jc_insomniac wrote:
A friend of mine just posted this on FB:

just got a call from the mayor's office stating that they will be filing for formal intervener status with FERC by the end of the month. Hopefully something good will come of this tragedy in San Bruno.

Xerxes wrote:
The San Bruno Pipeline that blew overnight was 24 inches is diameter but people are dead and homes are immmolated. Jersey City would expect a MUCH larger blast and fire. San Bruno is tract homes and Jersey City is a tightly populated city.

If this newest blast doesn't stop the building of the Hudson County pipeline, nothing can.

[...]

gt2220 wrote: Quote:

murican wrote: Wouldn't a better witness have been a civil/enviromental engineer, who could have judged the design and structural integrity of the Embankment as a 19th/ 20th century public work, and also could have told us what the environmental impact of removing a century of industrial debris would have on our community? Did anyone stay to the end? I would like to know what happened after I left at about 7:30pm.

Yes, a civil engineer would have been a better choice - more specifically, a civil engineer who didn't stand to profit tremendously from the destruction of the Embankment. We had to leave shortly after 7:30, would like to hear if there were any more developments.

srg1 wrote:

I don't see why the two are mutually exclusive. I believe we need to wait until Spectra files the application (likely December) to seek intervenor status.

In my opinion, Jersey City cannot do this alone. We need state support from all sources to be successful. Where is the NJ Environmental agency in this?

Xerxes wrote:
Quote:

Why is Christie silent on this issue?

Because Christie is a solidly conservative Republican who believes in his heart and soul that the be-all and end-all of politics and economics is to allow business and capital to control all aspects of life.

I would not expect ANY help from Christie on this matter, in fact if he came out against the Bayonne/Jersey City link to this pipeline I would be SHOCKED SPEECHLESS.

Xerxes wrote:
Quote:

From GrovePath: "Nora M. Brownell was elected to the Board of Directors of Spectra Energy Partners GP, LLC in May 2007 and will serve on our Audit Committee and the Conflicts Committee. In May 2001, Ms. Brownell was confirmed as Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

In February 2001, Bush told Cheney (or vice-versa) to hold secret meetings with the heads of Big Energy. This was 2 weeks into the Bush presidency. To this date the governmet has refused FOI requests to release the content of these meetings. The public STILL has no idea of what collusion was planned between the energy companies and the government.
The report was finalized in May 2001.

How coincidental the appointment of Ms. Brownell to head FERC that very month.

In my heart of hearts I believe the only thing that can stop this JC pipeline link is the direct involvement of the president. Call me a cynic. If we are able to fight 2, 3 or 4 bankrupting wars over energy simultaneously, I see little hope for respecting the plaintive cries of a small city. Having the last head of FERC now sitting on Spectra's board does not add much hope that FERC is even vaguely independent.

timeforchange wrote:
Everyone, let's not wonder what will happen at the next meeting, let's all attend, speak and make it happen.

InEpps has paraded his supporters and political hack bedfellows at the last meeting so now it's time for the fed up folks to be heard.

The next meeting is on Aug 11 @ 6pm. The venue is once again 346 Claremont Ave, 6th fl conf rm. InEpps and the boe president is trying to deter people from attending by holding this meeting in such as small space.

See you there!

heights wrote:
Is the Ward E council person Steven Fulop the only J.C. council person with a website as well as the only council person that sends out notification and community updates through an e-mail system ?

srg1 wrote:
Any concerns should be presented at the FERC meeting or filed as instructed during this initial comment period. We need to get them to move this pipeline to Staten Island. I think this pipeline is going to happen. It is just a matter of where it is placed. We need to show that Jersey City is the wrong place for it and that there are alternative places for it.

T-Bird wrote:
[...]
Residents who can?t make the August 4, 2010 public meeting at Ferris High or who would like to see more public meetings held on the proposed Spectra Gas Pipeline Route are encouraged to email FERC at efiling@ferc.gov, making sure to use the docket number PF10-17-000.

Walk_Idiot_Walk wrote:
Quote:

DanL wrote:
time to move on.

we must ensure a "good" contract both for our current superintendent and setting groundwork for the future.

we need a contract with a pay freeze and curtailment of some perks in line with the need for austerity. we need a contract with measurable performance benchmarks and goals.

a successful contract can allow us to move forward confident in our local control.

