Dear Editor:
I have been a town resident for over 35 years and have been teaching in the district of Secaucus for 38 years. My two children are products of the Secaucus Public School System and are both outstanding professionals in their chosen fields. My confidence in the Secaucus Education System has been affirmed because of my children’s successes and those of others educated by the staff.
As a member of the Secaucus faculty, I have always held in high regard the camaraderie among the administration, staff, parents and Board of Education members despite the many difficulties that are faced in education. Secaucus has always been an innovative district and open to new ideas. Benefitting our students despite academic differences has always been our goal. The need for students to not only be successful but to experience success daily is and always has been our main objective. As a motivated staff, we had reached these goals.
Secaucus has excelled in all requirements set forth by the state of New Jersey and the county of Hudson. We had been commended for our accomplishments as a staff going beyond what is expected of a school district. This recognition had made a strong, united faculty filled with high morale.
Presently, the Superintendent and her newly hired administrators have caused a morale crunch among the faculty. The faculty is willing to accept change and any new strategies that will enhance the education of our students, however, Secaucus Public Schools represent a warm learning environment, not a cold, callous atmosphere of the corporate world.
For as long as I can remember, my colleagues and I would always say, “I’m going to school.” As of late, I hear, “I’m going to work.” When teaching begins to feel like a job instead of dedication, something has failed! Could it be the fact that our schools are now run like a business?
Although faculty and staff have been combating a serious problem with our administration, it has only been of recent that the school board has become to recognize these problems.
My fear is our district is going to turn transit rather than the “good old home district” we have always been. We all must remember “We are Secaucus.”
Sincerely,
Anthony J. Falco