Dear Editor:
The Jersey City School Board needs a trustee who is a true stakeholder with a first-hand perspective of our school’s challenges and true experience taking on these challenges within our schools. I am running for the board because I am the candidate best qualified for this position.
Indeed our schools face tremendous challenges – the majority of them have been given a failing grade based on standardized testing results, our high school graduation rate is below 70% and we have a top heavy bureaucracy that lacks transparency and accountability.
At the same time, the voice of the parent – the true stakeholder – has gone unheard. Each morning, parents send their children to school with concerns about whether their child is being challenged academically, is in a safe environment and is healthy.
As a member of the Jersey City Board of Education, I will take on our school’s challenges and provide a voice for the parents, grandparents and caregivers of the 28,000 children who attend public school in Jersey City.
As a parent of four children (and 13 nieces and nephews) in Jersey City public schools, I am a true stakeholder who sees and empathizes with what families experience in our schools everyday. I know the frustration of parents whose children are being bullied, are languishing academically or have unhealthy conditions in their schools.
Moreover, my current experience working as a parent leader and volunteer in our schools has provided me with the opportunity to actively take on our school’s challenges. As a PTA vice president, I work with parents on student activities. On our School Leadership Committee, I work with our principal and lead teachers on school-wide concerns and implement new initiatives. As a member of the Citywide Parent Advisory Council, I advocate for our students and our school at regular meetings with our superintendent, Dr. Epps. And as a member of the JC Coalition of Parent Teacher Organizations, I collaborate with other parent leaders from across our public schools to share resources, information and advocate for reform on a district-wide level.
As a member of the Jersey City Board of Education, I will refer to my first-hand perspective, my experience advocating in our schools and over 20 years of work as a financial analyst and operations manager to implement checks and balances on administrative authority, set goals, objectives and benchmarks, cut administrative costs and redirect resources to the classroom, avoid teacher layoffs, protect class sizes, implement the necessary resources to help parents support their children’s learning and empower our teachers with site-based decision making.
Yes, our schools face tough challenges. As such, we need a candidate who is a stakeholder with the demonstrated experience, fortitude and an uncompromised agenda to take these challenges on. I am a mom, not a politician. I’ve done the ground work and ask for your vote on April 27 so I may be a voice for our children as a trustee on the Jersey City Board of Education.
Sincerely,
Vidya Gangadin
Jersey City, NJ