Dedication Ceremony for Shirael Vaknin Pollack - 5PM Maxwell Place Park Tues Sept 24, 2024

The dedication ceremony in honor of Hoboken resident Shirael Vaknin Pollack at Maxwell Place Park on Tuesday, Sept. 24, has been rescheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Ms. Pollack, who passed away in 2019 after a two-year battle with stomach cancer, was the co-founder of the Hoboken Public Education Foundation and a tireless advocate for public education. She often spent time in the park with her two daughters. The dedication will serve as a lasting tribute to her impact on the community and the many lives she touched.

About Shirael Pollack
On September 20th, 2019, Hoboken resident Shirael Pollack sadly passed away after a two-year battle with stomach cancer. During her life, Shirael was an inspiration to many people through her tenacious spirit and dedication to giving back to her community. A Hoboken resident since 2007, Shirael co-founded the Hoboken Public Education Foundation, a non-profit organization benefiting Hoboken public schools. Pollack was a tireless advocate for the non-profit’s mission of elevating and enhancing public education through private funding and led the HPEF’s fundraising efforts. At the 2019 HPEF Gala, Shirael and her team raised over $250,000 for the public schools.

Ms. Pollack was also a pediatric therapist, and served on the board of the National Autism Association NY Metro Chapter, helping children with physical and developmental challenges. Even in her battle with stomach cancer, Shirael became an advocate and raised funds for gastric cancer research. 

Hola Dual Language School Becomes an Official Member of the International Spanish Academy

 

The Hola Dual Language School in Hoboken NJ was formally named by the Spanish Consulate as an official member of the International Spanish Academy in recognition of HOLA’s commitment to excellence in bilingual education.

HoLa is annually classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as a top 5% performing school and is designated as a Dual Language Model Program for the state. 

The HOLA Middle School is the first in the state to have its curriculum approved for the College Board’s AP exam program, enabling students to take the Spanish AP exam in 8th grade to qualify for college credits.

I had the honor of introducing the idea of HOLA to the Hoboken Board of Education where it was voted down. I then had the honor of serving on HOLA's Board for almost a decade beginning with its initial founding in 2015. 

Lost But Not Stolen- A Conservative Perspective on the 2020 Presidential Election

A segment from "60 Minutes" shown on September 15, 2024: Retired federal judge Thomas Griffith, a conservative, co-authored a report looking into the 2020 election. He says Jan. 6 protestors were duped. “All the evidence points in one direction,” he says. “And that is that President Biden won, and President Trump lost.”

Retired federal judge Thomas Griffith, a conservative, co-authored a report looking into the 2020 election. He says Jan. 6 protestors were duped. “All the evidence points in one direction,” he says. “And that is that President Biden won, and President Trump lost.” pic.twitter.com/7OZmGYcPgb

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 15, 2024

Link to the Report: https://lostnotstolen.org 

ESTABLISHING PILOT EDUCATION TRUST ACCOUNTS FOR HOBOKEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS (B-700)

On September 4, 2024, the Hoboken City Council approved an ordinance that allows a proportional allocation of payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) revenue (currently around $500,000) to the four public school entities: Hoboken Public Schools, HOLA Dual Language School, Elysian School, and Hoboken Charter School.

The amount allocated will be based on the proportion of total public school enrollment as of the October 14th enrollment date. October 14th is also the enrollment date used for the Application for State School Aid (ASSA).

Based on the ordinance, $250,000 will be allocated by each of two different PILOTS- specifically, the Monroe Center Hoboken Urban Renewal, LLC and the LCOR Hoboken Rail Station Development LLC. The amount will be increased by 2% each year (see details below).

This agreement took approximately 4 years to negotiate and finalize, indicating the difficulty and contention in eventually reaching this fairly straightforward proportional enrollment allocation. This centered on the Hoboken Board of Education's position that ALL PILOT money should be appropriated to their control.

This was a hot button issue in late 2020, with an effort by the city to disburse the 770 Jackson St. PILOT funds to the board of education, Hoboken Charter School, Elysian Charter School, and Hoboken Dual Language Charter School unsuccessful.

 

Based on the most recent ASSA report* (Chart 1), a rough estimate based on the framework in the ordinance shows that the Hoboken Public Schools will receive approximately $187,862 from each LLC for a total of $375,726 while the three charter schools will proportionally share the remaining $62,137 from each LLC for a total of $124,274. 

Chart 1: 2024-24 ASSA Report- NJDOE
CLICK TO ENLARGE

* 2588 students in the Hoboken Public School district and 856 students in Hoboken's three charter districts. 

