Dear Editor:
A recent letter to the editor claimed that the Hoboken Board of Education has saved taxpayers over a million dollars. Sorry taxpayers; there is no $1 million savings. Ms. Donna Antonucci asserted this grossly inaccurate conclusion based on certain facts, some of which are true. They just don’t add up to a million dollar savings. I address a few of the errors. Ms. Antonucci claimed that bus aides get paid overtime. Bus aides do not get paid overtime. She said that the BOE eliminated five administrative positions including “Assistant Superintendent” and “Summer Assistant Superintendent” – positions that do not exist. Ms. Antonucci also claimed that the BOE will recoup $400,000 per year for unbilled fuel costs from the city. When I was on the Board our fuel bills to be reimbursed for recreation runs were typically around $1,700 per year. So unless the Board of Education has begun sending students on bus trips to China, anticipating $400,000 in fuel cost savings is simply ludicrous.
The Board HAS laid off more than a dozen employees; however, duplication in legal services, rising outside contracting fees due to the elimination of in-house personnel and other unnecessary administrative costs have the potential to negate any savings. In April, Ms. Antonucci, along with other members of Hoboken Revolt campaigned in the streets against excessive, BOE expenses. The current board majority promised to reduce costs and raise scores. Before anyone can say ‘good job,’ first see clearly the job that they are doing.
Theresa Burns