It’s almost time to elect three members to the city’s nine-person Board of Education.
Mayor David Roberts has announced that he will be supporting the three incumbents – Carmelo Garcia, Frances Rhodes-Kearns, and John Raslowsky II – in their School Board re-election bid.
Challenging them will be independents Anthony Romano, a Hoboken police lieutenant; Francis Totaro, the owner of the Hoboken Watch Company; and longtime Hoboken resident Theresa Minutillo.
Duties include managing a nearly $50 million budget, negotiating contracts with teachers, and setting education policy for the schools. Hoboken’s public school system includes Hoboken High School, two middle schools, three elementary schools, and two charter schools.
Each of the candidates was asked five questions. The answers to the questions are each in their own words.
A little about school construction
The most obvious challenge the school board members will face will be overseeing the large-scale school construction that will be paid for by over $100 million in state money in the next couple of years.
The most current plan calls for the construction of a new high school, an elementary school, and athletic fields on a 6-acre piece of property near the now vacant former Cognis Chemical plant on 12th Street from Adams to Madison streets.
The six existing school buildings in Hoboken will be rehabilitated, except for the Demarest Middle School on Garden Street, which will be converted to some other public use.
The candidates are: CARMELO GARCIA
Carmelo Garcia volunteers as the vice president of the Board of Education and works full-time as the city’s director of human services. He was born and raised in Hoboken and is a product of the Hoboken School System. He graduated from Seton Hall University in 1997 with a Bachelors of Arts in Criminal Justice and Sociology. He has served as president of the Puerto Rican Cultural Committee and was one of the founders of the PRCC scholarship fund.
Challenges and opportunities
“In my opinion, there are a few issues that I consider most challenging. For instance, changing the perception of the public school system has always been very difficult in the city. It has been an issue for the last 20 years, but I’m confident that the experience, education and commitment we offer as a team have already begun to improve the image of our public schools in the last three years. I always say that the Hoboken public schools are the best kept secret in town.
We have a phenomenal IB program and a terrific performing arts program. Our early childhood program is bar none one of the best in the state. We have a highly trained staff that cares about the children. We have great and innovative programs like the Star-W computer literacy program and an excellent collaboration with Steven’s Institute one of the nation’s leading universities in technology and science.
We’re in the process of conducting an assessment. We’ve eliminated some, but we’re looking to bring back more vocational programs like the paraprofessional health care training, construction management.”
School construction
“First of all, I’ve been the chairman of the facilities committee for the last three years. I’ve been very involved with the school construction process since I understand management and construction. I was a licensed mortgage banker and I have a master’s in management and information systems, so this knowledge helps give good input. I believe this combination will enable me to ensure that the critical path is followed to ensure the building of state of the art facilities with all the leading technology.
The SCC ultimately oversees all school construction projects so we’ll try our best to have as much input as possible. More importantly we’ll have good controls that create a checks and balance process.
The decision in implementing this plan has not been finalized, but I will say that a strong consideration must be given to work with the charter schools given their present need.”
Parent involvement
“We’re planning open houses and have been working on a strategic marketing plan to convey exactly what I’m communicating to you now in regards to community outreach. We recognize the need to share more of the great things going on in the system and we want parents to take ownership of schools and their programs. We’re going to work closely with PTA and stress the need for all parents to get involved since education is everything. We have received funding from grants to promote events, activities that bring the child and parent closer together which creates a synergy within the schools.”
District’s budget
“Once again we’re adopting a budget that does have a tax increase and educational services are not comprised or sacrificed. We deployed administrators and teachers buy out plan for the last two years that will give significant savings to the district in the next few years. We’ll continue to strike a budget that’s leaner and meaner with innovative ways to generate more revenue.”
Theresa Minutillo
Minutillo has been a home owner in Hoboken for 17 years and has been a small business owner for past four. She created Senior Prep Day last year, which helped non-college-bound students prepare for their lives after high school graduation. She wanted to hold the event again this year, but was told by the administration that she couldn’t do it before the election because she is running for the school board.
Challenges and opportunities
“The International Baccalaureate Diploma program currently offers college-bound students college level courses. It should be supported and strengthened. I’ll also advocate curricula that focus on better workforce preparation for the 55 percent of our high school students who currently do not take the SATs for college admittance, by focusing on promoting employment and skills development.
I will also advocate for an accredited summer school program, so that our students – 70 percent of whom live at or below poverty level – have the opportunity to make up classes they have failed during the school year without facing the costs of private school tuition.”
School construction
“The SCC spent hundreds of millions in cost overruns and excessive professional fees; I will be a fierce watchdog against wasteful spending.
Being an independent, I have no ties to the fiscally irresponsible current or past administrations. I am an advocate of the people’s ordinance against pay-to-play, which Hoboken residents passed by a vote of over 9-1, enacting meaningful contracting reform. I will uphold its tenets that contracts are awarded to providers of quality services, and that everyone has the opportunity to bid fairly and to compete effectively, based on ability and not campaign contributions.