Are you serious ??!! This kind of statement is why nobody took your candidacy for Mayor seriously in the first place. Steve Fulop knows that Epps must go. Sue Mack and Sterling Waterman did the right thing and voted no. Your mealy-mouth reponse sounds like it came from Carol Lester.

T-Bird wrote:
Why is it time to move on? As someone who was actually at the meeting, I can tell you that nothing that was said or that transpired did anything other than perpetuate the after-the-fact backstory that some have come up with in a scared attempt to legitimize their impropriety. A bunch of people got together to sing a song together off a sheet. Why the rush to curtail the process?

As for "what is fair for the superintendent" and "appropriate benchmarks", etc., he is a 66-year old man who may have been handed a two year, half-million dollar-plus present that takes him to retirement. You think he really cares about benchmarks and accountability?

Yes, laying groundwork for the future is important - but what consequences can you imagine coming up with that will compel any accountability over the next three years? You don't want to fight the extension - it's too hard. You think you are going to be willing to fight to terminate him early? Put in all the benchmarks and goals you want, the man will have been given a three-year exemption. There is no "success" in this situation. No accountability = no change for the next three years. It really is that simple.

srg1 wrote:
Did you speak with Gene? You should try to get Gene on the phone. The interns answering the phone did not know anything.

swooshy wrote:
There are billions of dollars of real estate and infrastructure at stake here, not to mention the lives and health of thousands of people. Where are Trump, Lefrak, MacK Cali, Conrail, Homeland Security, Port Authority on this? Is the Turnpike Authority in on this with a gasline under the Bayonne extension?

We should demand an insurance policy/bond similar to what BP has had to set up because of the Gulf -- a fund/bond for billions.That will eat up the cost savings for them of such a reckless idea, if the cost was to go up they will not want to do this. And this is not even for the residents HERE. Just take a look at recent explosions in CT, TX and of course the mess in the Gulf.

alanwright wrote: Sorry, but this is hilarious... "I heard the park was a dump before the renovations," said Petzko, a resident with her new husband of the Ninth Street Hamilton Park Condominiums. Yikes. I hope she was misquoted, but because that's more than a bit rude.

DanL wrote:
are you comparing apples to apples .....

what is the comparison of reduced and free lunch ratios or more critical compare rates of free lunch only qualifications. the schools both in and out of Jersey City that have a lower percentage of of reduced and free lunch students perform (testing) better.

while there are many factors that contribute/predict a child's success, the most significant is class; family income, parental education and health.

yes, it is time for a new superintendent, but that alone is only one step forward. there is much to do.

and a child can get a great education in our school system, especially those whose background mirror's that of the suburban districts. but our public school system must serve all and serve all well.

we are fortunate to live in a democracy, those that show up and participate have a say. it is time for those that have a lot to say, to show up and participate.




Quote:

brewster wrote:

Quote:

...tell people that

JC has 240,000 people and a budget of 500,000, 000

JC school system has 30,000 and a budget of 620,000,000

Watch their Jaws drop.From there its easy to explain how the Epps crew has been robbing us.

Actually, if you do the math, that's only $20.6k per student, common in the area suburbs. Unfortunately, they get a great education and superb sports, music and arts programs for that, while we get failure and a promise of a "new plan" after 10 years in office.

...tell people that

JC has 240,000 people and a budget of 500,000, 000

JC school system has 30,000 and a budget of 620,000,000

Watch their Jaws drop.From there its easy to explain how the Epps crew has been robbing us.

heights wrote:

Not a good idea to get invloved there are liabilities at risk here.

alanwright wrote:
Some of the "passes" include those with "early warning" status. For instance, Brensinger #17 and Kennedy #9. That might be the basis for the difference in accounting.

Schools here:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010 ... appSession=67770676794596

Per this state website ( http://www.nj.gov/education/title1/ac ... ility/ayp/0910/info.shtml ):

"A school that does not make AYP for one year is placed into 'early warning' status."

That site explains a lot more about it as well.

