In a race that promises to be hotly contested, nine people have filed to run in the November election for four Board of Education seats. Three incumbents will defend their seats, while a fourth seat is also up because Board President Joel Torres is seeking a seat as a freeholder instead.
Board members Amy DeGise, Lorenzo Richardson and Gerald Lyons are running on a slate together, campaigning jointly for three year terms. In a pre-filing press release, the candidates collectively cited the effort to complete the process of transitioning Jersey City schools back to full, local control.
The candidates also pointed to the population growth in the city, the need to oversee the redistricting of city schools, and most importantly, to ensure financial stability in the wake of state of New Jersey cuts to the district’s adjustment aid.
“I’m extremely proud of the collaborative work we have done to tackle this final hurdle towards regaining full control of our schools,” said Lyons. “After 28 years of state-control, we have finally accomplished the milestones necessary to regain the trust of both the state of New Jersey and the taxpayers of Jersey City. I am proud of how we have been able to move our district forward and feel strongly that it is our duty to oversee this last step and ensure a smooth transition back to local control.”
Richardson agreed. “The state has entrusted this current board to not only receive control, but also oversee a smooth and responsible transition,” he said. “Our challenge now is to carry-out the transition in the wake of cuts to our state aid, requiring our district to be extra cautious with how revenues are generated and spent.”
“As the newest member to the board,” said DeGise, “it has been an honor and a privilege to serve the students of Jersey City at such an exciting point in history. As an educator, I understand what our classrooms need, but just as importantly, I know how financial insecurity impacts the classroom. While I’m pleased to see the city work with the district towards a solution for our loss in state aid, I will fight to ensure that our classrooms see every dollar possible.”

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“While I’m pleased to see the city work with the district towards a solution for our loss in state aid, I will fight to ensure that our classrooms see every dollar possible.” – Amy DeGise
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The trio said they are focused on ensuring every student in every school gets a high-quality education and receives the tools necessary to best prepare them for success in an ever-changing world. They recognize the fact that many factors have brought the district to this point, including the diligence of the students, parents, teachers, administration, as well as past and current board of education members.
DeGise, who is considered a public school advocate, has a Bachelor’s Degree from Montclair State University. She is employed as Social Studies teacher with County Prep HS.
Lyons is an educator for the Hudson County Schools of Technology, who has taught, studied, and lived in Jersey City for more than 30 years. He serves as the chair of the board’s Policy Committee and previously was chair of the Special Education Committee.
Richardson is a lifelong resident of Jersey City, husband and father, and has worked as an accountant for 25 years. He is currently president of the Hudson County School Board Association and is a certified board member with the NJ School Boards Association.

Some new faces this year

The independent candidates include Yousef Saleh, Matthew Schapiro, Mussab Ali, David Miranda, Demetrius Terry, and Chantal Goodwin.
Saleh, who is a board member for Farms in the Heights, has gone through the local school system, and is a graduate from McNair Academic High School and Rutgers University.
Schapiro is a strategic management and communications consultant living in Hamilton Park with his wife and three children. He made Jersey City his home nineteen years ago after graduating from Lafayette College. He ran unsuccessfully for school board in 2016.
Ali was part of an unusual ticket for school board in 2016, one of two 19-year-old graduates from local schools who hoped to bring their experience as students to the board. Recently honored for his work on the Jersey City Immigration Commission, Ali is a graduate from McNair Academic High School and currently attends Rutgers University in Newark. He is seeking to fill the one-year unexpired term of Torres.
Miranda originally considered a council run in Ward A. He served two tours of duty in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. He works as a corporate risk manager. He is also seeking to fill the one-year unexpired term of Torres.
Terry, a graduate Seton Hall University with a degree in sociology, previously served as chair of the Hudson County Teenage Republicans and sought a council seat in Ward A in 2013. He is also former two-term Executive vice president of College Democrats of NJ. He is also running for a one-year term.

Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.

A divided Board of Education voted 5-3 on Aug. 31 to appoint former board member Gerald Lyons to fill the unexpired term of Angel Valentin, who resigned in early August for health reasons. Because Valentin issued his resignation as of Aug. 1, after the election filing deadline, the board got to name his replacement until the term expires at the end of 2019.
The board currently has a majority that is aligned with Lyon’s past positions on issues such as food services, vocational training and board policy, so Lyons was seen as likely to get the appointment.
Lyons was elected to the board in 2014 but failed to win reelection last November. He has been an outspoken critic of Schools Superintendent Dr. Marcia Lyles, prompting Lyles supporters on the board to oppose him.
Trustee Matt Schapiro, one of the three votes against Lyons, said while parents over the years have told them how great a teacher Lyons is – he teaches at Hudson County Schools of Technology – voters have continually rejected him as a candidate. While Lyons won in 2014, he was previously defeated in 2010, 2012, 2013 and again in 2017.
Thomas, Mussab Ali, Marilyn Roman, Lornezo Richardson and Amy DeGise voted for Lyons.
Schapiro, Pastor Luis F. Fernandez and Vidya Gangadin voted against him.
Before being elected in 2014, Lyons served one year after he was appointed to fill the term of a board member who had resigned that year.
Lyons, who teaches media courses at the Hudson County Schools of Technology, came in fourth in the 2011 election, and as the second highest vote-getter in the election, he won unanimous support of the board to replace Marvin Adames.
In 2017, Lyons sought reelection on a ticket that included board members Amy DeGise, and Lorenzo Richardson. DeGise and Richardson won reelection, Lyons did not.

For and against

“My experience with Mr. Gerald Lyons has been challenging, to be generous,” Schapiro said, during the vote. “The first time I saw him in action was at a candidate debate during an election he ultimately lost, in which he stood up and screamed at the woman sitting next to him.
Later, after he was appointed to an unexpired term and later elected to a one term, I was able to see and hear a lot more of Mr. Lyons. What struck me most about the tenure of Mr. Lyons is that he was a board member who did not understand the position … what I learned in my board training is that one of the board member’s primary requirements is to support all district staff in performance of their duties. When watching the board, I saw Mr. Lyons disrespecting district staff over and over. It was shocking and offensive. Worse, Mr. Lyons often made decisions not in the best interest of our students, but as a rubber stamp for the richest, most powerful political interest group in the state.”
Schapiro claims Lyon targeted him in 2017 when they ran against each other, and described the exchanges as “vulgar.”
Board President Sudhan Thomas, however, blasted Schapiro for what he described as “a premeditated attack” against Lyons.
“The visceral nature of his prepared statement is additionally disturbing, as this means Trustee Schapiro came to the meeting prepared to deliver this tirade against Lyons,” Thomas said, after the meeting. “These were not some impromptu reflections shared by a board trustee during discussion around a pending motion, but clearly a calculated offensive.”
Thomas said residents and other elected officials have reached out to him voicing concerns about the remarks.
“Gerald Lyons is a beloved teacher who has served over three generations of students, a loyal and loving husband to his partner Michael, and an upstanding citizen who has served Jersey City and he deserves respect,” Thomas said. “The board, along with the rest of the citizens of Jersey City, welcome Trustee Lyons back to the Jersey City Board of Education and we look forward to working with him to jointly serve the 30,000 students we serve. I hope Trustee Schapiro will put his rather visceral approach behind him and join the rest of the board and work with Trustee Lyons.”
When reached for comment, Lyons said he did not want to comment on the controversy.
“I’m looking forward to working together with everyone to address the numerous serious issues that we are currently facing,” he said.

Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.