Dear Editor: I would like to respond to Mr. Thomas Favia’s paid advertisement of December 5, 1999 addressing the Jersey City School District’s Scholarship Program to Hudson County Community College (HCCC) for graduating seniors. Let me try “Setting the Record Straight” from the perspective of the school district. Mr. Favia had the opportunity to implement a JCEA scholarship using the $300,000 fine levied during the 1998 teacher job action. Unfortunately, Judge Martin Greenberg did not accept his plan for obvious reasons. The most important one being that the JCEA would appoint a Trustee Panel consisting of five people who would be “compensated from the Trust for time spent on task.” Needless to say, “three of these five people would be appointed by JCEA.” In addition, the plan called for distributing “approximately $500 to a minimum of nine deserving graduates each year to eventually service 27 students.” In deference to Mr. Favia, a man who began his “college experience at Bayonne and Jersey City Junior College,” anyone who is aware of the cost of college today knows that $500 will barely pay for books for a semester, let alone a college tuition. Judge Greenberg denied Mr. Favia’s petition for the JCEA scholarship plan and gave the school district three weeks to explain its plan in partnership with HCCC which had been on the drawing board for the past year. The district plan, in contrast to the JCEA minimalist plan, was accepted by Judge Greenberg. It recommended full scholarships to HCCC for all qualified graduating seniors beginning with the class of 2001! That’s right–two full years–all costs! Let me be more specific…every graduating senior from a Jersey City Public High School who has fewer than 10 absences for the year, a C average and submits a completed financial aid package, would be eligible for two years of full tuition with the cost of all books and all fees for all semesters! In my view, this beats a plan that pays up to $500 to 27 seniors! I guess Judge Greenberg in his wisdom thought so too. In his November 8, 1999 decision he stated, “On balance, giving all eligible students the opportunity to matriculate cost free for two years at HCCC outweighs the acknowledged benefits to a select few.” By the way, the district staff will administer the program so that there would be no reason to compensate a Trustee Board for time. This plan is truly unique, in fact to my knowledge, there is no such opportunity for graduating seniors anywhere in the state or in the nation! What better way to assure all Jersey City Public School students that if they work hard in high school, no matter how much money they have or don=t have, they can continue their education right in their own back yard. And so, in an effort to set the record straight, allow me to ask Mr. Favia: AIf the parents and students of the Jersey City Public Schools had a choice, which plan would they prefer? Yours for $500 for 27 students or the district’s, a free ride for two years for all students? Dr. Joanne P. Kenny Executive Asst. to the State Superintendent of Schools Jersey City Public Schools