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$73.6M for 2018-2019 school year

Marilyn Baer, Staff Writer
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$73.6M for 2018-2019 school year

The Board of Education passed a $73.6 million budget during their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday. The budget covers projected spending for the 2018-2019 school year. The budget increased this year from last year’s final budget which was $72.06 million.
The board did not vote on a school calendar for next year, but an official said it will be finalized in the next few days. The district has not yet determined when the first day of school will be in September.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, a board member asked questions about the district’s contract with its food provider.
Superintendent Christine Johnson also discussed a new month-long camp-like program in August, and the board honored the district’s students of the month.

Budget passed

The board’s budget for the 2018-2019 school year will provide for new educational programs and initiatives as well as five new instructional staff members.
Approximately $45.8 million of the budget is funded by property taxes, with most of the rest from state aid and out-of-town tuition.
The budget will increase property taxes by an estimated $65.63 per year on a home assessed at $521,200, the current average assessment.
Residents pay property taxes that are determined by the budgets of three entities: The county (passed each June), the school district, and the city (recently passed at $118.7 million with no municipal tax increase.)
Before 2012, the public could vote on the school budget each April. However, the annual school board election is now held each November, and as long as the budget increase stays within a state-mandated cap of 2 percent plus adjustments, they don’t vote on the budget.
The state can make exceptions, such as if the school population is growing.
According to Business Administrator William Moffitt, the largest portion of the operating budget, about $15.6 million, will pay for regular programs and instruction. The second largest section goes to the charter schools at $9.7 million, and the third largest portion is for employee benefits at $8.6 million. Another $7.21 million includes capital projects, security, general administration, individualized education programs such as speech therapy, physical therapy, and specialized counseling, as well as attendance and social services. State and federal aid goes to reimburse mandated programs.
The state provides $12.4 million to fund the district’s free preschool education program, offering full-day instruction for 3- and 4-year-olds through privately contracted providers in public school classrooms.

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“We will be launching a brand new K through 8 LEAP into summer learning program.” –Superintendent Christine Johnson
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Summer fun

Johnson discussed several summer programs that the district will host this summer, as well as new programs for next school year.
She said over 100 families have already registered for LEAP into summer learning program, a camp-like summer program over four weeks in August, for kids who will be entering kindergarten through eighth grade in September.
The program will operate from 8:15 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Wallace Elementary School and Hoboken High School. Parents can pay extra for earlier drop-off, and aftercare which ends at 5 p.m. according to the districts website.
Students will have mornings filled with literacy, math, and global and cultural studies. After lunch the afternoon will include a fitness period and two enrichment periods that students can preselect.
Johnson said the office of curriculum and instruction “is hard at work ensuring that there is a plan for the new curriculum to be developed during the summer months, and that our professional development training that is essential is lined up.”
For more information and pricing on LEAP into summer go to http://www.hoboken.k12.nj.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=2822372&pageId=12105119.

Next year

For next year, Johnson said the district is not only working on revising the K-4 math curriculum, but also finalizing next year’s new courses that will be offered at the high school.
She said those courses include physics honors, biomedical innovation, medical interventions, local global environmental sustainability, Latino history, African American experience, civil engineering, aerospace engineering, AP computer science, and mandarin Chinese level II.

Food

During the meeting, school board trustee Sheillah Dallara spoke against a contract renewal for the district’s current food service management company, The Pomptonian, Inc.
Dallara said she felt the company did not provide enough healthy options for district students.
“School meals play a central role in ensuring that our children receive the nutrition they need to grow and thrive,” said Dallara. “More than 31 million children receive meals each day through the national school lunch program and more than 12 million also receive breakfast through the school breakfast program. In Hoboken we serve breakfast lunch, and sometimes dinner. When one in three children is overweight or obese or has type II diabetes and at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, school meals must provide critical access to healthful foods, and it is my opinion that we are not providing this to our children.”
Dallara said she felt that the food service provider should also educate students on making healthier choices, and that some students rely on the nutrition they get during school meals because they don’t get it at home.
Dallara, as well as board members Elizabeth Walker and John Madigan, voted against the contract renewal, while all other trustees voted in favor of the renewal. Melanie Tekirian was absent.

Students of the Month

The board honored one student from each district school as the April students of the month, and presented each with a certificate.
First grader Page Satz was student of the month at Connors. First grader Johncel Peralta was the Calabro student of the month. Second grader Liam Meade was the Brandt student of the month. At Wallace School, fifth grade student Arcadio Torres was the student of the month.
The Hoboken Middle School student of the month was seventh grader Xaiden Simmons. The Hoboken High School student of the month was Senior Andrew Moya.
Check The Hoboken Reporter each month for students of the month, or go on line for up-to-the-minute news at hudsonreporter.com.

Marilyn Baer can be reached at marilynb@hudsonreporter.com.

BRIEFS

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BRIEFS

North Bergen man receives 20 years behind bars for beating WNY girlfriend to death

A judge last Monday sentenced a North Bergen man to 20 years behind bars for his West New York girlfriend’s death, according to NJ.com. The victim leaves behind her now-5-year-old daughter.

Jose B. Ayala, 44, pleaded guilty in March to aggravated manslaughter of Zaray Montenegro, 32, NJ.com reports. Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick Arre handed down Ayala’s sentence, the outlet said.

According to the story, Montenegro was found in the back of 6109 Adams St. on Oct 9, 2015, around 6:30 p.m.

Officials reportedly pronounced her dead two and a half hours later. She had sustained massive head injuries and was assaulted with an unknown object, NJ.com said. Officers apprehended Ayala in connection on April 22, 2016.

In court, Ayala apologized to Montenegro’s family, the outlet said.

Ayala must serve 17 years of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole, per the article. The judge also sentenced him to 18 months in prison on another charge. He is said to have 450 days jail credit, which will be applied to his sentence.

Celebrating 100 years

On July 6, Olive Yaeger of West New York celebrated her 100th birthday with friends, volunteers, and staff at The Harborage nursing home and rehabilitation center on the campus of Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center. Olive’s friends said she is well recognized and loved in the community for her kindness and youthful energy and spirit.

New school funding formula changes aid to local districts

The state legislature and Gov. Chris Christie agreed on a state budget this month that includes a new school funding formula. Christie signed the budget into law early on the morning of July 4, ending the government shutdown that closed state parks and beaches over the holiday and moved Jersey City’s festival from Liberty State Park to Exchange Place.

Statewide, the new formula will increase school funding by $181 million, with $25 million allocated to expand pre-k and kindergarten. Total state aid to public school districts totals over $9 billion, nearly a third of the overall state budget. However, not all local districts benefit.

The new budget brings funding to more than 300 of New Jersey’s 584 school districts that have been perpetually underfunded since Christie signed the last funding formula law in 2008. Despite the additional funding, an estimated $2 billion gap remains between what the law required and the amount that was actually allocated.

Here is how local districts are affected:

Jersey City will suffer a 2 percent reduction, or about $8.4 million.

Hoboken will lose out to the tune of a 7.7 percent decrease, or about $825,000. Weehawken funding would decrease by about the same percentage.

Meanwhile, Bayonne will receive six percent more than Christie’s “Fairness Formula,” which he introduced earlier this year, much to the chagrin of many urban school districts. Bayonne’s total increase amounts to $3.2 million, a partial but much-needed reprieve from the district’s $6 million budget deficit unearthed in November of 2016.

Union City will get a 1.2 percent increase, or $2.1 million. Secaucus will receive a 13.1 percent increase, or $131,132. Guttenberg will also receive a roughly 13 percent increase for roughly $688,000. North Bergen will receive 2.2 percent, or $1.2 million. West New York will receive a 1.2 percent increase, for about $1.5 million.

Second inmate dies at Hudson County Correctional Facility

A 48-year-old woman, sentenced in Weehawken Municipal Court to 180 days, died at the Hudson County Corrections Center on July 14 as result of as yet undisclosed cause.

James Kennelly, spokesperson for Hudson County, confirmed that Jennifer Towle, a resident of Hudson County, died in the jail’s infirmary at about 1:49 a.m.

“Her body was transferred to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Newark for an autopsy,” he said. “The results will be available in 30 to 45 days.”

Towle was serving 180 days in jail for driving while intoxicated. Because this was her third offense, this was a mandatory sentence, Kennelly said.

Towle’s death comes a month after the death of Rolando Meza Espinoza, who died from internal bleeding and other issues on June 10 after he was transferred from the jail to Jersey City Medical Center. Unlike Towle, Espinoza was being held at the county jail as an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee for alleged immigration offenses.

The reason for Towle’s death has yet to be determined. “The matter is currently under investigation,” Kennelly said.

Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise and Freeholder Board Chairman Anthony Vainieri announced two weeks ago that the county administration and Board of Freeholders will cooperate in an independent review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the death of Espinoza, 35.

In a resolution passed by the Board of Freeholders on July 11, four members, Chairman Vainieri, and Freeholders Albert Cifelli, William O’Dea and Anthony Romano, will join administration medical and professional staff designated by DeGise on the “Ad Hoc Medical Review Committee.”

North Hudson Community Action Corporation will receive $18,348 HUD grant

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $716,894 in housing counseling grants to 9 local organizations in New Jersey to help families and individuals with their housing needs and to prevent future foreclosures.

“This is a smart investment in helping families find and keep their homes,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson.  “Quite simply, knowledge is power.  We know that armed with the information they need, those who receive counseling services are far more successful in buying, renting or avoiding foreclosure.”

In Hudson County, North Hudson Community Action Corporation will receive $18,348.00 for Comprehensive Counseling.

North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) was founded in 1965 as a Community Action Agency (CAA) to address the immediate needs of low-income residents, to continue assistance until stability and eventual self-sufficiency is achieved.

Grant recipients address the full range of families’ housing counseling needs. This includes helping homebuyers evaluate their readiness for a home purchase, understand their financing and down payment options, and navigate what can be an extremely confusing and difficult home buying process. The organization also help households find affordable rental housing and offer financial literacy training to individuals and families struggling to repair credit problems that restrict their housing options.

In addition to providing counseling to homeowners and renters, these organizations assist homeless persons in finding the transitional housing they need to move toward a permanent place to live. Finally, grantees also assist senior citizens seeking reverse mortgages.

Hudson County CASA is seeking volunteers

Learn how to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer and help foster children find safe and permanent homes. The next information session will be at Little City Books at 100 Bloomfield St., Hoboken on Tuesday, July 25 at 7 p.m. Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a non-profit organization committed to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children.

CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes. Hudson County CASA volunteers are everyday people who make a direct impact in foster children’s lives.

