Dear Editor:
As a parent with a child in the public school, I am supporting the Children First Team, Lorenzo Richardson 1H, Gina Verdibello 5H and Gerald Lyons 7H for the Jersey City School Board election this November 4th. One of the reasons that I support the Children First Team is due to their un-wavering support and advocacy of the public school system. While I do not oppose the charter school system, I feel that a well-balanced school board, which includes public school advocates, is important, not only in the short term, but more importantly, the long term. The great divide within the school system is becoming increasingly more apparent, having a set of stake holders reflective of the city seated at the table, working together, would help bring the needed unity we all wish to see. As charter schools continue to open, desperately needed funds for public schools are directed there, leaving many that remain in the public school system, especially those in lower socio-economic districts, to do more with less.
To the best of my knowledge, PS 29 does not have a school nurse still to this day and rodents are now infesting our buildings. The siphoning of funds without careful watch leads to public schools in disrepair, lack of books, malfunctioning computers and, teachers and students left without hope. Issues such as: lead in the drinking water, the hiring of Strike Force without board approval which brought armed guards on school premises without school staff knowledge, the decision to outsource for substitute teachers by hiring Source4Teachers and the questioning of how our tax dollars are spent from the massive $600 million school budget are only some of the issues that the Children First Team stood and continues to stand at the forefront of.
Of course, many of the issues that plague the public schools throughout the city go unheard by the public because of the edict to stop televising the public speakers portion of school board meetings which was enacted by the current school board president. The Children First Team was first to stand up to this misguided decision which struck at the core of our first amendment right and prevents the public’s ability to hear the concerns of others by televised broadcast. This matter was most recently addressed by the ACLU in a letter to the school board. I urge everyone to consider the direction of the public schools and to help prevent our school system from becoming the next forgotten public institution by being hollowed out. The Father of American Education, Horace Mann, believed that public schools were the “Great Equalizer”, affording every child the opportunity to advance themselves through education. This “Ladder of opportunity” has helped millions of Americans advance themselves throughout our history. It is a belief that I agree with and feel we should uphold. Vote for the Children First Team for the Jersey City Board of Education to help keep our schools the best they can be for all children throughout Jersey City.
Anna Christodoulakis