After two members left recently, the nine-member Hoboken Board of Education hopes to appoint someone new during their next meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13.
Hoboken Board of Education Trustee Irene Sobolov resigned from her seat on the board in September. That same month, the board appointed local mom Joyce Simons to fill the seat that Elizabeth Walker had left in late July. Walker had only been there since her appointment in January to replace another member.
Both Sobolov and Walker said they were leaving for personal reasons.
Sobolov had served on the Board of Education for the past nine years and was reelected to her position during this past municipal election in November.
According to Sobolov’s resignation letter sent to Board President Thomas Kluepfel, she has “increased family and personal commitments” that now require her full attention.
“In my nine year tenure on the board, I have always strived to commit 100 percent focus to my board service and unfortunately, that is no longer possible,” states the letter. “Although I regret having to vacate my position, I believe it is what is best for my family and the Hoboken BOE to make room for someone with more time to devote to the position.”
The newly appointed trustee would serve for the remainder of her term that expires in January 2020.
The board has three other seats up for election on Nov. 6. Five candidates are running: Patricia Waiters, Ailene McGuirk, and a slate of Thomas Kluepfel, John Madigan, and Malani Cademartori.
As for Simons, she will serve as a trustee for the next three months until the term of Elizabeth Walker expires in January.
Simons a 10-year resident, is a stay-at-home mom whose two children attend Wallace School. She said she wanted to be appointed to the board to support Superintendent Dr. Christine Johnson.
“I felt it was important to stand up and give back,” said Simons. “Even if it’s only for three months.”
To fill the remaining open seat, whose term will run until January 2020, residents may submit a one-page resume and/or a one-page letter expressing their interest and qualifications for the position to board secretary and business administrator William Moffitt by 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9. Applications can be delivered by hand or mailed to 158 Fourth St. in Hoboken, or emailed to candidates@hoboken.k12.nj.us.
Since the date is after the election, it’s conceivable that a candidate who does not win the race can apply as well.
Segregation concerns
During the Oct. 9 meeting of the board, Union City Resident Courtney Wicks raised several concerns about the district, specifically arguing that there is racial discrimination and that students are not college-ready.
For the last few years, parents have complained that most of the minority population attend one elementary school, while the rest appear “segregated.” This year, the district tried to make sure the incoming kindergarten classes were matched based on location, siblings, and the needs of the student. In February Superintendent Dr. Christine Johnson said that initial school placements have “between a 25 to 30 percent minority footprint range and a 70 to 75 percent non-minority footprint range. And all schools upon initial placement have a 19 to 25 percent economically disadvantaged footprint.”
“Connors Elementary School is the Jim Crow school and the middle and high schools uses classroom segregation and racial tracking,” said Wicks. Johnson denied that there was racial tracking in the school district.
Wicks said the district is also “cooking the books” on high school graduation rates by “abusing credit recovery and summer school to pass kids along from grade to grade.
“That allegation is false and disrespectful to every student who chooses not to give up and to try again,” said Johnson in an email. “Hoboken High School requires 130 credits to graduate, even though the state requirement is only 120 credits. The progress that we have been made in the area of graduation rates is something that our district is very proud of. We had one student this school year that utilized summer school to graduate in August. The state of New Jersey, as well as school districts across the nation, have implemented many strategies to help students successfully pass classes. Just like in other districts, Hoboken High School provides students with extra help in the form of tutoring.”
Monthly recognitions
During the meeting, the district recognized the students and staff of the month for September. Each student received a certificate from either their principal or Assistant Superintendent Sandra Rodriguez-Gomez.
Second grader Magnus Peterka was a student of the month at Brandt. Sixth grader Serenity Perez was the Calabro student of the month. Second grader Aaron Bishop was the Connors student of the month. At Wallace, second grade student Tyler Smith was the student of the month.
The Hoboken Middle School student of the month was seventh grader Alexa Bracero and the Hoboken High School student of the month was Senior Da Xia Serrano.
The September staff members of the month were Melissa Gerson, a sixth-grade teacher at Connors, and Tatiana Meza, a district-wide ESL teacher.
SIDEBAR
Patricia Waiters hopes to win school board seat
Local activist and mom Patricia Waiters is running to become a trustee for the Hoboken Board of Education during the Nov. 6 municipal elections. On Oct. 4, the Hoboken Reporter ran the cover story “Meet the candidates” which profiled four candidates, but mistakenly stated Waiters had dropped out of the race based on comments Waiters had made about having been hired as a district security guard. However, Waiters, who started the part-time security guard position last weekend, can still run for Board of Education. If she wins a seat, she must quit the job.
Waiters, a mom and aunt of several district students, said in an interview last week that if she wins a board seat, she’ll quit the $12-per-hour security slot, as thousands of people are counting on her to represent the children.
“I would never take that job over the Board of Education,” said Waiters. “There are 3,000 people who would vote for me. I would not let those people down.”
Waiters said she applied in 2011 for a slot, and only got hired over the summer.
She said that she was frustrated because it “looks like a bribe” not to run, but the administrator who talked to Waiters assured her that interviewing her now was “not political.”
Waiters is running independently for the seat, as is resident Ailene McGuirk. The other three candidates are running as a slate: Incumbent Thomas Kluepfel, incumbent John Madigan, and Malani Cademartori.
The school board consists of nine members who serve three-year terms.
The board oversees the district’s public schools and a $73.6 million budget.
‘People over politics’
Waiters has lived in Hoboken since the late 1960s. She is active in the community and has been on the district’s Early Childhood Committee for the past three years. She has run unsuccessfully for various positions in town, including freeholder, and school board member.
She has three children, all of whom attended Hoboken public schools. Her youngest son is now a sophomore at Hoboken Charter School. He also had attended Hoboken High School. She also had various nieces and nephews that she cared for who attended Hoboken public schools.
Waiters said she wants to serve on the school board for a number of reasons, including to create and ensure the adherence to local and state policies, as well as help address segregation concerns in the district and ensure equality.
“Number one, I’m a fighter,” she said. “For 10 years I’ve been running for the board. This is me, people need to know I’ve been there 10 years win or lose and I’ll fight for them whether I’m a board member or not. I know that it’s very important that our kids have equality. I want to focus on policies on the state and local level.”
She said its important that the board has some minority representation and that she will represent all of the children in Hoboken.
Waiters said that four times, seats have become available on the board. She applied each time, and every time the board chose someone else, even though she “is more than qualified. I never miss a board meeting.”
She said minority parents often don’t come to board meetings because of this lack of representation.
“I try to get the parents out to join the committees,” said Waiters. ”They don’t come out and they feel like they’re not wanted, and that their kids don’t count. Around election time, board members come down to the Housing Authority, but then they disappear.”
She said something that distinguishes her from other candidates is her commitment and involvement.
“Even though I don’t have the title, I advocate for every kid with respect to education,” said Waiters. “I’m at every meeting.”
She said her slogan is “people before politics” and that although she is running independently, “I don’t want to run independently. I am willing to work with anyone and everyone.”
She said slates don’t include her because she doesn’t bow to political bosses or have as much financial backing as others.
She said if elected to the board she will address segregation issues and issues of equality through changing school placement and the lottery system as it still leaves room for segregation at both the charter schools and the other district schools.
She noted that most of the African American and Hispanic children are in Connors and Hoboken High School.
She said she would give the power back to the people by moving to allow them to vote on the school budget. Due to the Board of Education’s 2012 decision to move the school election to November, a public vote on the school budget is not required by New Jersey State law. The Board of Education is still required to go out for a budget vote if it exceeds the 2 percent local tax levy.