They are trusted, dedicated adults who seek to improve children’s well-being. CASA volunteers get to know their assigned child and his or her circumstances and provide valuable information to the court. Judges rely on the volunteers’ recommendations to make the best decisions about the children’s futures.

For further information, visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org.

Alicia Olatuja to headline Summer Concerts on the Hudson on Wednesday, July 26

Praised by The New York Times as “a singer with a strong and luscious tone and an amiably regal presence on stage,” Alicia Olatuja will headline the latest free summer concert on the Hudson on Wednesday, July 26 at 7 p.m. at Lincoln Harbor Park, just north of the Chart House restaurant on the west bank of the Hudson River in Weehawken. The concert series is co-sponsored by the Hudson Reporter.

The venue is reachable by light rail to the Lincoln Harbor stop and also by NJ Transit bus 158 from Port Authority and towns to the north. Free parking is available at the Weehawken Recreational Park and also in the parking deck behind 1000 Harbor Boulevard. Please use 1600 Harbor Boulevard for GPS directions.

Concerts are family friendly. Limited seating is available; however, audience members are asked to bring a lawn chair or blanket, if possible, and encouraged to picnic on the lawn. A rain date, if needed, will be scheduled for the following night. For more information including the full summer concert schedule, directions, updates, and rain date info, please check the HRPAC website www.hrpac.org, or call the concert info line at (201) 716-4540.

Olatuja first came into the national spotlight in 2013 while performing as the featured soloist with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. Shortly thereafter, she formed her own jazz-based ensemble and recorded her first solo album, Timeless.

Originally from St. Louis, Alicia grew up immersed in a wide range of musical styles, including gospel, soul, jazz, and classical. This led her to the Manhattan School of Music from which she graduated with a Masters degree. After appearing in numerous operatic and musical theater productions, she started to perform more regularly in gospel and jazz concerts and worked with such esteemed artists as Chaka Khan, BeBe Winans, and Christian McBride.

In 2014, Alicia came to the attention of the acclaimed composer/arranger/pianist Billy Childs, and he invited her to be part of his musical valentine to Laura Nyro, Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro. Alicia’s voice also impressed the legendary Hammond B3 organist, Dr. Lonnie Smith, with whom she performed at the Charlie Parker Festival and the BRIC JazzFest.

Alicia’s own band has been steadily in demand nationwide and just completed a week at the legendary jazz club, Birdland.

Healthcare reform study assesses job stress and organizational readiness

You can join a unique PhD research study assessing the human impact of Healthcare Reform. Ongoing changes to health care have triggered new demanding challenges for health care professionals working with diverse populations in U.S. health care systems. A Deloitte & Touché survey of 400 organizations highlighted that employee resistance to change is the number one reason organization change initiatives fail, and determined organizational readiness is a critical factor in the process of achieving successful change in organizations.

 You can participate when and where it is convenient. The assessments only take minutes to complete. Register and participate to receive a free workbook and join a raffle for one Apple store $500 gift certificate. 

To find out if you qualify just answer Yes/No to the screening questions at www.organizationalreadinessresearch.net where you can also learn more. 

NORTH BERGEN BRIEFS

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Hudson County Parks Host Free Outdoor Movies All Summer

Hudson County is hosting a free “Movies in the Park” series again this summer, bringing 14 big features to seven parks throughout the region. Next up is “The Batman LEGO Movie” at Lincoln Park in Jersey City on July 19.
North Bergen residents can look forward to “Moana” on Friday, July 21 and “Alice through the Looking Glass” on Friday, Aug. 18. Both films will be shown outdoors on a big screen in James J. Braddock North Hudson Park.
All movies are free, and so is the popcorn. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy an evening outdoors with your friends and neighbors. Movies start at sundown. All events are wheelchair accessible.
For more information visit www.hudsoncountynj.org .

Meet the North Bergen P.D. at local meetings in July

The North Bergen Police Department is hosting community meetings throughout the township in July. These informal sessions are a great forum for North Bergen residents to voice any concerns and discuss issues in person with members of the police department.
The program, known as N.B. TAPS (North Bergen Township Alternative Policing Strategy), was initiated last year by Chief of Police Robert Dowd in order to enhance police-community relations. Residents get to meet the officers who patrol their neighborhoods, and the officers learn about any matters of concern directly from the residents.
All meetings will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. The dates and locations are as follows:
• Wednesday, July 19: Our Lady of Fatima Church, Lower Level, 8101 Kennedy Blvd.
• Thursday, July 20: Uptown Public Library, 8411 Bergenline Ave.
• Tuesday, July 25: North Bergen Town Hall Chambers, Lower Level, 4233 Kennedy Blvd.

Guttenberg Holds First Annual Independence Day Barbecue and Pig Roast

Guttenberg held its first ever Independence Day Barbecue and Pig Roast on July 4. Mayor Gerald Drasheff and the town council greeted hundreds of community members, who spent a relaxing day enjoying one another’s company.
Delicious ribs and pulled pork sandwiches were served, along with barbecued burgers and hot dogs. The free event took place in Veterans Park, alongside the Anna L. Klein School. The street was closed from Palisade Avenue to Hudson Avenue for the celebration, with activities for kids and a DJ providing musical entertainment.

North Hudson Community Action Corporation will receive $18,348 HUD grant

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $716,894 in housing counseling grants to nine local organizations in New Jersey to help families and individuals with their housing needs and to prevent future foreclosures. In Hudson County, North Hudson Community Action Corporation will receive $18,348 for Comprehensive Counseling.
North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) was founded in 1965 as a Community Action Agency (CAA) to address the immediate needs of low-income residents, to continue assistance until stability and eventual self-sufficiency is achieved. Residents throughout Hudson County who need medical services on a sliding scale should contact their local office.
With this grant, recipients address the full range of families’ housing counseling needs. This includes helping homebuyers evaluate their readiness for a home purchase, understand their financing and down payment options, and navigate what can be an extremely confusing and difficult home buying process. The organization also help households find affordable rental housing and offer financial literacy training to individuals and families struggling to repair credit problems that restrict their housing options.
In addition to providing counseling to homeowners and renters, these organizations assist homeless persons in finding the transitional housing they need to move toward a permanent place to live. Finally, grantees also assist senior citizens seeking reverse mortgages.

Hudson Shakespeare Company offers a 1990s inspired ‘Romeo and Juliet’

The Hudson Shakespeare Company returns for the final installment in its 26th annual Shakespeare in the Parks tour of Hudson County parks and libraries with a 1990s inspired “Romeo and Juliet”. Admission is free to all shows.
The show will be touring to the following locations:
Saturday, July 15 @ 3 p.m., Van Vorst Park, (Rain Location Park Gazebo), Montgomery Street and Jersey Avenue, Jersey City
Monday, July 17 @ 7 p.m., 522 Frank Sinatra Drive, Frank Sinatra Park, Hoboken
Thursday, July 20 @ 7 p.m., Hamilton Park (9th St and Jersey Avenue) (Rain Location Park Gazebo) Jersey City
Thursday, July 27 @ 6:30 p.m., Hoboken Public Library, 500 Park Ave. Hoboken
“Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare is the most famous love story in the English language and has been adapted in a variety of settings, from a straight Elizabethan presentation with Franco Zefferelli to a musical romp in “West Side Story.” It’s a story that most people think they know quite well, a story of ideal young love and perfectly matched lovers whose love is denied by their warring families and which leads to their tragic ends.
However, the innocent pair of Romeo and Juliet are just the tip of the iceberg in a world filled with scheming, opportunistic parents; violent, self-destructive rebels and the true parental figures who try to keep the couple out of harm’s way. Director Noelle Fair wanted to look beyond a production that just focused on the lovers or their warring families and examine what drives the unstoppable hatred and violence that happens in the play. What can it say about how we treat each other today where fights can spark online or in public for little to no reason?
A lawn chair and blanket are recommended for all outdoor showings. For more information on the show, please visit www.hudsonshakespeare.com or call (973) 449-7443.

Healthcare reform study assesses job stress and organizational readiness

You can join a unique PhD research study assessing the human impact of Healthcare Reform. Ongoing changes to health care have triggered new demanding challenges for health care professionals working with diverse populations in U.S. health care systems. A Deloitte & Touché survey of 400 organizations highlighted that employee resistance to change is the number one reason organization change initiatives fail, and determined organizational readiness is a critical factor in the process of achieving successful change in organizations.
You can participate when and where it is convenient. The assessments only take minutes to complete. Register and participate to receive a free workbook and join a raffle for one Apple store $500 gift certificate.
To find out if you qualify just answer Yes/No to the screening questions at www.organizationalreadinessresearch.net where you can also learn more.

JERSEY CITY BRIEFS

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Police charged in pizza incident

Jersey City Police Officers Rodney Clark and Courtney Solomon have been charged with making terrorist threats for allegedly attacking a Domino’s Pizza manager on March 27.
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said the two officers were charged on March 28 following an investigation by the Internal Affairs Unit of the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor.
Both officers were on-duty at the time.
The incident was reported to the Jersey City Police Department. JCPD then reported the incident to the Prosecutor’s Internal Affairs Unit. After a preliminary investigation, the Jersey City Police Department suspended the officers without pay.
“The Prosecutor’s Office will fully investigate the allegations against these officers and prosecute in accordance with the law to ensure that justice is served,” said Suarez. “Officers who abuse their power and break the law must be held accountable for their actions.”
According to published reports, the officers were allegedly upset that delivery of a pizza from the store on Communipaw Avenue was late. They allegedly came into the shop, grabbed the employee and dragged him out of the building, threatening to lock him up. The store manager called 911 to complain.

