Academy 1) collaborating with the principal and lead teachers on school-wide concerns and new initiatives, The Citywide Parent Advisory Council, advocating for schools at regular meetings with school superintendent, Dr. Epps and as a member of the JCCPTO collaborating with other parent leaders to advocate for reform on a district-wide level.



Carol Harrison-Arnold is a consultant to the insurance industry and an attorney who lives in the Bergen Hill neighborhood of Jersey City. She has served on the board of Hoboken Charter School for the past seven years and for five years as president of the Lincoln High School PTA where she spearheaded the implementation of the first National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter in Jersey City; created a College Club to assist students with applications and scholarships; and established computer and parenting classes for the parental community.



The JCCPTO is comprised of PTA, PTO and parent council leader representatives from across Jersey City Public schools. Founded in 2009, we work together to share resources, information and advocate for the concerns and issues of the parents of the 28,000 students in Jersey City Public Schools.