Dear Editor:
There is a lack of communication between the Board of Education and the people it is suppose to serve. It would be very easy to point the finger at the board. Many do. It is also very easy to blame parents and call them unengaged or uncaring. It is that kind of finger pointing that has hurt our children and continues to poison the relationship between our teachers and our kids. It is this lack of trust or inability to work together that has festered into our current battle over vouchers. If the relationship and lines of communication were stronger, if our kids performed better, if we had more transparency would we still be arguing over vouchers? I don’t think so.
Instead of looking at all that is wrong with our system perhaps we would be better off looking at what does work. What I am going to do, some may think is naive or ignorant, but even if I never become a board member perhaps a member would consider my argument. Why do we only have one “McNair High School” in this city? It is not because of lack of space, teachers, students or most importantly need. Why do we turn away parents who are willing to stay involved, kids who do not need to be convinced of the importance of an education, and teachers who want to teach because they love teaching? Most families that I know first apply to McNair and if their child doesn’t get in then they have to stretch tight budgets to get their kids into better schools. What if we provided schools where student participation and high expectation were mandatory, parental participation strongly expected, and safety securely manifested, in short, more McNair High Schools? In this economy, does this not merit at the very least a consideration? I know good parents that have left the city completely rather than send their kids to public schools. Perhaps, many of those who we call disengaged parents are really frustrated parents. We should give parents the choice of public high school while improving the schools by adding the one ingredient that has been missing which in my opinion and based on conversations with teachers and parents is the lack of parental support. Many parents are involved but we need them all involved. By doing this we remove much of the Governors’ plan and need for vouchers. We remove what many of us really think this issue is about down in Trenton, just politics.
Jersey City can be different and better. A city like ours should be. We need more schools that operate under the principle: “Public education is free but comes at a high cost and carries high demands.” The students at McNair are Jersey City students. Let’s create magnate schools, where even students who are not the strongest can go, feel safe and make their parents proud. Our kids deserve better and I am running to give them just that.
Sincerely,
Aury Masa Nunez