To the Editor:
During presidential election cycles it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters locally. With a distracting and divisive federal election such as this one, we must remind one another of the importance of our local school board election.
Much like the city council, school board trustees make decisions that impact our daily life. They vote on resolutions and balance budgets with a proportional focus on students, staff, and taxpayers. This task gets tougher each year as we have been overpromised and underfunded by Trenton policies and politicians.
The incoming board will be faced with the challenge of retaining quality educators and fairer compensation for our aides. Further complicating matters, is the loss of revenue and the addition of students occurring as a result of municipal tax abatements and development.
In order to address these challenges, the board must continue to develop new revenue streams that will maintain the commitment to quality education as well as protect our taxpayers especially our seniors and those on fixed incomes. This is why I am supporting Mary Jane Desmond for the Bayonne School Board.
As a former councilwoman and current school board trustee, Mary Jane Desmond has the proven experience to get things done. Mary Jane has worked tirelessly to save the P.A.L. aftercare program and has been a leading voice for a sustainable, fair, and equitable contract for our educators. Whether on the municipal or educational side of the house she has always fought for responsible spending of our tax dollars. Her experience is an asset to the current board and vital for its future success. Mary Jane has always stood on principle for what is right even when it’s not politically expedient and she has never forgotten that she works for us. On Tuesday November 8th, you have several choices to make and I personally ask you to consider 5J for MJ.
PETER FRANCO