JC board fails to approve teachers’ contract; teachers upset
The Jersey City Board of Education decided, during a raucous and contentious meeting on Thursday, by a 4-4-1 vote not to approve a contract that would give teachers 4 percent raises each year starting this school year.
Hundreds of teachers packed the auditorium at Public School 11 on Bergen Avenue in Jersey City, where they heard board members explain to boos and cheers why they voting for or against the contract.
Board member Gerald McCann led the dissenters, which included Frances Thompson, Pat Sebron, and Terry Dehere. McCann didn’t mind playing the villain as he told the audience that if the contract, as it stands, is approved and coupled with a proposed cut of $27 million in state school aid, would lead to more than 500 teacher layoffs.
He also pointed out that the first year is already accounted for in the current school year budget but there are concerns about funding in the next three years.
Dehere said that he would like 30 more days to look at the contract to figure out what changes can be made to save as many jobs as possible, and at the same time help the taxpayers of Jersey City to avoid a tax increase.
Leading those in favor was Dr. Peter Donnelly, who said that the contract should be approved since school superintendent Dr. Charles Epps and representatives for the teachers union had spent over a year in “good faith” negotiations and that the teachers needed to know “where they stand.”
Also advocating for the contract to be approved were board members Sue Mack, Angel Valentin and school board president Bill DeRosa. Also pushing for the contract was president of the Jersey City Education Association (the teachers union), Tom Favia.
The one abstention was Sean Connors, who said he was advised by a state ethics commission not to vote on the contract since he was endorsed by the JCEA when he ran for office.
Now the contract will be looked over by the board members, some of whom claimed were not involved in the negotiations.
After the meeting, teachers were unhappy and some threatened to not come to work the next day, or find a way to get McCann and Dehere voted off the board. Both of them are running in this year’s school board election.
JC to lose 17.4 percent state aid in Christie’s next budget
Jersey City’s school and municipal taxes may get worse now that Gov. Christopher Christie said on Tuesday that in his proposed $29.3 billion state budget for 2010-2011, he will reduce school and municipal aid to many towns.
He also touted Proposition 2.5, a constitutional amendment that will go to the voters in November, to cap the growth of property taxes at no more than 2.5 percent annually starting next year.
Jersey City, with its current budget of $507 million (yet to be passed) received $77.4 million in state aid this year, but had to raise taxes twice this year to deal with a budget shortfall of over $40 million.
And as for next year? Jersey City will lose 17.6 percent of its aid, receiving only $63.8 million in Christie’s proposed budget.
“No longer will we reward cities and towns who irresponsibly spend,” Christie said in his address.
He also talked about reducing $819 million in school aid, saying specifically that school districts will see a reduction equivalent to about 5 percent of their total budget.
Jersey City school district’s $629 million budget stands to lose $27 million in state aid next year.
Christie used the bully pulpit to also talk tough on stopping excess taxation, or “tax madness” in New Jersey. He bragged about making cuts in the current fiscal year of $13 billion in the first eight weeks in office.
Washington gets one year in jail
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday that a Jersey City community activist and failed 2009 candidate for the City Council was sentenced today in federal court to a year and a day in jail for allegedly accepting $15,000 in bribes from government informant Solomon Dwek.
LaVern Webb-Washington, 61, was one of the 44 arrested last July due to the federal government’s probe into political corruption and money laundering.
Webb-Washington pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion under the color of official right in October.
U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares also ordered Webb-Washington to serve two years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term.
Washington has to report to prison on April 26.
Christ Hospital to lay off 60 workers
Christ Hospital in Jersey City plans to lay off at least 60 employees starting this week. That is according to president and CEO Peter Kelly in an interview with a local daily newspaper on Thursday.
In the interview, Kelly said non-union workers will lose the 2 percent raises they were given at the start of the year, and Kelly will take 10 percent cuts in his salary and administrators will take an 8 percent cut. Kelly, who earns $585,000 will lose $58,500.
CASA hosts wine tasting to support volunteer efforts
Hudson County Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) will host its fourth Annual Wine Tasting event sponsored by Wine Library of Springfield on March 26 at The Atrium in Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 pm.
The CASA Wine Tasting reception will feature more than 80 wines from all over the world, live jazz by the Alan Quinn Trio, a silent auction, and a premium chocolate tasting compliments of Cyndi O’Keefe.
Fidelity Investments will be the evening’s honoree for it generous support of children in foster care.
Hudson County CASA is part of a national network of organizations that trains and supervises volunteers who advocate on behalf of foster children, with the goal of finding each child a safe and permanent home. Currently, more than 9,000 children are in foster care statewide with more than 1,200 of them found in Hudson County.
Advance tickets may be purchased for $65, and will be for sale at the door for $75. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Hudson County CASA at (201) 795-9856 or www.hudsoncountycasa.org.
Downtown JC event for mothers
The website NewYorkMother.com holds its networking event, “Mommy’s Day Out,” this Sunday, March 21 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at The Trump Plaza Condominium Party Room, 88 Morgan St. (corner of Morgan and Washington streets) in downtown Jersey City. It is free.
Enjoy food samplings from local Newport Restaurants and sip wine from Jersey Wine and Spirits. Also there will be workshop experts on hand. Space is limited so RSVP by email: NewYorkMother@gmail.com
Black Marriage Day celebration
On Sunday, March 28, the 2010 Black Marriage Day Celebration will take place at Clair Memorial United Methodist Church, 2419 Kennedy Blvd. in Jersey City during the church’s 11 a.m. service.
The theme for the morning event: “First Comes Love! Guiding our Youth towards Marriage.”
Guest Speakers: Mr. and Miss Free Teens USA. Praise Dance Performance by “Expressions of LOVE.”
Also there will be Love Songs to Reminisce by Gospel DJ Heatz.
For more information on the event, visit: BlackMarriageDay.com and FreeTeensYouth.com.
Classical music in Jersey City
The Jersey City classical music ensemble Con Vivo Music brings two upcoming classical music events.
On Monday, March 22, at 8 p.m., Mazz Swift brings her new trio, Hear In Now, to Kanibal Home, 213 Montgomery St., for a free concert. Swift, a powerful classical violinist, plays and sings avant-classically/jazz tinged compositions with Chicagoan Tomeka Reid on cello, and Silvia Bolognesi, from Siena, Italy, on double bass.
Then, the Bach Festival Finale will be on Sunday March 28, 5 p.m., with Trio Duriusculus at St. Paul’s Lutheran church, 44 Hoboken Ave., Jersey City. Performed will be sonatas for violin and continuo by Vivaldi, Corelli, Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
For more information, contact Janet Hollander at (201) 320-5154.