Research has conclusively shown that smaller schools work better than larger schools.
Combining the middle schools therefore, may not necessarily be the best way to go. It feels as if the school construction projects are being driven more by contract dollars than by education and the needs of our students and community. I support the rehab of Calabro, Wallace, Brandt and Connors.”
Parent involvement
“I welcome parent involvement as well as the involvement of the Community. Our schools must bring in the energy of our community to bring new stimuli to our students.
I will promote more programs that bring members of our community into the classrooms, such as the Senior Prep Day that I created last year for the Hoboken High School Students. This event was designed specifically to help our non-college-bound students prepare for their lives after high school graduation with the goal of increasing their competitiveness in the economic marketplace.
Community volunteers participated by sharing their expertise in resume writing, interview coaching and dressing for success. Others coached students in how to apply for financial aid for college and discussed alternative programs available to them, i.e., medical certification programs and technical training.”
District’s budget
“In my opinion, a nearly $50 million annual school budget should be sufficient to superbly educate our approximately 2,400 public school students, as it works out to almost $21,000 per pupil.
Not all of the money spent directly benefits the students; I would redirect education dollars to education expenses: classrooms and curriculum, teachers and training to make every penny of our tax dollars directly benefit our students and thus, our community. We must realize that creating a massive middle school will most likely increase our already out of control Administrative Costs.
Pay to play contracting is also a factor in driving up costs. I will introduce a ban on the practice – modeled after the city ban – as my first act after taking the oath of office as a trustee.
Finally, costs can only be contained when the facts are known. Our audit is six months late and we are budgeting in the dark. That should never be permitted to happen.”
Jack Raslowsky II
After serving as the principal of St. Peter’s Preparatory School for 11 years, Raslowsky was appointed the provincial assistant for Education and Lay Formation of the New York Province Society of Jesus, the Jesuits. In this role, he oversees the work of the seven Jesuit high schools and five middle schools in New York and New Jersey and sits on the Board of Trustees of each institution.
Jack Raslowsky was appointed to the Hoboken Board of Education in January 2002 to fill an unexpired term and was elected to a three-year term in April 2002. He served a term as board president.
Challenges and opportunities
“There are three significant challenges facing the board: Good stewardship of resources, i.e., insuring that we get the most out of every dollar we spend; development of existing programs, Pre-IB, IB, Drama and Music. Expansion of all the arts is a priority; and insuring public involvement in the new facilities projects so the projects serve well the entire town.”
School construction
“The construction is exciting and a wonderful opportunity for the entire city. It is important that all the stakeholders have a voice. The current rehab projects are important and are making good health and safety improvements.”
Parent involvement
“The board has worked hard to increase communication with parents. We need to continue to reach out to families as partners with us in the education of their children.”
The district’s budget
“We need to constantly examine what we spend and why we spend it. The buy-outs of recent years should bring savings in the near future and the board is constantly searching for ways to deliver services more efficiently. That having been said, good education is a costly enterprise and it is worth paying for a quality education.”
Frances Rhodes Kearns
Frances Rhodes-Kearns is a lifelong Hoboken resident and product of the Hoboken School System. She was elected to the School Board in 2002.
Rhodes Kearns is employed at the Hudson County School of Technology. She resides in Hoboken with her husband Kevin they are the proud parents of two children, Kelly and Rory. Both children attend schools in the Hoboken School System.
Opportunities and challenges
“Providing an education that services the entire community and also keeps pace with the technological and academic demands of an ever-changing world. Science and Technology must become a focus of our attention for those whose aptitude indicates they will excel in such a program. We need to move forward with intense programs aimed at reaching those students who will benefit from strong Performing Arts programs and those who will find themselves drawn to a more Vocational Education type curriculum.”
School construction
“I monitored very closely the performance of the New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation during the Health and Safety phase of the construction plan. I will continue to advocate on behalf of our students for facilities that will be state of the art today and also capable of addressing the anticipated learning approaches of the next 50 years. Regarding the current school construction plan, I will continue to serve the district by demanding media spaces, performing arts centers, athletic facilities and science labs that reach beyond minimum expectations. I will advocate for small learning centers within each building that will match the needs of each student.”
Parent involvement
“Our district has made great strides with parental involvement in our schools. School P.T.O. groups have proven to be instrumental in getting parents involved through meetings, fundraisers, field trips and other special events they sponsor. One way for parents to share information is through a parent e-mail list. School parent groups are instrumental in getting parents involved through meetings, fundraisers, field trips and other special events they sponsor. I intend to support initiatives designed to reach out to the interests of our students and their families.”
The district’s budget
“I will strive to lower the cost per student ratio while increasing the productivity of the system. This requires innovative retirement incentives and recruitment of young, bright and talented teachers. We need to maintain a delicate balance between valuable experience and young energy. In the same way I approach my household budget, I will insist on value for dollars spent.”