City Council introduces recreational marijuana ordinance

On Wednesday, March 28, the Jersey City Council introduced amendments to the City’s Land Development Ordinance which will serve as the first steps to assure that any future legalization within the city is done in a strategic and equitable way, said Mayor Steven Fulop.
Gov. Phil Murphy took office promising to legalize marijuana for recreational use, but his plan has been put on hold indefinitely as Democrats in the legislature undertake a months-long study of the issue.
In addition to the amendments, the City Council will also review a memo prepared by the Division of City Planning which outlines both short-term and long-term strategies to prepare for possible statewide legalization.
These recommendations include strategies to ensure that the residents have a voice as to the location of marijuana dispensaries in Jersey City. Additionally, City Planning has recommended several regulations and zoning changes that can be made to allow possible future dispensaries to operate in a strategic and thoughtful way.
“I am supporter of legalization, but it is important that Jersey City takes a proactive approach to prepare for the possible legalization of marijuana in New Jersey,” said Mayor Fulop. “The outlined changes to our zoning laws will help ensure that residents will be part of the process of where dispensaries and grow facilities will be permitted, and will guarantee that Jersey City will have the ability to chart its own course once legalization occurs. Our goal is to be ahead of the conversation so that we don’t find ourselves in costly legal battles defending the city in the case we hadn’t prepared properly. This will ensure that residents are protected.”
Currently, the City’s Land Development Ordinance does not expressly prohibit the cultivation, manufacture, warehousing, distribution and sale of Cannabis as a matter of land use and it would be permitted citywide per our current zoning ordinances. The amendments that will go before the City Council on Wednesday will proactively restrict these uses so that upon legalization, the location of warehouse and distribution centers would not be allowed in places that are not aligned with the community’s wishes.
Once prohibited in all areas, the Division of City Planning recommends the creation of an overlay zone that lifts this restriction in designated zones. Public input will be a critical part of the process to decide these overlay zones, and public meetings will be held to help define these areas throughout the city.
The division also recommended that the city create a license requirement for all establishments seeking to conduct Commercial Cannabis Activity and parse out those licenses to include cultivation, manufacture, warehousing, distribution, research/development and sale of Cannabis and Cannabis Products. Regulations within the license requirement would provide guidance as to their location in order to restrict their establishment from a specific distance of schools, public parks, day care centers, and other licensed cannabis establishments.

Street crimes unit bust nets weapons and drugs

According to a press release from the city, after a long-term investigation, Jersey City Police Department Street Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at 100 Glenwood Ave. on Tuesday, March 27 at approximately 8 p.m. As a result, four illegal handguns and an illegal shotgun were confiscated as well as ammunition, Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS) and $5,729.00 in cash. Seven people have been arrested.
The ammunition included several kinds of hollow point bullets, marijuana, heroin, several types of cocaine, and assorted other drugs.

Hudson police participate in texting while driving ticket blitz

Several Hudson County police departments and the county sheriff’s office plan to join a state-wide crackdown beginning Sunday on motorists who text while driving, according to local media reports.
The state Division of Highway Traffic Safety has awarded 211 local departments, sheriff’s departments and other agencies a total of $1,401,830 in grant money to participate in the “UDrive. UText UPay”enforcement campaign to start April 1.
Officers plan to use undisclosed special strategies to catch motorists who use their cell phones behind the wheel, a campaign that resulted in over 15,000 summonses last year.
Distracted drivers could face fines of up to $400, according to the attorney general’s office.
The local departments participating in this year’s crackdown include Jersey City, North Bergen Township, Secaucus, Union City, and West New York.

Fulop orders creation of Veterans Advisory Task Force

Mayor Steven M. Fulop signed an executive order on March 28 creating the Veterans Advisory Task Force in anticipation of the new Division of Veterans Affairs. Both the new Division and the Advisory Task Force will reinforce the city’s ongoing commitment to providing services and assistance to veterans, while developing new ways to support these individuals and their families.
“As a veteran myself, I am proud of the work we have done to take care of our city’s veterans, and this executive order is yet another step in ensuring that we are doing all we can to continue to help those that have served our country,” said Mayor Fulop.
The upcoming ordinance establishes this new Division under the Health and Human Services Department, whereas it had previously been known as the Bureau of Veterans Affairs within the Resident Response Center. The revamped division will be responsible for developing forward-thinking opportunities and partnerships to improve quality of life and establishing health and wellness programs for veterans, military personnel, and families, by collaborating across both private and public sectors.
The task force will be charged with enhancing capacities to best address the needs of Jersey City’s veterans, military personnel, and families to guide the new division. This includes needs in the areas of health and wellness, housing, education and vocational training, employment and career transition, community integration and service, transportation and quality of life, and benefits, celebrations, and memorials. The Task Force will also work with outside veteran’s service organizations, other community associations, and nonprofit organizations, who continue to play a large role in helping to provide services to veterans within Jersey City and throughout New Jersey.
The task force will consist of seven voting members, as well as the Director of Veterans Affairs. Four members will be appointed by the council and three members will be appointed by the mayor. Each member of the task force will be required to meet specific criteria to ensure diverse perspectives and areas of functional expertise.
These members include a veteran discharged no more than ten years, a veteran discharged no less than ten years, a veteran who possesses demonstrable and substantive experience, influence, and relationships in Jersey City’s business community and private sector, a City Councilmember, an educational professional, a healthcare professional, and a business professional who all have demonstrable, substantive expertise relevant to veterans’ affairs.

Second Sunday song writer event

A series of appearances called the 2nd Sunday Songwriters, with a focus on licensing for TV and film, will feature Al Griggs, Steven Backer, Chrissy Roberts and Carol Lester at the Atlas Public House on April 8 from 1 to 4 p.m.
“This is a Songwriter Series on the 2nd Sunday of every month to feature writers who live locally but sing globally,” Lester said. “Each month brings in a new style of writers as well as some trending and timely song placement opportunities.”
Atlas Public House is located at 130 Newark Ave., Jersey City.

Meet the curators

Pro Arts creates professional development opportunities for local area artists and builds community around art in Jersey City and beyond on Saturday, April 7. Nearly 40 visual artists will take time to meet with curators in the council chambers.
Pro Arts invites visual artists to gain valuable feedback on their portfolios with 20-minute, one-on-one review sessions from prominent gallerists and curators at its Portfolio Review this year 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Jersey City’s City Hall, located at 280 Grove St. in Downtown Jersey City.
Meet the curators presents artists with an opportunity to connect with industry professionals and gain constructive insight on their work in a supportive environment.
The cost to participate as a Pro Arts member is $15 for the first review and $30 for each additional review. Members of the public are invited to register for $45 per review. Non-members who register for two or three reviews get one-year free Pro Arts membership (artist membership subject to approval from membership committee). Artists can register for up to three reviews. Participating artists also have an opportunity to be selected for the Curator’s Choice exhibition in May 2018. For additional information on this event and membership opportunities, please visit the Pro Arts Jersey City website at: www.proartsjerseycity.org.

County clerk launches social media campaign

Hudson County Clerk Junior Maldonado has launch of a social media campaign which includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn to have more outreach to the public.
The roll out is meant to highlight the many services of the County Clerk’s Office to make services more accessible to the people. It will include a list of services such as passports, naturalization records, public records, identification, construction and other information.
Computers are also available for members of the public to research through microfilmed records, and recording ledgers, which date back to the 1940s.
This will include election filings and other related election activities. You can download the mobile app: Hudson County Votes now available on Android & Apple.
For more information please visit: www.hudsoncountyclerk.org.

HCCC to host NJPAC dance theater workshop

The Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Department of Cultural Affairs continues its year-long partnership with New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Department of Community Engagement with a special “Twilight Tuesdays” event. The NJPAC Alvin Ailey Presentation is free of charge and open to the public, will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10 in the Atrium of the College’s Dineen Hull Gallery.
The gallery is located on the sixth floor at 71 Sip Ave. just one block from the Journal Square PATH Transportation Center in Jersey City. Children under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by an adult.
NJPAC teaching artist Theara Ward will present a short film and talk on the Alvin Ailey Dance Company followed by a dance demonstration featuring trademark movements from Ailey’s signature ballet, “Revelations.”
Information about the HCCC Department of Cultural Affairs Spring 2018 programs and events is available at www.hccc.edu/cultural-affairs or by contacting Michelle Vitale at (201) 360-4176, or emailing mvitale@hccc.edu.

Senate approves bill to diversify construction industry

Legislation sponsored by state Senators Nilsa Cruz-Perez and Sandra Bolden Cunningham that would allocate funds for training of minorities and women in the construction industry has cleared the Senate.
“Our cities are currently going through a bit of a construction boom. We need to do more to have workers hired from cities where projects are located, which will promote job growth and skills training,” said Senator Cunningham (D-Hudson). “This will be helpful for those who live in the cities, as they could become employed to become a part of the construction projects that are changing their skylines.”
The second bill, S-347, would reconcile two laws that have similar purposes revolving around the training of women and minorities in the construction industry for projects costing $1 million or more. The projects would have to be funded wholly or in part by the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009”.
The bill was released from the Senate with a vote of 35-0, and next heads to the Assembly for further consideration.

Free diabetes self-management workshops offered in Jersey City

Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network, supported locally by Healthcare Quality Strategies, Inc., is partnering with Triangle Park Community Center to provide free diabetes workshops as part of the Everyone with Diabetes Counts (EDC) program. The program is funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and it offers free self-management workshops that are open to people with Medicare who have diabetes, their family members and caregivers.
The workshops are designed to educate individuals about diabetes and help them learn how to manage it and take control of their health through various tools, behavior modification and coping techniques. Participants will learn about preventing complications, healthy eating, exercise, how to deal with stress and difficult emotions, managing medications, effective communication with healthcare providers, and much more.
This free six-week workshop will be offered at Triangle Park Community Center on 247 Old Bergen Road in Jersey City. Workshops are on Tuesdays from April 17 to May 22 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. All attendees must register by the second workshop session. Each participant (one per household) will receive complimentary literature and resources.
Support for healthy refreshments at this workshop is provided by the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute and the United Health Foundation. The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute runs a project called Healthy Communities Create Healthy Citizens as part of its Mayors Wellness Campaign program to work with community partners in Jersey City, Trenton, and Cumberland County to improve health literacy, access to healthy lifestyle initiatives, and chronic disease management. Healthy Communities Create Healthy Citizens is funded by the United Health Foundation.
For more information or to register for this free workshop, contact Devin Monserrate at (201) 994-4302 or email EJCChurch@gmail.com. Visit www.qualityinsights-qin.org to learn more about Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network, or to read real success stories about people with diabetes in New Jersey who have completed this program and made motivational improvements to their health and lives.

Hoboken declares state of emergency

Marilyn Baer, Staff Writer
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Hoboken declares state of emergency

(Updated March 15)

Hoboken’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) declared a State of Emergency in the city on Thursday, March 12 as the city continues to prepare for the coronavirus pandemic.

The OEM, the city’s Department of Health and Human Services, school district Superintendent Dr. Christine Johnson, and representatives from the charter schools have decided to cancel school over the next two weeks as a cautionary measure. 

State of emergency

The State of Emergency allows the OEM and the city to take proactive action in the days and weeks ahead to protect residents.

As of March 15, the city reported three positive COVID-19 cases in Hoboken.

Hoboken has canceled all “non-essential” city-run events and meetings starting March 13.

Canceled events include all city-run recreation activities and sports for children and adults, Planning Board, Zoning Board, and municipal volunteer board meetings, and the scheduled public meetings on Neumann Leathers Redevelopment Project and the NJ Transit Records Building.

