School board attorney: ‘No’-La
A letter about the school district’s handling of the HoLa dual-language program from Joseph Morano, school board attorney, made several criticisms last month.
In the letter, sent Dec. 31, Morano wrote that he “respectfully expressed my reservations” about the program to Superintendent Jack Raslowsky before the December board meeting that Morano was too sick to attend.
Morano wrote: “[T]here is no question that the Board will incur litigation relative to the ‘Hola’ contract … I am recommending that the Board permanently remove the ‘Hola’ contract and award from any agenda and that it be done immediately (via press release). The listing for the ‘Hola’ program which is currently on the website should also be immediately removed, as no such program has been approved by the Board.”
The district finally removed the program from the website last Thursday. The board will meet this Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the offices behind the Wallace School. HoLa is a dual-language immersion program for young kids, but some of the parents believe the district should spend its money elsewhere.
The board will also vote on the third iteration of a teacher’s contract. The district and the union agreed to have each individual board member sign the memorandum of agreement to give the union a clear idea of whether the measure will pass when it comes to a vote. According to some board members, several members have declined to sign on.
Soares appointed to Hoboken Zoning board
Former City Council President Tony Soares has been appointed to the Zoning Board by Mayor David Roberts, Soares confirmed earlier this week.
The Zoning Board has been two members short for some time, and Roberts has now acted in filling the seats. The appointments were prompted by a board hearing that has been postponed due to members who believe they have a conflict of interest.
Soares submitted his resume for the position two weeks ago and Roberts called him last week to let him know he was being considered. Roberts called him last Monday from vacation in Utah to confirm the appointment, Soares said.
Roberts later confirmed that the other member appointed was local engineer Michael Novak.
Novak is an environmental engineer at Atlantic Environmental Solutions in Hoboken who specializes in contamination management. He said he was asked by the administration to submit his resume late in 2008.
One of the seats available on the board was a primary seat and the other was an alternate seat. It was not immediately clear which person had been appointed to what seat.
Soares has been a critic of the administration and has been outspoken on many city matters for some time.
He said as a member of the board he will be “objective, non-conflicted,” supporting conservation and improved aesthetics, when possible.
Soares said in order to engage in the ongoing hearings – like 920 Castle Point Terrace and the Neumann Leathers buildings – he will need to review tapes of previous meetings. He said he will confer with board counsel on whether or not that will happen.
“I’d want to be involved in everything,” Soares said.
Crosstown bus eliminated
Due to budget constraints, the crosstown bus service provided by the city will cease operations as of Feb. 1, according to a city release a statement last Friday.
Police end search for baby; ‘mother’s worst nightmare’
The Jersey City Police Department announced in a statement on Thursday that their search has ended for the body of a deceased baby boy, which was discovered missing from Christ Hospital on Palisade Avenue earlier this month.
The police, in a statement issued on the department’s web site (www.njjcpd.org), said their search for Bashere Davon Moyd, Jr. led to a landfill in Ashland, Ky., where the baby’s body ended up after it was alleged to have been inadvertently dumped by the hospital along with regular hospital trash.
In the statement, the police said based on their investigation that the “portion of this refuse may have been incinerated prior to our involvement in this incident.” Also in the statement, the police said the alleged dumping was the result of “procedural deficiencies and human error.”
Bashere Davon Moyd Jr. was born in the hospital to Kalynn Moore of Jersey City on Dec. 21. But the baby passed away that day. There is disagreement between the hospital and Moore on whether he was stillborn or died immediately after birth. The issue can make a difference regarding litigation, since according to New Jersey law, a stillborn baby is not considered a person.
According to Moore’s attorney, Michael Anise, the baby was then supposed to be picked up by a funeral home on Jan. 2 for his funeral, but the baby was discovered missing.
An hour after the police statement on Thursday, Anise, with a sad, teary-eyed Moore standing next to him at Anise’s Summit Avenue office for a press conference, read a statement that said the news about Bashere was a “mother’s worst nightmare” and that the “son that was to be Kalynn’s Christmas blessing is gone.”
Also, Anise read from the statement that “everyone involved in this horrific act must be held accountable.” Moore did not take any questions during the press conference.
Anise after reading the statement there would be an investigation by his office looking at hospital documents and surveillance videos before making any decisions on filing a lawsuit.
Christ Hospital issued a statement after the attorney’s press conference stating in part, “The entire Christ Hospital family shares in the grief of Kalynn Moore and apologizes for adding to her pain. We are dismayed and saddened that efforts to locate the remains of her stillborn son have failed.”
Job Search Boot Camp
The Chazin Group will present the second part of a Job Search Boot Camp, sponsored by the Hoboken City Council, on Wednesday, Jan. 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Howe Center at Steven’s Institute of Technology. This is the second event aimed at protecting your career, finding a new job, or making a career change by Ethan Chazin of the Chazin Group, principal of the firm, executive recruiter, and career coach for many years in the private sector.
A $25 per person fee is required with 40 percent of the proceeds directed to the Hoboken Homeless Shelter and the Jubilee Center. Walk-ins are welcome although space is limited. To reserve a spot, call (917) 239-5571.
MLK Day march
The 10th annual March on Washington Street in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will take place on Friday, Jan. 16 at 10:15 a.m. The march will begin at Church Square Park, Fourth and Garden streets, and proceeding to City Hall at First and Washington streets. An unnamed guest speaker is also expected for the event.
Hoboken Charter School students will be on hand to re-enact the original March on Washington in 1963. The charter school students will be joined by students and parents from public and private schools in Hoboken.
On Monday, Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Day, there will be a civil rights exhibit and concert at All Saints Parish, 707 Washington St., from 4 to 6 p.m. For questions regarding the events, please call (201) 963-0222.