Anthony Romano
Romano is a born and raised Hoboken resident, and product of the public school system. He is a captain in the Hoboken Police Department, where he oversees the Community Policing Bureau. With the department he has been active in the DARE program. He has undergraduate degree from St. Peter’s College and a master’s from Jersey City University. For seven years he taught history at Hoboken High School. Also for many years he has coached local sports and is currently the president of the Babe Ruth League.
Challenges and opportunities
“With the state budgetary problems, I think the biggest challenge is going keep the programs that we have in the face of reduced state aid. We have to be diligent, as a school board, to ensure that we have as much state aid as possible. For example there is a program for single mothers, which has been very successful. Also, there are reading programs that can be improved upon and added to.
Also, there are some students that will not be going to college; we can help discover careers in vocational areas or mechanical schools.”
School construction
“While I understand that state is running the school construction program, I do have some issue with some parts of the current plan. I think it’s great that we are going to build a new high school and a new elementary school but I think we need to go further.
I would also like to investigate the idea of returning to a Kindergarten through eighth system. This way we could have K-8 neighborhood schools throughout the city. The Wallace School is a good facility, and the current high school could be another K-8 school.
To make this work we would really need to build a new school somewhere downtown. Just look at Calabro Elementary School now; the building there is antiquated and obsolete. Even if it is renovated, it wouldn’t adequate for these student’s needs. Let’s build them a new facility, which has a proper gymnasium and the space which they need to learn.”
Parent involvement
“As a teacher in Hoboken, as a DARE instructor, and now as a member of the Community Policing Bureau, I’ve seen how hard it can be to get some parents involved in their children’s education.
We have to try some different things, like workshops or parent meeting in different parts of town. Some parents might feel like they don’t have the time, so we can talk with them directly about when to best time to schedule a meeting might be.
We can reach these parents in a couple of different ways. Mailers are a good idea and teachers and administrators should be required to make a certain number of phone calls to parents every week. The key is good communication; it is the single most important thing when trying to get parents involved in their child’s education.”
The district’s budget
“I believe that one area where the district can save money is to continue the buyout packages for staff that is approaching retirement. This is certainly a step in the right direction.
It’s healthy to have new staff come and it gives those teachers who have taught for so many years, and might be burned out, an opportunity to take advantage of this situation.
I also think the changing to K to eight will streamline the system and be more cost effective by reducing the redundancy of services.”
Francis Totaro
Totaro is running under the slogan “Independently promoting education and not politics.”
From 1983 until 2000, he has been a volunteer football coach on all levels, from grade to high schools.
Challenges and opportunities
“I believe that one of the most crucial issues and biggest challenges facing the district is the political factor that is permeating the Board of Education and school system. On the current Board of Education you have a municipal director, the city clerk, and two trustees who are candidates, one for mayor and one for council at large, in the municipal election in May.
In a town where it seems that who you know is more important than what you know, and whose reputation is growing more tarnished by the day, what’s going on these days at the Board of Education is shocking, even by Hoboken’s standards.
One of my biggest assets, if I’m fortunate enough to be elected to the Board of Education, would be the fact that I wouldn’t be obligated or indebted to anyone in the system or the city except students, their parents and fellow residents. I have no political affiliation to this administration, or to any of the candidates running in this election or the municipal election in.”
School construction
“I believe that every effort must be made to maximize the potential of the investment the state is making in our district. Just as the current school buildings have served this community very well over a long period of time, it is imperative that these new facilities are designed to provide not only our children, but also our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren, with state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line educational institutions. A concise plan needs to be formulated immediately and abided by, with only minor, necessary adjustments along the way. It is of the utmost importance that all issues regarding safety and security are taken into consideration.
As part of the large-scale school construction project that is in its’ infancy, I would like to insure that the Hoboken Charter School and, if necessary, the Elysian Charter School each have a permanent home.”
Parent involvement
“In an effort to reach as many students and families as possible, the district must continue to be a forerunner in grant acquisition. Presently there are no fewer than six programs or initiatives that the district is offering, at no cost to the district or participants, through grants offered by various entities.
The Family Friendly Center at Brandt School, The 21st Century Community Learning Centers at Connors, Demarest and Hoboken High Schools, The Even-Start Family Literacy Program at Hoboken High School, The Reading First Program at Calabro, Connors and Wallace Schools, the STAR-W Program at Wallace School and the Youth Services Program at Hoboken High School are all very practical and popular concepts that are servicing and benefiting a majority of students in the district.”
District’s budget
As a district, we are grossly overstaffed at the administrative level. According to the Hoboken public schools’ web site, the district currently employs a total of 28 principals, directors, vice-principals, supervisors and coordinators. If you factor in assistants to the principal, assistants to the business administrator, administrative assistants to the superintendent and systems administrators the number swells to almost 40.
In a district of approximately 2,200 students having about 40 administrators equals a ratio of about 55 students per administrator. For purposes of comparison, the state average for the 2003/2004 school year was 185 students per administrator. The fact that the district is not maximizing their resources and employing these high-salaried individuals to the extent of their supposed capabilities is not only budget busting, but also mind-boggling.”