Jersey City’s six public high schools, five middle schools, and 27 elementary schools will open this coming Thursday, Sept. 4.
There will be 28,245 students and 3,304 teachers entering the doors. Of the teachers, 180 are new.
One of the major changes will be seen in four of the city’s high schools – Dickinson, Ferris, Lincoln and Snyder – as they become “satellite schools” with a specific concentration.
Ferris High School on Colgate Street will serve as the Academy of International Enterprise, which will focus on marketing, finance, management, and international studies. Lincoln High School on Crescent Avenue will serve as the Academy of Governance and Social Sciences with an emphasis on law, education, cosmetology and the culinary arts. Dickinson High School on Palisades Avenue will become the Academy of Sciences, providing in-depth education in technology, health services, and science. Snyder High School on Bergen Avenue, which already offers an extensive media arts program, will become the Academy of the Arts at Snyder High, giving courses in dance, music, graphics, and commercial design.
Students around the city can choose which magnet school to attend.
The reconfiguring of these high schools, the four oldest in the city, is in line with the Board of Education’s plan to provide small learning communities targeted to students’ needs.Construction and toxic lead
This year, some of the public schools will have a change in the water in their sinks and drinking fountains. This summer, the district found high elements of lead in 41 sources of drinking water. The sources of the water were shut down and are currently being remediated to remove all lead, according to Jersey City schools spokesperson Dr. Gerard Crisonino.
Rosemary Cunningham-Nwabueze, the mother of two sons, said she is concerned about the lead.
One of her sons is entering his junior year at Dickinson High, and the other will start sixth grade at Middle School 4 on Bright Street.
Nwabueze said she has another concern.
“I worry about my oldest son, about him facing violence since he has to walk to the bus stop from our house, and then going to a large high school like Dickinson, although the problem seems to have subsided in the past two years,” said Nwabueze, who lives in the city’s Bergen-Lafayette section.
Another parent had concerns about an elementary school that hasn’t finished renovations yet – School 34 on Kennedy Blvd. “Right now with number 34 is the construction going on, and they have torn out the front stairs,” said Loyda Goldston, who has three children in that school. “There will be all that dust that the children will be inhaling.”
Crisonino said the work on Public School 34 is scheduled to be completed before school starts this coming Thursday. Goldston had another concern.
“Every year before the school year starts, the school district sends out a letter asking kids to bring in toilet paper, hand sanitizer, a roll of paper towels and a box of tissues,” Goldston said. “What is the [Jersey City] Board of Education doing about this problem?”
Her daughter, 10-year-old Jordan, will be heading into the fourth grade.
The soft-spoken girl said she is looking forward to “Just having fun with new schoolmates, making new friends,” Goldston said. “I like writing, math, language arts, and especially drawing.” Comments on this story can be sent to rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com