Dear Editor:
Three seats on the school board and the proposed $59 million school budget are up for a vote on April 21. Voter participation each April has historically been dismally low. While 10,000 residents voted in the last election for mayor, only 4,000 participated in the last board election.
Most of us don’t have kids in the schools, so why is it important to vote on April 21? A good school system raises property values and enhances the diversity of our town. So, how well do the Hoboken schools perform today?
• All three grade schools and the high school failed to meet the 2007-08 federal benchmarks for making adequate yearly progress. Last year at Connors, only 9 percent of sixth graders and 15 percent of fifth graders passed the language test.
• Our SAT scores average 1196 points out of 2400, while the national average is 1511. Only 19 out of 316 NJ high schools score lower.
At the same time, Hoboken spends much more than the State average on each student – $21,000 for the 2007-08 school year versus $12,720. This year, the cost is up to $25,000. Why is the school bill so high with such poor results? Here are some shocking contributing factors:
• Hoboken schools are top-heavy. We have 91.8 students per administrator vs. the state average of 155.3. At least 30 Hoboken school administrators earned more than $100,000 in 2007.
• While the city has 750 staff for 44,000 residents, the BoE has 535 staff for 1,892 students.
• Our teachers made an average of $74,902 for 2007-08 and have an average of seven years’ experience, well above the state average of $57,242 for nine years’ experience. They just got a 4.3 percent raise, when annual inflation was 0.1 percent.
• Health-insurance costs soared 23 percent for 2008-09, while the average U.S. employer kept the increase to 5 percent in 2008. For 2009-10, another 17 percent increase is projected. But Hoboken still pays the full premiums for most employees.
I hope these facts shock you out of complacency. All of us–whether we have children in the schools or not–should be outraged by this state of affairs and we should all vote in the election.
Vote against the budget on April 21; a defeat will send the budget to the city council and the state monitor for review. Vote for the Kids First slate of candidates–Theresa Minutillo, Maureen Sullivan and Ruth McAllister.
We have painfully witnessed over the last eight years that just a few votes can change the whole country. We need change in Hoboken. Love your town. Vote on April 21.
Adrienne Choma