The city has also closed all city recreation fields and facilities.

A City Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18. The Bhalla administration and Council President Jen Giattino are exploring alternative options to host the meeting.

According to Giattino, options include the possibility of residents sending in questions and comments instead of attending the council meeting to speak but still streaming the meeting, having a phone conference, or canceling the meeting outright.

The OEM has also directed that all bars and restaurant establishments, with or without a liquor license, are no longer permitted to serve food within the restaurant or bar.

If a bar does not currently offer food, they will no longer be permitted to operate and are no longer permitted to serve alcohol, as of 11 a.m. Sunday, March 15.

Any bar or restaurant establishment that currently offers food service will be permitted to conduct food takeout and food delivery service only.

OEM is also implementing a city-wide daily curfew which will be in effect from 10 p.m. through 5 a.m., starting Monday, March 16 until further notice.

During this curfew, all residents will be required to remain in their homes except for emergencies, or if they are required to work by their employer.

Street cleaning is also now suspended.

City parks will remain open with the exception of fields, recreation courts, playgrounds, and restrooms.

Daycares and pop-up camps for children are also closed.The city has closed all gyms, all health clubs, and movie theaters.

City Hall is now closed to the public but all services are available by phone, email, and online only.

Members of the public must call the respective department in City Hall and speak to a representative or leave a message, or send an email to the respective employee or department head, that can be found at http://www.hobokennj.gov and choosing the “departments” tab under “government”.

To prepare for an anticipated surge of patients, the Office of Emergency Management authorized the construction of a medical tent on Fourth Street outside of Hoboken University Medical Center.

The Health Department recommends that residents who believe they have been exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19 should contact their healthcare provider first instead of going to the emergency room.

“It is critically important for residents to stay home if you are sick and remain home for at least 24 hours until symptoms resolve,” said Bhalla. “It is essential to continue washing and sanitizing your hands frequently. Please work from home if you can for the near future.”

School closed

Schools will be closed over the next two weeks starting Monday, March 16.

“We have prepared all of our remote learning plans and everything is ready to go,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christine Johnson.

Johnson said teachers and staff have worked collaboratively on creating at-home instruction, and the district surveyed all families regarding their access to technology and the internet so that those without access received hard copies of at-home instruction.

“We developed required lessons in math, science, language arts, social studies, and health wellness for all students for every day,” said Johnson, noting that the district is providing 10 hours of instruction.

Johnson also said plans are in place for ESL students, students with special needs, students who require speech therapy and student who require physical therapy.

“Lessons were created from a basis of activities these kids are familiar with, and will be reinforcing at home,” said Johnson, noting therapists will be checking in with students via phone and email.

The district will also provide breakfast and lunch to district students and charter school students who qualified for free and reduced lunch. Grab and go meals will be handed out at the Ninth Street entrance of Hoboken High School by the cafeteria between Clinton and Grand streets. Meal service will be available from 8:30-10:30 a.m

According to state law, absences of 10 or more days must result in disenrollment for all children in Pre-K through 12th grade, but Johnson said that students will not be given absences for the days because school instruction will still be taking place.

Stevens Institute of Technology announced the campus has not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19 but to ensure the health and safety of their community all classes have been moved online through April 5.

“This decision is based on the best public health information we have today,” states a letter to the Stevens community dated March 12 from Marybeth Murphy, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, and Vice President of Human Resources Warren Petty.

To reduce density on campus and limit potential transmission of COVID-19, some employees have been given permission to work remotely.

Students living on campus have been instructed to go home until April 5.

“University settings present unique challenges during a pandemic because of the density of students living and studying in close quarters,” the letter reads. “In addition, our capacity to quarantine those who become sick or those who may have been exposed is extremely limited. The more students who leave campus, the more we can decrease the potential health risk to the broader community. “

Stevens is working with students to help those who can not return home for a variety of reasons. The university is considering each request to remain on campus on a case by case basis.

Students who must remain in Stevens housing during this time should request permission from the Office of Residential and Dining Services (RDS) by clicking here.  Students can email rds@stevens.edu with questions.

Stevens students are asked to check the Stevens homepage regularly for updates.

Library programs canceled

The Hoboken Public Library facilities including the Main Library at 500 Park Ave, the Grand Street Branch, and the Learning Center at the Hoboken Housing Authority will be closed starting Monday, March 16, with a planned reopening of Monday, March 30.

“We apologize for the inconvenience, but this action is necessary to protect the health of our customers and staff during this volatile time,” said Director Lina Podles.

Loan periods will be adjusted to compensate for the closure and all items currently checked out to Hoboken Library cardholders will have their loans extended to Thursday, April 2.

Go to HobokenLibrary.org for the latest library information and to access to vibrant and robust online downloading and streaming services.

Go to HobokenLibrary.org/coronavirus/ for practical information about the Coronavirus.

Rescheduled events

The 19th Annual Tribeca Film Festival was scheduled to make it’s Hoboken debut this April, but according to a statement from co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises Jane Rosenthal, the festival will be postponed.

“We founded the Tribeca Film Festival as a way to heal our community after the devastation of the 9/11 attacks in 2001,” said Rosenthal. “We were determined to overcome our fear and anxiety by joining together. It is in our DNA to march forward while caring about our community.”

Rosenthal said the “difficult decision” to postpone was based on the announcement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that events of 500 people or more are banned.

“We are committed to ensuring the health and safety of the public while also supporting our friends, filmmakers and storytellers who look to Tribeca as a platform to showcase their work to audiences. We will be back to you shortly with our plans,” she said.

“Check www.tribecafilm.com for the latest updates, ticket refund information and details about how we are moving forward.”

Little City Books was scheduled to host its 2nd Annual Hoboken Literary Weekend from April 3 to April 5 but according to co-owner Kate Jacobs, the weekend has been rescheduled for the fall. It was to feature several award-winning authors, artists, performers, and journalists at Little City Books as well as at partner venues throughout Hoboken.

The Hoboken Community Center announced it would be rescheduling it’s annual benefit “A Taste of Hoboken” which was to take place on March 18 at Stevens Institute of Technology Howe Center.

“The HCC is working to reschedule the event for later in 2020, and an announcement with the new date will be made shortly,” states their event page. “Guests are encouraged to keep their tickets for the rescheduled event, but those unable to attend on the new date may request a refund via the ticket website.”

Stay Safe

The CDC recommends ways to limit the risk of contracting and spreading the virus.

Recommendations include frequent handwashing with soap and water or use of hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60 percent alcohol; covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing; avoiding touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; avoiding close contact with people who are sick; and if you are sick, staying home from work or school.

The City of Hoboken, Office of Emergency Management, and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) have opened up a COVID-19 hotline for Hoboken residents at 201-420-5620.

CERT members will be available to answer general questions pertaining to Hoboken’s COVID-19 response and serve as a resource with additional information for residents.

It will not be utilized for professional medical advice.

The COVID-19 hotline is open from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. through at least March 20.

A separate hotline for Hoboken seniors requesting assistance, or anyone in contact with a senior in need, has also been set up at 201-420-5625.

It is operational from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. until at least March 20.

Volunteers may be needed during the week to assist with various tasks related to the city’s COVID-19 response.

If you are interested in volunteering, please call the COVID-19 hotline at 201-420-5620 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The Hoboken Health Department will continue to operate, but the city says it should only be contacted by medical professionals.

Those that believe they were exposed to COVID-19 and want to be tested should contact their primary care physician first. Then they may also call the Hoboken Health Department at 201-420-2000 ext. 5211.

For updates on this and other stories check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Marilyn Baer can be reached at Marilynb@hudsonreporter.com.

 

Bits, bytes, and the arts

Marilyn Baer, Staff Writer
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Bits, bytes, and the arts

The Hoboken Housing Authority has partnered with local non-profits and with City Hall to teach adults about computer coding, and to teach teens about artistic expression and the environment.

An organization called CODE IT is teaching a computer programming language called Python for adults aged 18-39 who live in the HHA projects.

Another group, Artis Love +Action, is teaching how to express social issues through various artistic media. The results will be shown at Mile Square Theater in August.

At the same time, Leo Pellegrini, director of environmental services for the city, has established a summer work program for Hoboken high schoolers to help with various citywide green infrastructure projects.

The Hoboken Housing Authority is the agency that oversees the federally funded low-income and senior buildings on the west side of town.

HHA Executive Director Marc Recko said, “I’ve been the director of the Housing Authority for about 18 months now, and there wasn’t much going on. A community like ours is so much more than brick and mortar. Residents need activities and job training and support. We are fortunate that a number of non-profits have been committed to working with our residents.”

Software engineering and other job skills

“We just graduated our first class of students,” said CODE IT Executive Director Da’Shone Hughey.

The 13-week program uses a combination of lectures, hands-on workshops, and projects to teach programming. According to Hughey, the program also teaches financial planning and resume writing, and students leave with a LinkedIn account.

“By the time students graduate from CODE IT, they will have a minimum of three projects in their software engineering portfolio,” said Hughey.

The free program takes students between 18 and 39 years of age “who are committed to reinventing themselves and taking ownership of their future.”

“You may not have gone to a private school or gotten a high school diploma, but just because you live in the Hoboken Housing Authority doesn’t mean you can’t learn,” said Hughey. “We want to help focused people get out of the cycle of poverty and better themselves.”

The course meets in a community room in 311 Harrison St. and accepts 12 students each round with a goal of about 40 students each year.

“If you aren’t coming to class and you don’t show up, if you are not committed, we will remove you and give your spot to someone else on the waiting list,” said Hughey.

Jalen Edward Miles, a 22-year-old resident of the Hoboken Housing Authority, just graduated from the course.

“I’ve always been semi-interested in computers,” he said. “This course has been very influential. I started the program and now I’ve been motivated. I got a job and I actually just got my high school diploma a couple of days ago. I learned how to think smarter and more effectively. A lot of it is just math and common sense.”

Hughey said, “We are actually trying to raise funds so that we can offer a stipend to the students who attend, and if you are late, we dock you $5 for every minute you miss. We want our students to take this seriously. This is work. This is their job.”

Hughey said the group hopes to raise about $300,000 through a GoFundMe page and an upcoming fundraiser that’s being planned.

“We are doing good work but we are running on fumes. We need help,” said Hughey.

Hughey said he got a call on Monday from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which will send Community Information Officer Johnson Joy to observe the course and speak to the students.

The next course is slated to begin Aug. 21 and applications can be found online at www.code-it.tech. To donate to Code It go to https://www.gofundme.com/codeithoboken.

