The importance of parent advocacy

Dear Editor:
The “public” in public education is being lost. Public education has lost its focus. It’s no longer about educating students to be productive citizens. It has now become an industry. Specifically, an industry for testing companies, food vendors and other special interests groups. The business of education has replaced the concept of education for education sake. This is a great loss to our students. What is the solution? The solution is for members of the public to advocate, but also for the public officials to listen to the concerns raised by the public. That is why I am a parent advocate who has chosen to run for the Jersey City Board of Education because I believe parents have such a vital role in their children’s education. We do what we believe is the right approach for our children. All parents are advocates. We choose the best schools for our children whether it’s district, charter, private or home school. My husband and I have chosen our district school for our own children, but I will admit I wasn’t happy with it at first. I had an unpleasant experience, but I chose to give it a second chance. I knew deep down that my children were learning and that the teachers cared for my children. There is always room for improvement in any school.
For the last three years I have committed my time to speaking at Jersey City Board of Education meetings in response to issues that started at my children’s schools and has expanded to advocating for all of our schools. This year in particular I testified in Trenton at the N.J. State Board of Education on numerous occasions on issues like Common Core and PARCC testing. I am not afraid to speak my mind either. I am willing to put my money where my mouth is and push for what I believe is right despite the consequences. In this current year I have seen major improvements in our facilities in the Jersey City School district and I’d like to say that I had a part in that happening. You see when I first started to attend meetings I complained about snow not being shoveled and then continued to complain about the conditions of the Pre-K trailers in our district. I’ve worked closely with the Board Member and facilities chair Joel Torres to make our school environments better. I’ve worked really hard to this year and I’ve dedicated my time to the children of Jersey City. We need parent advocates on the board that will fight for the children, listen to concerns and communicate properly. Please vote for Gina Verdibello 2D November 3, 2015 for the Independent candidate and also the parent advocate!

Sincerely,
Gina Verdibello
Mom and parent advocate

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