Dear Editor:
After reading the letter signed by J. Elizabeth Rodriguez, which appeared in your paper on January 26, 2003, I feel I must respond in order to get the record straight and provide Ms. Rodriguez with the facts, not misinformation she writes.
First, I am spearheading a Recall movement after being approached by many hard-working and honest residents of our great City. This includes City and Board of Education employees, business people, and yes, citizens who are tired of the waste and mismanagement of the City and Board of Education funds.
Secondly, I am all for the best quality of life for all our residents, not just the chosen few. The Mayor keeps talking about his one and only issue “Quality of Life,” but what about the quality of life of the bar owner whose business Stack disparaged? (The taxpayers of Union City had to pay $15,000 for his blunder). Also, what about the qualify of life of the children of all those parents who may have lost their jobs due to the Mayor closing down or cracking down on places of employment?
Thirdly, Ms. Rodriguez would like to know “What I have contributed to the Schools?” Well, obviously, Ms. Rodriguez has not lived in our City long enough to know what I have done for our children, our most precious commodity, during my 25+ years working in the school system. Let me just list a few for Ms. Rodriguez’s benefit. Since my first day onto the job for the UCBOE, I have always had our children and parents as my number one priority. I worked on creating the Pan American Club, founding member of the Joe Marti Scholarship Fund, founding member of the Save Latin America Role Model Program, Reaching our Dreams, worked and volunteered on “The Road to College,” helped to establish the Mildred M. Sippo Memorial Scholarship Fund, The Carlos Falto Memorial Scholarship. I have fought for the rights of all our Bilingual and ESL teachers in 1977. I have testified before the Senate Educational Committee in favor of Assembly Bill I-160, the new Bilingual Education Act of 1994, just to name a few.
On the civic front, I have served on the Union City Rent Leveling Board (1974-1982), the Union City Zoning Board (1983-1986), past president of the Hispanic Democrats of Hudson County (1975-1977), Democratic Committeeman for District 4-1 and 5-2 during the 1970s and 1980s.
Now, Ms. Rodriguez wants to know about my accomplishments at Robert Waters School during my three (3) years as Principal. Both the 4th Grade ESPA and the 8th Grade GEPA scores improved tremendously. Ms. Rodriguez should visit the NJDOE web site and see for herself how Robert Waters School went from a failing school to become the #1 school in the GEPA Science Score and #2 in Language Arts GEPA scores, also the Math scores went from 39.1 percent passing to 66.9 percent passing in the Spring of 2002. This is all public information and Ms. Rodriguez may get this information from the Superintendent’s office or she may visit the BOE web site.
Yes, Ms. Rodriguez, you should get your facts straight and do your “homework” before you sign your name to a letter written to the editor, and yes, I will lead a Recall Election, and yes, we will bring back honesty, integrity and professionalism back to the Union City Board of Education and City Hall where the employees will not have to fear when they express their point of view.
Jose “Cheito” Falto
“Save Our City & Schools 2003”