A camp for self-expression

Artis Love +Action is a New York City based non-profit started by Hoboken resident Namibia Donadio who will bring her program to her hometown for a two-week camp starting July 31 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The camp, for 20 children aged 12 to 18, aims to create a platform of artistic expression for Housing Authority residents.

“I think art is an equalizer,” said Donadio. “I think the ability to think critically about your world in a place where you can express those thoughts freely is truly amazing.”

The two-week camp will utilize theater, photography, poetry, and chorus, for this expression.

“This is a social awareness program where the point is to create pieces that express what they think about the world around them and how to impact the now, their present,” said Donadio.

So far the free camp already has seven students signed up. All of them had to complete an application answering questions about how they feel about their world, impacting their everyday lives.

“Some said they feel there is no togetherness in the community, others said they wish to beautify the area around them, some had concerns with pollution, or needing more youth activities, and others said they wished they could change where they lived,” said Donadio.

The camp will end with a showcase at the Mile Square Theater.

“We are inviting the community to come and attend and hear what they have to say through their own words,” said Donadio.

“I don’t hope to create or help the next generation of artists, I hope to help young people remember their power and give them the opportunity to reconnect their identities with their community and families and help give them the language and medium to express themselves,” said Donadio.

According to Donadio the program will utilize donated materials, space at the housing authority, and professional artists who have donated their time to teach. But Donadio is still looking to raise about $15,000 to help provide the artists with a stipend and offset some of their costs.

To apply for the camp, go to https://www.facebook.com/ARTisLoveandAction/

To donate to Artis Love + Action go to https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/profile?id=15588.  

Green infrastructure training

The summer green infrastructure programming for high school aged students has finished its second week, according to Pellegrini.

Residents discussed such a program in February after a teen resident of the Hoboken housing authority was killed in his home, allegedly by acquaintances from Jersey City. Residents at the time said there were not enough programs for youths.

The five-week program ends Aug. 10 and will train 48 high school aged students on green infrastructure and broader life skills such as mock interviews and financial planning.

“We’ve learned a lot about how to change the environment and take care of it.” – Iris McGowen

“We took people with no regard of their past job experience,” said Pellegrini. “We were hoping for about 50 people to participate, but when we were doing the application process we had about 72 who were initially interested and have 48 who are now in the program.”

Pellegrini said, “They are showing up and learning about green infrastructure and how to maintain bio swells and rain gardens, but we also have several seminars for them on resume writing and financial literacy.”

The teens work 20 hours a week four days a week and get paid $8.50 per hour.

16 year-old resident Iris McGowan said, “We’ve learned a lot about how to change the environment and take care of it… We are trying to make things better. If we don’t take care of it no one else would. I actually have like a biology class tomorrow where they will teach us about flooding and stuff.”

Shakea Coleman of the Housing Authority, said “We are trying to help clean up and better the community. We are working all over Hoboken picking up trash and weeding.”

“I think it’s important they learn about green infrastructure and the impact storms have on Hoboken,” said Pellegrini. “It allows them to have a better understanding of how their area is affected and protected.”

Marilyn Baer can be reached at Marilynb@hudsonreporter.com

Districts expanding and evolving

Rory Pasquariello, Staff Writer
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Districts expanding and evolving

Education is supposed to be the “great equalizer” among people from different areas and backgrounds, said education reformer Horace Mann in the 18th century. New Jersey’s public schools rely on a combination of local property taxes and state funding to pump money into the schools, but it hasn’t always been easy to find the formula to make sure students in poorer areas aren’t shortchanged. A series of court decisions starting in the 1970s forced the state to provide more aid to 31 cash-strapped districts. But all schools in the state rely on significant state aid – aid that unfortunately hasn’t increased to local districts since the newest funding formula was passed in 2008.
Gov. Christopher Christie’s proposed “Fairness Formula” from 2016 would do away with increased state aid for districts with poorer student and English language learners, resulting in less funding for local districts and more funding for suburban districts.
In 2010, Christie’s first year in office, the local schools received the aid they were expecting. Then, confronted with a state budget gap and looking for line items to eliminate, Christie slashed $1.1 billion in state aid to schools. After a lawsuit, the administration was forced to return $500 million, but only to the 31 so-called Abbott districts, of which Hudson County has four.
While local educators are concerned about this, their districts are still thriving. This year, many boasted new technology, new educational programs, and low-cost aftercare in some districts.
Hudson County also provides more and more choices for parents each year. The county has 16 charter schools, which are publicly funded schools run by parents and educators. The county also has a series of public magnet schools called the Hudson County Schools of Technology that draw from all local towns.
Here is a rundown of the big issues in the schools this year, and what’s new in each of the districts.

The big issues

The schools are preparing their kids for the state standardized Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests but many parents have opted out of the unpopular tests. In fact, in March, the state Assembly passed a resolution ordering the Department of Education to either undo or revise certain graduation requirements related to the tests.
On another note, schools throughout the county are taking the initiative to integrate new technology and STEM (Science Technology Education and Math) studies into their curriculum. The Jersey City School District implemented a program called “Google One to One” in which students in grades 3 through 5 will now be provided with laptops running the Google operating system, while teachers are provided requisite professional development and training.
Hoboken introduced a “Passport to Learning” afterschool program, which integrates science and math into its wide-ranging list of taught subjects.
In March, students from across the county participated in the annual STEM Showcase. Kids in grades five through 12 competed for prizes in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. A sophomore at McNair High School in Jersey City and a freshman from Bayonne High School were declared winners for their projects. Respectively, their endeavors were meant to prevent harmful algae from destroying wild mushrooms, and to diagnose the Zika virus using computer software and retinal scans.
Here are some initiatives in the individual districts.

Bayonne

In recent years, Bayonne, like other schools, has embraced STEM education. They also have created new high school “academies” that specialize in advanced subjects, and upgraded elementary school technology.
But school improvement and upkeep is costly. Late in 2016, the school district found itself in dire financial straits after discovering a structural deficit of about $3 million. Since then the Bayonne Board of Education has been forcing staff layoffs and demotions and plans many more to cut costs.
It’s unknown whether the cuts will go deep enough to lead to increased class sizes next year.

Hoboken

Hoboken has the youngest average population among Hudson County municipalities, which translates to more young children and a higher demand for pre-K, elementary schools, and afterschool care.
Next year, the Hoboken school district has plans to separate the middle school from the high school and hire a new middle school principal, Dr. Sharon Davis. Currently, the middle school adjoins the high school and both are overseen by High School Principal Robin Piccapietra. Some parents have said they would like the younger kids to be in a separate place from the older ones.
The middle school will take up the top two floors of the AJ Demarest building, which is next to Church Square Park on Fourth and Garden streets. It was once the city’s high school, which Frank Sinatra attended briefly before leaving to launch his singing career.

Jersey City

It’s rare when cities get new schools, but Jersey’s City’s growth has enabled two new schools to open and a third is in the works.
The Jersey City Board of Education in February authorized moving the entire student body from the aging PS 31 on Kennedy Boulevard to the new Patricia M. Noonan Elementary School on Summit Avenue starting in the spring. It is the first new school in over a decade and a first step in a major shift in school populations in The Heights area. The addition is welcome because existing public elementary schools are nearing or have exceeded capacity.
On the other side of town on Ocean Avenue, P.S. 20/Maya Angelou School opened in September and will educate students in pre-k through fifth grade. The school is named after the author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” a 1969 account of the late author’s childhood in the Jim Crow-era South.
A 200-student public school for pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students will be developed on Columbus Drive in Paulus Hook as part of a $370 million, 35,000 square foot residential tower development planned in the neighborhood. Announced weeks after the opening of the Maya Angelou School, the small new school will help serve the growing population of young urban professionals starting families downtown.
After much debate over whether to name Public School 34 in the Greenville neighborhood after former President Barack Obama, the Jersey City Board of Education decided to do so in October. P.S. 34 will be the second Jersey City school named after Barack Obama, after Lincoln High School was renamed earlier in 2016.
In a swelling school district of 28,000 in a fast-growing city, new schools are crucial to prevent overcrowding.

North Bergen and Guttenberg

In a plan to reduce overcrowding at North Bergen High School, students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades will be moved to the former county high school campus on 85th Street in 2019. The city plans to spend $15 to $20 million to purchase a building with classrooms, labs, and an attached gymnasium, presently owned by the county’s High Tech High School. That school is moving to a new campus in Secaucus.
The new campus of NBHS will reduce the number of students at the current school by more than 25 percent. The new building will house grades 10 through 12, and the current high school will house grades seven through nine.
Seventh and eighth graders currently attend local elementary schools. But starting in 2019, elementary schools will continue only up to sixth grade. Every elementary school will have more classroom space, allowing for full time classrooms for art, music, and other subjects and lower student-to-teacher ratios.
High Tech is planning a move to Secaucus in 2018, thus leaving its land and buildings for new occupants.
North Bergen schools are installing WiFi in all their buildings as well as ensuring every student has a computer. Guttenberg Superintendent of Schools Michelle Rosenberg said each student from fourth to eighth grade in Guttenberg already has one Chromebook, a Google laptop that the district has been using for two years. North Bergen received around 1,500 new Google Chromebook laptops and Chromebox computers this year in addition to the thousands they have.
New wings have been added to North Bergen’s McKinley Elementary, John F. Kennedy Elementary, Franklin Elementary, and Robert Fulton Elementary, adding 100 classrooms and support spaces, such as guidance suites and community areas, in the last decade.
Meanwhile, Guttenberg’s only school — Anna Klein Elementary School — has a new principal, Keith Petry, who was promoted from supervisor. A teacher, Ilvea Cruz, was promoted to replace him. Fifth through eighth graders have a new disciplinarian and curriculum supervisor, Robert Correggio, who was also promoted within.
Anna Klein also has a new wing in which STEM labs will be ready later this year.

Secaucus

Secaucus’s high school and middle school are officially the same building now. Renovations are nearly finished, with only the new gymnasium and media center in need of final touches. Sixth graders were welcomed to the middle school for the first time in September after renovations began in 2014. Previously, sixth graders would attend the town’s two elementary schools. About 130 sixth grade students are now in the Secaucus High School building, bringing the number of students in the complex to more than 1,000.
Currently, pre-schoolers attend school for a half-day, but for a little extra money, parents can soon sign up for full-day pre-k starting in the fall.

