Dear Editor:
We are the parents of two young children in the Hoboken public school system. In the closing days of the school year, we were told that our son’s pre K class at Calabro elementary school would not be back for the 2010-2011 school year. We were obviously disappointed because both our children were in the same school, had a great experience, loved their teachers, were adjusted to the school and excited to be back this year. When we enrolled them in the public school system we were under the impression that they would remain in the same building throughout their time in elementary school and we would not have put them in the public program had we known that was not the case.
As part of the June announcement, parents were notified that Calabro would not hold a 4 year-old pre-K class and were asked to resubmit school preferences for this fall. Some of the students were ultimately placed in the Rue School (downtown Hoboken) and others in Brandt (uptown Hoboken). Our son was placed in Rue and we began the summer by enrolling him in a summer camp in the school so that he could begin to adjust to his new environment. Although we were not happy with the situation, it was something that we and our son were prepared for, and for a month we thought this is where he would be. Then on Aug. 6, with summer winding down, we received a new letter stating that the program he was in at Rue was being cancelled and he would be placed in Brandt. The letter stated the move was made “with the best interest of our children” and that the “ability to make changes is NOT possible.” We struggle to understand how having a 4 year old thinking he was going to three different schools in three months could be made with anything close to his best interest in mind.
Initially, after the cancellation of the class at Calabro, we and many other parents in our son’s class wrote letters, signed petitions and requested times to address at the Board of Education meetings. These were ignored. We had conversations with Jessica Peters (the outgoing Director of Early Childhood Education) and Walter Rusak (the Asst. Superintendent and person supposedly responsible for decisions). Requests to meet with the Superintendent Peter Carter were also ignored. Ms. Peters directed us to Mr. Rusak. Mr. Rusak offered a number of inaccurate and contradictory justifications for his decision to cancel the class at Calabro: lack of space; it was the “Governor’s fault for creating a budget hole” (even though the pre-K programs received increased state and federal funds); he was moving all pre-K classes to Brandt; and that by consolidating classes he would be able to save money without laying off teachers.
Mr. Rusak’s inability to justify his own decision to cancel the Calabro class to make room for a music class looks even more egregious given the fact that the Rue class is now being cancelled for lack of space as well (and that administrators waited as long as possible before notifying parents of the changes). The new Director of Early Childhood Education explained to us that our son’s 4 year-old class at Rue was being cancelled because space was needed for a large unexpected enrollment of 3 year olds. She noted that there is high demand for downtown Hoboken schools, not everyone can be accommodated and that a number of other parents had called with the same complaint. With poorly thought out decisions such as these, it is not surprising that parents are looking for answers and why there is a lack of faith in the school administrators. Reduction of classes that are in demand in no way serves the community’s needs and lack of regard for constituents’ needs is why many of our better students continue choose private schools or flee to the suburbs in order to avoid a system with no long term plans or consistency.
Regards,
Bruce Wacha
Victoria Wacha