A handful of people gathered out in front of the Greenville Public Library on Sept. 20 to attend the first of a series of public events outlining the platform of the Jersey City United candidates in the school board election on Nov. 8. They are among 10 candidates in the November school board election, and are likely to support the existing superintendent.
Asmaa Abdalla, Luis Felipe Fernandez, and Matthew Schapiro, as the Jersey City United ticket, are running a campaign based on what they call a platform of Community-Connected Schools. Schapiro has been working behind the scenes for years as part of Parents for Progress, an influential parents group that is partially responsible for electing a board three years ago responsible for the appointment of Dr. Marcia Lyles as superintendent of schools.
Schapiro is a strategic management and communications consultant living in Hamilton Park with his wife and three children. He made Jersey City his home nineteen years ago after graduating from Lafayette College.
Abdalla was born in Egypt and raised in Jersey City Heights. She said she is a product of local public schools and currently attends Kean University, studying Biology with a minor in Health Education.
Fernandez is lead pastor at Fountain of Salvation Church, a bilingual church in Jersey City. He is also a parent who lives in Greenville. He is a graduate of the Devos Urban Youth Leadership Initiative and is finishing a Certificate in Urban Youth Ministry from Fuller Seminary.
“Because we are beholden only to the community, we are proud to offer a detailed policy agenda that responds directly to community concerns – not the concerns of the politically powerful.” – Matt Schapiro
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Although not explicitly stated, the three Jersey City United candidates appear to be aligned with the Lyles faction. Schapiro has frequently spoken out publically in support of Lyles.
Ten candidates for three seats
The Jersey City Board of Education consists of nine members elected to three-year terms elected at large by the district as a whole. Elections are staggered with three seats up for election each year.
Although in July, 13 people filed to run, since then three have withdrawn, leaving 10 people running for the three seats: Abdalla, Fernandez and Schapiro, and Mussab Ali, Kimberly Goycochea, Natalia Ioffe, Mark Rowan, Sudhan Thomas, Gina Verdibello and former board member Angel Valentin.
The local teachers’ union has endorsed Sudhan Thomas, Angel Valentin and Gina Verdibello, running on the Education Matters ticket, in what some see as the union’s attempt to increase its influence on the board.
Over the last two elections, candidates endorsed by the Jersey City Education Association, the teachers’ union, have won election onto a board that was previously viewed as unsympathetic to union demands.
Three school board members – Micheline Amy, Jessica Daye and Ellen Simon – chose not to run for re-election. They were considered part of the faction that opposes the union on some issues and are strong supporters of Superintendent Lyles, with whom the union is frequently in conflict.
United platform
The platform consists of a number of key elements. They would like to modernize communications between schools and families; keep pre-k programs closer to where students live; make Arabic, Urdu, Gujarati, Hindi, and Tagalog official district languages taught in the Jersey City schools; respect students’ faiths by making Halal and Kosher meals available in the school lunch program, and rename Public School No. 34 for President Obama.
“Because we are beholden only to the community, we are proud to offer a detailed policy agenda that responds directly to community concerns, not the concerns of the politically powerful. Our opponents continued to practice the policies of urban oppression when they ignored the community’s clear desire to name PS 34 for President Obama,” said Schapiro. “In contrast, we respected the PS 34 community and stood beside them in solidarity and support.”
The candidates said they want to promote and support diversity.
“Jersey City’s greatest strength is its diversity. We respect our city’s diverse communities by, first and foremost, listening to them,” said Abdalla. “We do not believe in imposing top-down solutions or ignoring the clear voice of a community.”
This, they said is reflected in the makeup of their ticket.
“Our ticket reflects Jersey City’s diversity as each of us comes from a different neighborhood and religious faith,” said Pastor Fernandez. “This platform is the result of consultation with these diverse communities and many others throughout our city. We believe these innovative ideas will connect our schools to the communities in which they reside and, in so doing, strengthen both.”
Schapiro said as a parent he has seen a lot of improvement in the district, but feels there is more to do.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.