Union City

The Union City school district is home to many immigrants, and was recognized in a Wall Street Journal in November 2016 for its success in providing opportunities to immigrant children.
Almost 96 percent of its students are Hispanic, and many live in Spanish-speaking homes. According to the school district, estimates at least 15 percent of students are undocumented. Still, students in Union City perform above the national average on standardized math and reading tests, despite a small percentage of parents having bachelor’s degrees and below average median family income.
The district is always changing the curriculum to accommodate new technologies and conducting online testing to better improve individual students’ and teachers’ weaknesses.
The district recently announced that seniors Joan Martinez, 17, and Giselle Pena, 17, have received early admission to Columbia, a competitive Ivy League school in New York City. Also, Isaac Ortega, 18, the class valedictorian, will head to another top college: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Ortega, Martinez (ranked eighth in his graduating class), and Pena, (ranked 14th), are part of the school’s Academy for Enrichment and Advancement, which holds classes for scholars interested in science and engineering.

West New York

While not a declared sanctuary city like Jersey City or Union City, West New York is similar to Union City in demographics. The Board of Education unanimously passed, in February of 2017, a symbolic measure declaring the district a “safe zone” for all.
The school district is expanding its Global Connections program after four successful years. Fifth and sixth grade students in the district’s gifted and talented program use “digital learning” to gain cross-cultural understanding. In the program, Students, teachers, and administrators exchange unique experiences, ideas, and curriculum with their counterparts in Gijon, Spain via video calling.
The district is also promoting tech literacy by integrating pedagogical models of digital learning, including the “Flipped Classroom” model, in which elements of classwork can be accessed online from home, enabling educators to dedicate more in-class time to discussions, projects, exercises, and hands-on learning. The district even invites parents to the schools to learn about the flipped classroom model in order to facilitate its use at home.

Rory Pasquariello may be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.

JERSEY CITY BRIEFS

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JERSEY CITY BRIEFS

Chelsea Market’s Buon’Italia expands operations to Jersey City

Buon’Italia, which has a 3,000-square-foot shop in New York City’s Chelsea Market, has cut the ribbon on a 27,500-square-foot warehouse on Port Jersey Blvd. in Jersey City.
In 2015, Buon’Italia’s founder, Domenico “Mimmo” Magliulo, and his family embarked on a plan to expand the company’s wholesale distribution capabilities, When Magliulo made the strategic decision to locate Buon’Italia’s wholesale operations in Jersey City, he turned to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s (EDA’s) Premier Lender Program for support. A Fulton Bank loan with a nearly 26 percent EDA participation helped the company acquire its new facility. Fulton Bank is one of EDA’s approximately two dozen Premier Lender partners.
“Jersey City offers many logistical advantages, including access to major ports, highways, and Hudson River crossings, while still remaining close to the heart of our existing customer base,” said Magliulo. “The support provided by Fulton Bank and the EDA has truly helped to facilitate our expansion.”
EDA Chief Executive Officer Melissa Orsen visited Buon’Italia to raise awareness of the Premier Lender Program and the range of other low-cost financing solutions offered by the EDA to support the growth of small businesses in New Jersey. She was joined by Angelica Lyons, commercial lender, Fulton Bank.
“We welcome Buon’Italia to the state and encourage all companies looking to expand or invest in their operations to look to the EDA first so they can be informed of all financing options available to support their growth in New Jersey,” said Orsen. “Our highly skilled labor pool, perfect location, and world-class infrastructure have attracted scores of distribution and warehouse centers to the state. Together with a booming food and agriculture industry, New Jersey is an ideal home for Buon’Italia as it continues to grow.”

Executive order restricting funds to sanctuary cities blocked by federal judge

A federal judge in San Francisco permanently blocked the enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order on Monday, Nov. 20 that called for restricting federal grant money from so-called “sanctuary cities.”
U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick ruled the order unconstitutional for violating separation of powers and due process of law because the president does not have the authority to deprive local jurisdictions of funds allocated by Congress.
A “sanctuary city” is not legally defined, but is generally considered to be a local jurisdiction that does not comply with requests from federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in detaining undocumented persons unless they are involved in a serious crime. Over 200 localities refused to cooperate in 2015, according to congressional testimony from the Director of ICE.
Jersey City and Union City adopted sanctuary city ordinances in 2017, while other Hudson County leaders have voiced opposition to the president’s rhetoric and actions.
Mayor Steven Fulop said in January, “Jersey City was founded as a city of immigrants and we are unwilling to be part of orders that break families apart or harm immigrants who are in this country.”
When Union City passed on ordinance declaring sanctuary city status in February, Mayor Brian Stack said “I don’t believe that the president of the United States could make local police enforce immigration laws that are supposed to be federally enforced. Second, I don’t believe the court system will allow it. I think that common sense will prevail, and they won’t allow it.”
The litigation over the executive order will continue in federal appellate court, and possibly the Supreme Court, if either case makes it that far.

Should the PATH run to Newark Airport? Let the Port Authority know

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will hold two public hearings regarding a possible PATH extension near Newark Airport.
The first hearing will take place Nov. 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Weequahic Park Sports Authority Community Center in Newark. The center is located at 92 Carmichael Dr.
The second hearing will happen Nov. 30, also from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Hilton Newark Penn Station’s Garden State Ballroom. The hotel is located at 1048 Raymond Blvd.
If everything goes as planned, the new station will be located on off-airport property east of Frelinghuysen Avenue (at Noble Street), per the Port Authority website. It would also be near the Newark Liberty International Airport New Jersey Transit station and PANYNJ monorail station in Newark.
“The purpose of the proposed project is to improve transit access to employment centers in Newark, Jersey City, and New York City for New Jersey commuters and increase transit options to EWR for air travelers and airport employees,” the expansion website says.
For more information, contact the project team at 917-933-7440, or email PATHextension@panynj.gov.

CarePoint holding colorectal awareness event Dec. 4

CarePoint Health-Christ Hospital is holding a free Colorectal Cancer Awareness Event on Monday, Dec. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m.
The event will include a panel discussion, question-and-answer period and free dinner. A free take-home stool kit for screening will also be distributed.
To register, email holly.goroff@carepointhealth.org or call (201) 795-8034. Registrants may also email Nancy.aleman@carepointhealth.org or call (201) 341-1310.
The program will be held in Staff Rooms A & B at the hospital, 176 Palisade Ave.

Central Avenue’s reusable tote bags are back for 2017

The Central Avenue S.I.D. Management Corporation announced that thirty-six of its local businesses have again sponsored the distribution of 2,000 reusable tote bags which are now being spread to customers throughout the holidays. Central Avenue businesses have distributed 6,000 reusable tote bags during the last three holiday seasons combined.
“Local Jersey City businesses are doing their part to reduce the dependence on plastic bags,” said Sanford Fishman, CASID President and pharmacist at Bond Drugs. “We want our city to be more sustainable and help reduce the amount of litter that is often seen floating around the city. This is also serves as a reminder that shopping local is the gift that keeps on giving,”
Many participating businesses will hand out the tote bags on Small Business Saturday which falls on Nov. 25. This year’s stylish Central Avenue/ The Heights tote bags come in two colors: green and yellow. Sponsors are listed by business name, address, and telephone number on the bags. A list of sponsors is available on CASID’s website, JCHeights.com. Anyone who would like a reusable bag should request one during his or her next Central Avenue visit. The bags will be given away while supplies last.
Shoppers and visitors will also be treated to our annual holiday decorations which include over 130 lighting pieces and forty festive banners spread throughout the district. The City of Jersey City has announced free two-hour parking in municipal lots between Black Friday (Nov. 24) and New Year’s Day (Jan. 1). Shoppers will save half the sales tax on retail purchases at registered UEZ businesses. Additionally, the CASID as joined the citywide effort to encourage “Shop Jersey City, Buy Local.” Many local businesses are proudly displaying a “Shop Jersey City” decal on their front doors in support.

Jackson Hill Main Street in Jersey City featured in annual ‘Main Streets Across America’

National Life Group has announced its annual list of Main Streets Across America, a celebration of streets in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia that embrace a strong sense of community and a commitment to creating an environment where people want to live, work and play. New Jersey is represented this year by Jackson Hill Main Street, a Special Improvement District (SID) in Jersey City.
“Jackson Hill Main Street is a great example of a vibrant place at the heart of its community,” said Richard Reyes of Federal Employee Benefit Counselors, an affiliate of National Life Group. “I am thrilled that it’s featured this year and that we get to share Jersey City’s community pride and unique stories with a broader audience.”
A trip through the Main Streets Across America interactive map reveals many interesting features and facts about these streets and their communities, both current and historical.
The Main Streets Across America website notes, “Today’s Jackson Hill District reflects the multicultural energy that has helped make Jersey City attractive to a growing number of young professionals. The local community of the district has deep roots and is home to a very culturally rich and diverse population. You can literally taste that richness along King and Monticello Avenues, whose restaurants feature Jamaican, Greek, Caribbean, Latin and American soul food.”
The streets featured in Main Streets Across America were selected based on four primary categories of community attributes that reflect strong ‘main street’ values: a strong local business presence, community gathering spots and scenic vistas, celebrations of history and traditions and reflections of civic pride and diverse social and cultural events and activities
The Jackson Hill Main Street Special Improvement District (JHMSSID), parallels Manhattan running south to north along Martin Luther King Drive, reaching east and west as it crosses Communipaw and continues north along Monticello Avenue.
“As a company, a corporate citizen and a community partner, we at National Life Group believe that main street values still exist and that a handshake, a friendly smile and a personal greeting still mean something in business and in life,” said Mehran Assadi, Chairman, CEO and President, National Life Group. “We strive to live by those main street values every day.”
To view the map of this year’s Main Streets Across America, show support for your favorite street by sharing via social media or to suggest a street for next year’s list, go to: https://blog.nationallife.com/main-streets/
.

Hudson County Community College hosts holiday marketplace Dec. 17

Hudson County Community College (HCCC) invites the entire community to take part in a holiday afternoon at the 2017 Holiday Marketplace on Sunday, Dec. 17, from noon to 4 p.m. This second annual event is being hosted by the College’s Department of Community Education, and will be held in the HCCC Culinary Conference Center at 161 Newkirk St., just two blocks from the Journal Square PATH Transportation Center in Jersey City. There is no charge for admission.
Once again this year, the college is transforming the HCCC Culinary Conference Center into a winter wonderland especially for the Holiday Marketplace. Local vendors will be present with a wide variety of gifts for children, women, and men that will be available for purchase.
A number of activities are planned to keep children entertained while parents and caregivers shop. There will be: holiday-themed story book readings by members of the Speranza Theater Company; a magic and puppet show; holiday crafts; face paintings; balloon animals; and opportunities for “selfies” with Santa Claus.

