Dear Editor:
In light of some negative comments I have recently read about Hoboken Public Schools, I wanted to share my experiences in hopes that some of you who have misgivings or misconceptions about our school district would reconsider those feelings after reading this.
I attended grades K-8 at Salvatore R. Calabro School, and after two years at the Academy of Sacred Heart, decided I wanted to attend Hoboken High School where I graduated in 1991. I had so many wonderful experiences attending public school in Hoboken many of those who also attended with me became my life-long friends!
For those of us who were born and raised in Hoboken, we have seen so many changes throughout the years in this town. One of the most beneficial changes which affect parents is all the different options for education that Hoboken now has to offer. Each type of school is unique and offers so many different styles of educational opportunities for our children. It is so important to give our public schools the same consideration as others in town.
When I moved to Pennsylvania in 2000 for a job opportunity, my family remained in Hoboken and I eventually planned on returning back to town once I had children. When I found out my boys had special needs, there was no question that I would return home to Hoboken and have them attend the Special Education program at Wallace. When you have special needs children, there are so many additional factors to consider when deciding where to send your children to school? I feel the same sense of community now at Wallace as I did while attending Calabro School over 30 years ago! When we first started at Wallace in 2008, the Principal was actually my Principal in Hoboken High School, and the next year, the new Principal was one of my 8th grade teachers at Calabro. Even if I was given the opportunity to send my children to another school in town, I wouldn’t want them anywhere else. The level of care and education they are receiving in a public school is impeccable. There have been MANY successes born out of Hoboken public schools!
We all know that no school district is perfect; there is always room for improvement in every area. We also know that not everyone has the same experiences within a particular school district. I believe that the Hoboken Board of Education is very open to the concerns of our community as a whole and has been very responsive to these concerns. In terms of Special Education, we have had child care provided at the most recent Special Education Parent Advisory Board meeting and there will be a new Special Education/Autism Center @ Wallace. I look forward to my children attending Wallace for the next few years and I am anxiously awaiting all the new changes that will be taking place.
Dena Russell