REGULAR MEETING OF September 4, 2024

 B-700

6. ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF HOBOKEN, IN THE COUNTY OF HUDSON, NEW JERSEY ESTABLISHING PILOT EDUCATION TRUST ACCOUNTS AND APPROVING THE CONTRIBUTION OF A PORTION OF THE ANNUAL SERVICE CHARGE PROVIDED TO THE CITY OF HOBOKEN PURSUANT TO THE FINANCIAL AGREEMENTS BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOBOKEN AND MONROE CENTER HOBOKEN URBAN RENEWAL, LLC AND BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOBOKEN AND OBSERVER HIGHWAY URBAN RENEWAL, LLC INTO THE CITY'S PILOT EDUCATION TRUST ACCOUNTS (COUNCIL MEMBER RAMOS, COUNCIL MEMBER JABBOUR)

Hoboken Pilot Agreement - 2024-09-04 by Tony Petrosino on Scribd

Perth Amboy Succeeds Where the Hoboken Board of Education Failed- Bringing a State of the Art High School to Town at Minimal Economic Cost to Residents

Visitors got a sneak peek recently at a massive new high school in Middlesex County, one week before students will return to classes. The sprawling new Perth Amboy High School is the largest high school construction project ever funded by the New Jersey Schools Development Authority, state officials said.

The school will enroll approximately 3,300 students, making it one of the largest high schools in New Jersey and larger than some of the state’s colleges.

It cost $283.8 million to build the three-story, 590,000-square-foot high school, state officials said. The state’s Schools Development Authority picked up 98.8% of the cost or $280.5 million with the district picking up the remaining 1.2% or $3.3 million of the construction.

Regular readers of this blog will remember the secretive and ultimately failed proposal for a new high school in Hoboken, NJ where the Board of Education wanted to build a high school completely at the city's own expense by floating a bond that ultimately would have cost the citizens somewhere in the neighborhood of $350,000,000. The public vote on the issue in Hoboken failed overwhelmingly. 

Photos: Ed Murray| For NJ Advance Media

  

Recently Approved Contract for Jersey City Superintendent Dr. Norma Fernandez

The following is the recent contract for the Superintendent of Schools for Jersey City, NJ, Dr. Norma Fernandez. Here is a link to the story on Hudson County View which is worth a read: https://hudsoncountyview.com/jersey-city-boe-approves-3-year-superintendents-contract-that-tops-out-at-341k/#google_vignette

Fernandez BOE Contract 8-26-24 by Tony Petrosino on Scribd

Possible Deception and Certain Confusion: Emblem for Lighthouse blue ribbon Award Strikenly Similar to US Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Award

The similarity between the emblem for the blue ribbon"Lighthouse" Award (left) and the US Department of Education emblem for being a "blue ribbon" school (right) is both deceptive and obvious. This speaks VERY poorly for the organization that is behind this award and of course the Hoboken School District using the bogus emblem with its HIGH similarity to the US Dept. of Education's emblem for the award. 

A district does not need to provide any funds to the US Department of Education when they are recognized as being a Blue Ribbon school whereas schools and districts do pay to be assessed by the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence which is a non-profit 501c organization.  

This public relations effort by the Hoboken School District has been in the making since January of 2024 as reported by PATCH. 

Hoboken School District Awarded Recognition by the BRSE Organization- Parsing Blue Ribbon Recognition

There has been a fair amount of information recently about the Hoboken public school district being the only district in New Jersey to have received a special distinction, determined that all five of the schools have "met the criteria to receive the 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Lighthouse Award,” which is recognition awarded by the BRSE organization. This achievement makes the Hoboken Public School District the first in New Jersey to have each school recognized as National Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Schools and to be named a 2024 Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Lighthouse District.

Just to clarify-this is not the same thing as the US Deptment of Education’s Blue Ribbon designation of the top 10% of schools. It’s an independent organization. This is an assessment schools pay for through a survey of who the school designates to include and an accompanying conference administrators can pay to go to ( you get to go for free depending on your assessment results) and then can be included in the company’s recognition. The name definitely causes some confusion-the founders captured the name during the brief time the Dept of Education took a hiatus from their invitation only program.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Basically, this is a paid assessment done through a survey of self-selected respondents and the administrator gets to go to Disney https://blueribbonschools.com/ vs. https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov which is the United States Department of Education’s invitation only award program honoring high-performing schools. It could be misleading, given BRSE took that name. A close observation shows that BRSE's  own website states “*Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc., claims no affiliation, nor endorsement, by the United States Department of Education – Blue Ribbon Schools Program”.

Bart Teal, the 80-something founder of BRSE, used to run a training camp via Nova Southeastern University for school districts that wanted to up their chances of getting the original US Dept of Education Blue Ribbon designation. When the DoE dropped the BR program for a short while in the early 2000s, Teal picked it up and began using a version of the Blue Ribbon name. On its website, the DoE currently gives this warning: "Please be aware that the U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Schools program is not associated with the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Program, which is sponsored by a non-profit organization in South Carolina. Schools may be contacted by the South Carolina organization to participate in conferences and may be confused by the similar name."