Hudson County CASA seeking volunteers

Learn how to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer and help foster children find safe and permanent homes. The next information session will be held at Little City Books at 100 Bloomfield St, Hoboken, NJ on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m.
Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a non-profit organization committed to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children. CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes. Hudson County CASA volunteers are everyday people who make a direct impact in foster children’s lives. They are trusted, dedicated adults who seek to improve children’s well-being. CASA volunteers get to know their assigned child and his or her circumstances and provide valuable information to the court. Judges rely on the volunteers’ recommendations to make the best decisions about the children’s futures.
For further information, visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org.

NJCU Announces December 2017 Arts Events

New Jersey City University (NJCU) Center for the Arts is the creative umbrella for the university’s performing, visual, film, and literary arts activities. The Center, at 2039 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City, has announced its arts and culture events for December.
Highlights for December include a Holiday Concert for Peace by the NJCU Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers (Dec. 3) and the NJCU Jazz Ensemble in A Portrait of Duke Ellington (Dec. 4). Barbara London, a curator and writer who started the video collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), talks about her work (Dec. 5). In the galleries, Eileen Ferara curates On a Different Page, a group exhibition that creatively employs books in all their forms (on view thru Dec. 14).
For the full Fall 2017 Calendar of Events for NJCU performing, visual, and literary arts visit www.njcu.edu/arts. For additional information call (201) 200-3426. NJCU’s spring performing arts programs will be announced in January 2018.
All of NJCU’s performances and events in December are free, and reservations may be made in advance online.
For more information, group sales and reservations, please contact the box office directly: boxoffice@njcu.edu.

Districts expanding and evolving

Rory Pasquariello, Staff Writer
-
0
Districts expanding and evolving

Education is supposed to be the “great equalizer” among people from different areas and backgrounds, said education reformer Horace Mann in the 18th century. New Jersey’s public schools rely on a combination of local property taxes and state funding to pump money into the schools, but it hasn’t always been easy to find the formula to make sure students in poorer areas aren’t shortchanged. A series of court decisions starting in the 1970s forced the state to provide more aid to 31 cash-strapped districts. But all schools in the state rely on significant state aid – aid that unfortunately hasn’t increased to local districts since the newest funding formula was passed in 2008.
Gov. Christopher Christie’s proposed “Fairness Formula” from 2016 would do away with increased state aid for districts with poorer student and English language learners, resulting in less funding for local districts and more funding for suburban districts.
In 2010, Christie’s first year in office, the local schools received the aid they were expecting. Then, confronted with a state budget gap and looking for line items to eliminate, Christie slashed $1.1 billion in state aid to schools. After a lawsuit, the administration was forced to return $500 million, but only to the 31 so-called Abbott districts, of which Hudson County has four.
While local educators are concerned about this, their districts are still thriving. This year, many boasted new technology, new educational programs, and low-cost aftercare in some districts.
Hudson County also provides more and more choices for parents each year. The county has 16 charter schools, which are publicly funded schools run by parents and educators. The county also has a series of public magnet schools called the Hudson County Schools of Technology that draw from all local towns.
Here is a rundown of the big issues in the schools this year, and what’s new in each of the districts.

The big issues

The schools are preparing their kids for the state standardized Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests but many parents have opted out of the unpopular tests. In fact, in March, the state Assembly passed a resolution ordering the Department of Education to either undo or revise certain graduation requirements related to the tests.
On another note, schools throughout the county are taking the initiative to integrate new technology and STEM (Science Technology Education and Math) studies into their curriculum. The Jersey City School District implemented a program called “Google One to One” in which students in grades 3 through 5 will now be provided with laptops running the Google operating system, while teachers are provided requisite professional development and training.
Hoboken introduced a “Passport to Learning” afterschool program, which integrates science and math into its wide-ranging list of taught subjects.
In March, students from across the county participated in the annual STEM Showcase. Kids in grades five through 12 competed for prizes in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. A sophomore at McNair High School in Jersey City and a freshman from Bayonne High School were declared winners for their projects. Respectively, their endeavors were meant to prevent harmful algae from destroying wild mushrooms, and to diagnose the Zika virus using computer software and retinal scans.
Here are some initiatives in the individual districts.

Bayonne

In recent years, Bayonne, like other schools, has embraced STEM education. They also have created new high school “academies” that specialize in advanced subjects, and upgraded elementary school technology.
But school improvement and upkeep is costly. Late in 2016, the school district found itself in dire financial straits after discovering a structural deficit of about $3 million. Since then the Bayonne Board of Education has been forcing staff layoffs and demotions and plans many more to cut costs.
It’s unknown whether the cuts will go deep enough to lead to increased class sizes next year.

Hoboken

Hoboken has the youngest average population among Hudson County municipalities, which translates to more young children and a higher demand for pre-K, elementary schools, and afterschool care.
Next year, the Hoboken school district has plans to separate the middle school from the high school and hire a new middle school principal, Dr. Sharon Davis. Currently, the middle school adjoins the high school and both are overseen by High School Principal Robin Piccapietra. Some parents have said they would like the younger kids to be in a separate place from the older ones.
The middle school will take up the top two floors of the AJ Demarest building, which is next to Church Square Park on Fourth and Garden streets. It was once the city’s high school, which Frank Sinatra attended briefly before leaving to launch his singing career.

Jersey City

It’s rare when cities get new schools, but Jersey’s City’s growth has enabled two new schools to open and a third is in the works.
The Jersey City Board of Education in February authorized moving the entire student body from the aging PS 31 on Kennedy Boulevard to the new Patricia M. Noonan Elementary School on Summit Avenue starting in the spring. It is the first new school in over a decade and a first step in a major shift in school populations in The Heights area. The addition is welcome because existing public elementary schools are nearing or have exceeded capacity.
On the other side of town on Ocean Avenue, P.S. 20/Maya Angelou School opened in September and will educate students in pre-k through fifth grade. The school is named after the author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” a 1969 account of the late author’s childhood in the Jim Crow-era South.
A 200-student public school for pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students will be developed on Columbus Drive in Paulus Hook as part of a $370 million, 35,000 square foot residential tower development planned in the neighborhood. Announced weeks after the opening of the Maya Angelou School, the small new school will help serve the growing population of young urban professionals starting families downtown.
After much debate over whether to name Public School 34 in the Greenville neighborhood after former President Barack Obama, the Jersey City Board of Education decided to do so in October. P.S. 34 will be the second Jersey City school named after Barack Obama, after Lincoln High School was renamed earlier in 2016.
In a swelling school district of 28,000 in a fast-growing city, new schools are crucial to prevent overcrowding.

North Bergen and Guttenberg

In a plan to reduce overcrowding at North Bergen High School, students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades will be moved to the former county high school campus on 85th Street in 2019. The city plans to spend $15 to $20 million to purchase a building with classrooms, labs, and an attached gymnasium, presently owned by the county’s High Tech High School. That school is moving to a new campus in Secaucus.
The new campus of NBHS will reduce the number of students at the current school by more than 25 percent. The new building will house grades 10 through 12, and the current high school will house grades seven through nine.
Seventh and eighth graders currently attend local elementary schools. But starting in 2019, elementary schools will continue only up to sixth grade. Every elementary school will have more classroom space, allowing for full time classrooms for art, music, and other subjects and lower student-to-teacher ratios.
High Tech is planning a move to Secaucus in 2018, thus leaving its land and buildings for new occupants.
North Bergen schools are installing WiFi in all their buildings as well as ensuring every student has a computer. Guttenberg Superintendent of Schools Michelle Rosenberg said each student from fourth to eighth grade in Guttenberg already has one Chromebook, a Google laptop that the district has been using for two years. North Bergen received around 1,500 new Google Chromebook laptops and Chromebox computers this year in addition to the thousands they have.
New wings have been added to North Bergen’s McKinley Elementary, John F. Kennedy Elementary, Franklin Elementary, and Robert Fulton Elementary, adding 100 classrooms and support spaces, such as guidance suites and community areas, in the last decade.
Meanwhile, Guttenberg’s only school — Anna Klein Elementary School — has a new principal, Keith Petry, who was promoted from supervisor. A teacher, Ilvea Cruz, was promoted to replace him. Fifth through eighth graders have a new disciplinarian and curriculum supervisor, Robert Correggio, who was also promoted within.
Anna Klein also has a new wing in which STEM labs will be ready later this year.

Secaucus

Secaucus’s high school and middle school are officially the same building now. Renovations are nearly finished, with only the new gymnasium and media center in need of final touches. Sixth graders were welcomed to the middle school for the first time in September after renovations began in 2014. Previously, sixth graders would attend the town’s two elementary schools. About 130 sixth grade students are now in the Secaucus High School building, bringing the number of students in the complex to more than 1,000.
Currently, pre-schoolers attend school for a half-day, but for a little extra money, parents can soon sign up for full-day pre-k starting in the fall.

Union City

The Union City school district is home to many immigrants, and was recognized in a Wall Street Journal in November 2016 for its success in providing opportunities to immigrant children.
Almost 96 percent of its students are Hispanic, and many live in Spanish-speaking homes. According to the school district, estimates at least 15 percent of students are undocumented. Still, students in Union City perform above the national average on standardized math and reading tests, despite a small percentage of parents having bachelor’s degrees and below average median family income.
The district is always changing the curriculum to accommodate new technologies and conducting online testing to better improve individual students’ and teachers’ weaknesses.
The district recently announced that seniors Joan Martinez, 17, and Giselle Pena, 17, have received early admission to Columbia, a competitive Ivy League school in New York City. Also, Isaac Ortega, 18, the class valedictorian, will head to another top college: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Ortega, Martinez (ranked eighth in his graduating class), and Pena, (ranked 14th), are part of the school’s Academy for Enrichment and Advancement, which holds classes for scholars interested in science and engineering.

West New York

While not a declared sanctuary city like Jersey City or Union City, West New York is similar to Union City in demographics. The Board of Education unanimously passed, in February of 2017, a symbolic measure declaring the district a “safe zone” for all.
The school district is expanding its Global Connections program after four successful years. Fifth and sixth grade students in the district’s gifted and talented program use “digital learning” to gain cross-cultural understanding. In the program, Students, teachers, and administrators exchange unique experiences, ideas, and curriculum with their counterparts in Gijon, Spain via video calling.
The district is also promoting tech literacy by integrating pedagogical models of digital learning, including the “Flipped Classroom” model, in which elements of classwork can be accessed online from home, enabling educators to dedicate more in-class time to discussions, projects, exercises, and hands-on learning. The district even invites parents to the schools to learn about the flipped classroom model in order to facilitate its use at home.
Rory Pasquariello can be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.