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/10/0722/2125/

Cap on Superintendent Salaries Could Be in Place Soon

Schundler tells county officials to start imposing new limits immediately

By John Mooney, July 23 in Education

Just a week after Gov. Chris Christie announced a plan to put new limits on school superintendent pay, the caps may be in place even sooner than most expected.

A spokesman for state Education Commissioner Bret Schundler confirmed yesterday that Schundler told his top county officials this week that they should begin to impose the new limits immediately.

Some discretion would be provided for those new contracts already in the pipeline, said spokesman Alan Guenther, but the aim is to prevent any superintendents from trying to extend existing deals or negotiate new ones before the new limits are formally put in place.

?New contracts will be subjected to the new caps,? Guenther said. ?The commissioner will not permit a last-minute wave of negotiations aimed at circumventing these new caps.?

As news spread of the edict, expected to be a formal memo released in the next few days, Schundler may already have a challenge on his hands.

The head of the state?s superintendents association last night questioned whether Schundler has such authority, saying the law requires the new rules to be still subject to public review.

?If that is indeed the case, we have a great concern that the regulations proposed would be superseding those now in place,? said Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators.

Bozza said the specific guidelines have yet to even be published, let alone enacted, and he pointed to Schundler?s own press release last week that said there would be three public hearings before adoption in December.

?We understand the Governor and the commissioner have an incredible amount of authority, but that doesn?t excuse them from abiding by the law,? he said.

Christie and Schundler rocked the education establishment last week when they announced some of the nation?s toughest restrictions on pay for school superintendents, setting limits up to $175,000 -- the same as the governor?s own salary -- depending on the size of the district.

Superintendent salaries now average about $163,000, but go well over $200,000 in scores of districts, large and small, according to state data. By the state?s own accounting, the new limits could effectively lead to pay cuts for 70 percent of school chiefs once their existing contracts are up.

In northern New Jersey counties like Bergen, Essex and Union, virtually every superintendent would take a pay cut.

That superintendents will try to get under the wire is what has Schundler?s office worried, although Guenther said there were no specific cases as yet to cite.

And he stressed that contracts already under negotiation would be given some leeway, especially those of new hires in which the state?s county superintendents were already involved.

?It will somewhat depend on where they are in the process,? Guenther said. ?Those negotiations under way will be honored.?

But he said the commissioner does have the authority to move ahead on pressing the limits for those new deals or extensions just now coming in, even as the guidelines themselves are yet to be fully developed.

The regulations "are all being created, but the county superintendents already have the authority to review and approve contracts,? he said.

But Bozza said that authority is under previous regulations in place and codified, not ones yet seen.

And already in court over those previous restrictions enacted by former Gov. Jon Corzine, Bozza last night said a legal challenge would come this time, too, with the first local superintendent denied a fair review of his or her under existing rules.

?That would be the basis for us to file suit against the county superintendent,? he said.

mememo wrote:
Can someone provide me the link listing the 35/40 failing schools?

I checked the NJ Dept of ED with different data. For 2009-2010, 10 JC schools made AYP.



[l]HUDSON JERSEY CITY DR RONALD MC NAIR ACAD HS YES
HUDSON JERSEY CITY FRANK R CONWELL #3 YES
HUDSON JERSEY CITY JOSEPH H BRENSINGER 17 YES
HUDSON JERSEY CITY KENNEDY NUMBER 9 YES
HUDSON JERSEY CITY LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL YES
HUDSON JERSEY CITY NICOLAS COPERNICUS NUM 25 YES
HUDSON JERSEY CITY NUMBER 20 YES
HUDSON JERSEY CITY NUMBER 5 YES
HUDSON JERSEY CITY NUMBER 8 YES
HUDSON JERSEY CITY RAFAEL DE J CORDERO NO 37 YES[/l]


Thanks TIA.


[quote]
Ms_Taggart wrote:

Here are the facts:
Superintendent Epps? current contract is worth over $250,000 in salary and housing allowance. The current contract includes NO benchmarks, NO performance standards and NO specific reporting requirements. 35 out of 40 Jersey City schools are on the state\'s list of failing schools-- 14 of them for the third year