On the DoE site, there are lists of current and previous holders of the Blue Ribbon title. The lists include all sorts of information about the winning schools. The BRSE, on the other hand, merely lists names of schools, like John F. Kennedy Elementary and West Elementary, not even the towns where they are located. Their "about us" is just a list of names, nothing clickable.

The similarity between the emblem for the "Lighthouse" Award (left) and the
US Department of Education emblem for being a "blue ribbon" school (right)
 is both deceptive and obvious

For $7900 you can participate in their school improvement and recognition program, where they will you survey your students (over 3rd grade reading), parents (they usually get 30%), admin and teachers & staff (the ones you CHOOSE!) via an online assessment. 

What possessed the Hoboken Board of Education and the superintendent to send tax money to this group???

City of Hoboken Proposes Innovative Effort to Invest in Public School Districts Within the City - Council Vote Soon

The administration of the City of Hoboken recently announced the city's intent to invest over $500,000 annually into the City’s four public school districts: Hoboken Public School District, Hoboken Charter School, Elysian Charter School, and Hoboken Dual Language Charter School.

Pending Hoboken City Council approval, the City will establish four trusts to allocate a portion of the funding made available through payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreements with the developers of 770 House and the Hoboken Connect project to support the city’s public education system (See "The Truth About PILOTs and Public Schools" published by Hoboken's three charter school districts). 

The new School Improvements Trusts will mark the first of their kind in the State, serving as an innovative financing solution to support public schools and their need for improved facilities.

The funding will increase each year by 2 percent over the lifetime of the PILOT agreements and can be used by each district to improve physical facilities, offset debt service, purchase equipment, make lease payments, conduct routine maintenance, and acquire additional properties, among other necessities.

“As a councilman in 2016, I was proud to vote for an idea that charted a course for the City to further support its public school system, and now as Mayor I am even more proud to turn this concept into real dollars,” said Mayor Bhalla. “I am thankful to the leadership at the Hoboken Public School District, Hoboken Charter School, HoLa, and Elysian Charter School for collaborating with my administration on this innovative funding solution. This is particularly important today to help close the gap of stagnant State Aid funding, especially when neighboring municipalities of similar sizes are realizing hundreds of millions of dollars more than Hoboken. I look forward to the Hoboken City Council’s impending adoption, so we can put the money to good use in support of our schools.” 

In the past, the public schools and charter schools have sometimes squabbled over funding and over the possible expansion of the charters, which could draw students away from the regular distirct. The public school district has filed lawsuits over the expansions of at least two of the charter schools in the past. 

There was also a dispute four years ago over who was supposed to get PILOT funds. READ MORE: Hoboken Says Its Charter Schools Won't Get PILOT Money

The Hoboken City Council is scheduled to vote on the first reading ordinance to create the four trust funds for each school district during its regular meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. at Hoboken City Hall, 94 Washington St.

Comment: Definitely a step in a good direction. Do we know yet how the funds in the trust will be divided among the 4 school districts? By number of students? By number of buildings? Equally? Some formula? By need? By proposal?

Photo Credit: Gary Hershorn Photography

Hoboken Board of Education and Superintendent Close to Agreement on Contract Extension

Some may see that congratulations are in order to the Hoboken School District on extending the superintendent’s million-dollar plus multi-year contract. Clearly, the community and the Hoboken Board of Education were able to look beyond the superintendent's: 

1) years of deception concerning an unearned doctorate, 

2) the delay in communicating a proposed $241 million high school that was placed on a failed special referendum ballot only two months later, 

3) an historic one-year budget increase of 14.99% for school year 2024-25, and 

4) after many hundreds of millions of dollars spent in the school district since becoming superintendent in 2015— the very low recent ranking of Hoboken within the NJDOE's “FG” District Factor Group (42nd of 44 among similar socio-economically grouped school districts). 

Wishing the superintendent, the Board of Education, and most importantly the families and the children enrolled in the Hoboken Public Schools all the best going forward.

 https://www.nj.com/hudson/2024/07/hoboken-superintendent-getting-new-contract-to-extend-stay-to-2029.html

Picture credit: Gary Hershorn Photography 

Hoboken Board of Education President on Extension of Superintendent's Contract

It is being reported that the superintendent of the Hoboken School District will be receiving a contract extension. The Hoboken Board President was quoted in a recent article on the topic (see full article below).

 “We believe that Johnson is the ideal leader to continue guiding our district toward even greater heights,” said Board of Education President Ailene McGuirk in a statement Tuesday. “Her proven track record speaks for itself. Under her leadership, the Hoboken Public School District is now the highest performing traditional public K-12 district in Hudson County, a testament to her dedication and expertise.”