SIDEBAR

Catholic school closings affect all other schools

The Archdiocese of Newark recently decided to close St. Anthony High School in Jersey City by the end of the current school year, echoing the troubles of Marist High School in Bayonne — also under the auspices of the Archdiocese — which announced that it must raise $1.5 million by the end of April to prevent its closing.
The two Catholic secondary schools’ financial struggles have come about for numerous reasons: closings of Catholic elementary schools that used to graduate students to Catholic high schools, competition from free alternatives like charter schools and public schools, and the high cost of living making it difficult for people to pay for parochial school. Combined, these factors led to declining enrollment. (Marist had 76 students enrolled by its Feb. 4, 2017 deadline for next year, while St. Anthony has 140).
Marist will be 63 years old in September. St. Anthony’s will be 65.

Districts expanding and evolving

Rory Pasquariello, Staff Writer
-
0
Districts expanding and evolving

Education is supposed to be the “great equalizer” among people from different areas and backgrounds, said education reformer Horace Mann in the 18th century. New Jersey’s public schools rely on a combination of local property taxes and state funding to pump money into the schools, but it hasn’t always been easy to find the formula to make sure students in poorer areas aren’t shortchanged. A series of court decisions starting in the 1970s forced the state to provide more aid to 31 cash-strapped districts. But all schools in the state rely on significant state aid – aid that unfortunately hasn’t increased to local districts since the newest funding formula was passed in 2008.
Gov. Christopher Christie’s proposed “Fairness Formula” from 2016 would do away with increased state aid for districts with poorer student and English language learners, resulting in less funding for local districts and more funding for suburban districts.
In 2010, Christie’s first year in office, the local schools received the aid they were expecting. Then, confronted with a state budget gap and looking for line items to eliminate, Christie slashed $1.1 billion in state aid to schools. After a lawsuit, the administration was forced to return $500 million, but only to the 31 so-called Abbott districts, of which Hudson County has four.
While local educators are concerned about this, their districts are still thriving. This year, many boasted new technology, new educational programs, and low-cost aftercare in some districts.
Hudson County also provides more and more choices for parents each year. The county has 16 charter schools, which are publicly funded schools run by parents and educators. The county also has a series of public magnet schools called the Hudson County Schools of Technology that draw from all local towns.
Here is a rundown of the big issues in the schools this year, and what’s new in each of the districts.

The big issues

The schools are preparing their kids for the state standardized Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests but many parents have opted out of the unpopular tests. In fact, in March, the state Assembly passed a resolution ordering the Department of Education to either undo or revise certain graduation requirements related to the tests.
On another note, schools throughout the county are taking the initiative to integrate new technology and STEM (Science Technology Education and Math) studies into their curriculum. The Jersey City School District implemented a program called “Google One to One” in which students in grades 3 through 5 will now be provided with laptops running the Google operating system, while teachers are provided requisite professional development and training.
Hoboken introduced a “Passport to Learning” afterschool program, which integrates science and math into its wide-ranging list of taught subjects.
In March, students from across the county participated in the annual STEM Showcase. Kids in grades five through 12 competed for prizes in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. A sophomore at McNair High School in Jersey City and a freshman from Bayonne High School were declared winners for their projects. Respectively, their endeavors were meant to prevent harmful algae from destroying wild mushrooms, and to diagnose the Zika virus using computer software and retinal scans.
Here are some initiatives in the individual districts.

Bayonne

In recent years, Bayonne, like other schools, has embraced STEM education. They also have created new high school “academies” that specialize in advanced subjects, and upgraded elementary school technology.
But school improvement and upkeep is costly. Late in 2016, the school district found itself in dire financial straits after discovering a structural deficit of about $3 million. Since then the Bayonne Board of Education has been forcing staff layoffs and demotions and plans many more to cut costs.
It’s unknown whether the cuts will go deep enough to lead to increased class sizes next year.

Hoboken

Hoboken has the youngest average population among Hudson County municipalities, which translates to more young children and a higher demand for pre-K, elementary schools, and afterschool care.
Next year, the Hoboken school district has plans to separate the middle school from the high school and hire a new middle school principal, Dr. Sharon Davis. Currently, the middle school adjoins the high school and both are overseen by High School Principal Robin Piccapietra. Some parents have said they would like the younger kids to be in a separate place from the older ones.
The middle school will take up the top two floors of the AJ Demarest building, which is next to Church Square Park on Fourth and Garden streets. It was once the city’s high school, which Frank Sinatra attended briefly before leaving to launch his singing career.

Jersey City

It’s rare when cities get new schools, but Jersey’s City’s growth has enabled two new schools to open and a third is in the works.
The Jersey City Board of Education in February authorized moving the entire student body from the aging PS 31 on Kennedy Boulevard to the new Patricia M. Noonan Elementary School on Summit Avenue starting in the spring. It is the first new school in over a decade and a first step in a major shift in school populations in The Heights area. The addition is welcome because existing public elementary schools are nearing or have exceeded capacity.
On the other side of town on Ocean Avenue, P.S. 20/Maya Angelou School opened in September and will educate students in pre-k through fifth grade. The school is named after the author of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” a 1969 account of the late author’s childhood in the Jim Crow-era South.
A 200-student public school for pre-k, kindergarten, and first grade students will be developed on Columbus Drive in Paulus Hook as part of a $370 million, 35,000 square foot residential tower development planned in the neighborhood. Announced weeks after the opening of the Maya Angelou School, the small new school will help serve the growing population of young urban professionals starting families downtown.
After much debate over whether to name Public School 34 in the Greenville neighborhood after former President Barack Obama, the Jersey City Board of Education decided to do so in October. P.S. 34 will be the second Jersey City school named after Barack Obama, after Lincoln High School was renamed earlier in 2016.
In a swelling school district of 28,000 in a fast-growing city, new schools are crucial to prevent overcrowding.

North Bergen and Guttenberg

In a plan to reduce overcrowding at North Bergen High School, students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades will be moved to the former county high school campus on 85th Street in 2019. The city plans to spend $15 to $20 million to purchase a building with classrooms, labs, and an attached gymnasium, presently owned by the county’s High Tech High School. That school is moving to a new campus in Secaucus.
The new campus of NBHS will reduce the number of students at the current school by more than 25 percent. The new building will house grades 10 through 12, and the current high school will house grades seven through nine.
Seventh and eighth graders currently attend local elementary schools. But starting in 2019, elementary schools will continue only up to sixth grade. Every elementary school will have more classroom space, allowing for full time classrooms for art, music, and other subjects and lower student-to-teacher ratios.
High Tech is planning a move to Secaucus in 2018, thus leaving its land and buildings for new occupants.
North Bergen schools are installing WiFi in all their buildings as well as ensuring every student has a computer. Guttenberg Superintendent of Schools Michelle Rosenberg said each student from fourth to eighth grade in Guttenberg already has one Chromebook, a Google laptop that the district has been using for two years. North Bergen received around 1,500 new Google Chromebook laptops and Chromebox computers this year in addition to the thousands they have.
New wings have been added to North Bergen’s McKinley Elementary, John F. Kennedy Elementary, Franklin Elementary, and Robert Fulton Elementary, adding 100 classrooms and support spaces, such as guidance suites and community areas, in the last decade.
Meanwhile, Guttenberg’s only school — Anna Klein Elementary School — has a new principal, Keith Petry, who was promoted from supervisor. A teacher, Ilvea Cruz, was promoted to replace him. Fifth through eighth graders have a new disciplinarian and curriculum supervisor, Robert Correggio, who was also promoted within.
Anna Klein also has a new wing in which STEM labs will be ready later this year.

Secaucus

Secaucus’s high school and middle school are officially the same building now. Renovations are nearly finished, with only the new gymnasium and media center in need of final touches. Sixth graders were welcomed to the middle school for the first time in September after renovations began in 2014. Previously, sixth graders would attend the town’s two elementary schools. About 130 sixth grade students are now in the Secaucus High School building, bringing the number of students in the complex to more than 1,000.
Currently, pre-schoolers attend school for a half-day, but for a little extra money, parents can soon sign up for full-day pre-k starting in the fall.

Union City

The Union City school district is home to many immigrants, and was recognized in a Wall Street Journal in November 2016 for its success in providing opportunities to immigrant children.
Almost 96 percent of its students are Hispanic, and many live in Spanish-speaking homes. According to the school district, estimates at least 15 percent of students are undocumented. Still, students in Union City perform above the national average on standardized math and reading tests, despite a small percentage of parents having bachelor’s degrees and below average median family income.
The district is always changing the curriculum to accommodate new technologies and conducting online testing to better improve individual students’ and teachers’ weaknesses.
The district recently announced that seniors Joan Martinez, 17, and Giselle Pena, 17, have received early admission to Columbia, a competitive Ivy League school in New York City. Also, Isaac Ortega, 18, the class valedictorian, will head to another top college: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Ortega, Martinez (ranked eighth in his graduating class), and Pena, (ranked 14th), are part of the school’s Academy for Enrichment and Advancement, which holds classes for scholars interested in science and engineering.

West New York

While not a declared sanctuary city like Jersey City or Union City, West New York is similar to Union City in demographics. The Board of Education unanimously passed, in February of 2017, a symbolic measure declaring the district a “safe zone” for all.
The school district is expanding its Global Connections program after four successful years. Fifth and sixth grade students in the district’s gifted and talented program use “digital learning” to gain cross-cultural understanding. In the program, Students, teachers, and administrators exchange unique experiences, ideas, and curriculum with their counterparts in Gijon, Spain via video calling.
The district is also promoting tech literacy by integrating pedagogical models of digital learning, including the “Flipped Classroom” model, in which elements of classwork can be accessed online from home, enabling educators to dedicate more in-class time to discussions, projects, exercises, and hands-on learning. The district even invites parents to the schools to learn about the flipped classroom model in order to facilitate its use at home.
Rory Pasquariello can be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.

SIDEBAR

Catholic school closings affect all other schools

The Archdiocese of Newark recently decided to close St. Anthony High School in Jersey City by the end of the current school year, echoing the troubles of Marist High School in Bayonne — also under the auspices of the Archdiocese — which announced that it must raise $1.5 million by the end of April to prevent its closing.
The two Catholic secondary schools’ financial struggles have come about for numerous reasons: closings of Catholic elementary schools that used to graduate students to Catholic high schools, competition from free alternatives like charter schools and public schools, and the high cost of living making it difficult for people to pay for parochial school. Combined, these factors led to declining enrollment. (Marist had 76 students enrolled by its Feb. 4, 2017 deadline for next year, while St. Anthony has 140).
Marist will be 63 years old in September. St. Anthony’s will be 65.

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