To the Editor:
I would like to thank the Rotary Club for hosting the school board candidate meeting on October 1st. It was wonderful to see so many people in attendance, and it was a great opportunity to hear what each candidate has to offer. However, I’m still finding it difficult to choose among them without knowing more about what each plans to do once elected. In that respect, some candidates used their five minutes of fame rather unwisely. To rectify this situation on behalf of the entire town, I would like to propose a series of three public debates before the election in November – one for each of the terms on the ballot (3 year, 2 year, 1 year) – to also be held in the high school auditorium. To start the ball rolling on this discussion, I would like to hear the candidates’ views about Common Core; raising the bar for students, teachers and administrators; making sure teachers start each school year with a contract; overcrowding; the budget; and tax abatements for developers that divert money away from education, thus serving to indirectly raise our taxes. I will personally volunteer my time to organize and run these events. I’m sure many other residents would volunteer as well, given the historic nature of this election and our shared desire to protect and support the youngest members of our exploding community. I’m also not the only one in town who’s tired of rehashing the problems of our past, or hearing vague promises that too easily get forgotten in the thrill of victory. If we – the voters – are not well informed, then how can we reasonably expect anything to change with this new election process? If anyone reading this letter knows how to make these public debates a reality in Bayonne, please contact me at no2phase2@gmail.com. I suppose we could just collectively agree to sneak into the high school one night and hold our own debate, but I would prefer to act transparently, with or without the support of our elected officials.
MEGAN MCNALLY