“By approving Johnson’s contract, we are securing her invaluable expertise and unwavering dedication to our students for an additional five years,” McGuirk said. “Her continued leadership will be essential as we strive to maintain our position as a premier school district.”

"This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want." - Hannah Arendt (14 October 1906 – 4 December 1975) German historian and philosopher

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2024/07/hoboken-superintendent-getting-new-contract-to-extend-stay-to-2029.html

Amid praise and controversy, Hoboken superintendent expected to get new contract through ’28-29 school year

Updated: Jul. 24, 2024, 1:44 p.m.|Published: Jul. 24, 2024, 1:38 p.m.

By Mark Koosau | The Jersey Journal

Hoboken Superintendent Christine Johnson, who has been both widely praised and harshly criticized, is expected to receive a new contract that would extend her stay in the city’s school district until 2029.

The Board of Education is expected on Tuesday to approve the new pact, which will run from 2024 to 2029 and replaces Johnson’s current deal, which runs expires in 2026.

Johnson has been with the school district since 2015 and was formerly the superintendent of Boonton in Morris County.

“We believe that Johnson is the ideal leader to continue guiding our district toward even greater heights,” said Board of Education President Ailene McGuirk in a statement Tuesday.

“Her proven track record speaks for itself. Under her leadership, the Hoboken Public School District is now the highest performing traditional public K-12 district in Hudson County, a testament to her dedication and expertise.”

Johnson, who oversees a 3,501-student district, has often been under the spotlight in the Mile Square City. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoboken was the only school district in Hudson County to offer full-time, in-person learning during the 2020-21 school year and later instituted a vaccine mandate for students.

She has been criticized as well, most notably when she and the board of education delayed news of a proposed state-of-the-art, $241 million high school that was placed on a special referendum ballot only two months later.


Critics claimed the late announcement of the new school proposal was intentional, an attempt to fast-track the plan with little public discussion.

The referendum was soundly voted down in January 2022 and brought upon a tensely contested school board election that same year.

Johnson also received scrutiny over the use of the title of “Dr.” during her tenure despite not earning her doctorate degree until August 2022.

Despite the controversies, McGuirk cited Johnson’s accomplishments such as “her dedication to innovation and technology” through different programs, expanding AP courses, including one on African American studies, and “her emphasis on arts, athletics, and extracurricular activities.”

“By approving Johnson’s contract, we are securing her invaluable expertise and unwavering dedication to our students for an additional five years,” McGuirk said. “Her continued leadership will be essential as we strive to maintain our position as a premier school district.”

A copy of the proposed contract was not made available and McGuirk would not say how much Johnson will earn annually under the new deal. Johnson was paid $211,707 salary in the 2023-24 school year, and her current contract calls for a raise to $230,360 for the 2025-26 school year.

Johnson did not respond to a request for comment on her new contract. Her current salary makes her the fourth-lowest paid superintendent in Hudson County above superintendents in Harrison, Secaucus and East Newark.

What Actions Would the NJ Department of Education Have Been Justified in Pursuing in 2023 Concerning the Hoboken Superintendent's Doctorate Fiasco

As many people in Hoboken are aware, on May 15, 2023 it was revealed by Hudson County View that for at least 14 years, the current Hoboken Superintendent of Schools Christine Johnson went by Dr. Johnson. However, she did not receive her doctorate until August 2022, according to public records. Documents and publications such as annual financial reports, minutes of school board meetings, and yearbooks routinely referred to her as Dr. Johnson – the same way she would sign letters to parents and what her nameplate at Board meetings stated.  

This actual event was posed as a question and what follows is a detailed response as to some of the steps that should have taken place once this situation was brought to the public's attention.  

It is important to understand that none of the following suggestions were actually done by the NJ Department of Education and, in fact, the President and Vice President of the Hoboken Board of Education.

QUESTION: If a superintendent was hired under the assumption of holding a doctorate, lied about having a doctorate for over 14 years, and some Board of Education members contributed to the deception by making public statements that were untrue, the expected actions taken by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) would likely involve several of the following steps:

1. Investigation: The NJDOE could conduct a thorough investigation into the matter to gather evidence and assess the extent of the deception. This investigation would likely involve reviewing documentation related to the superintendent's hiring, employment records, communications, and any public statements made by the Board of Education members.
2. Compliance Review: The NJDOE could review the school district's compliance with state regulations and ethical standards regarding the hiring and qualifications of educational leaders. This review would assess whether proper procedures were followed during the superintendent's hiring process and whether any violations occurred.
3. Enforcement Actions: If violations of state regulations or ethical standards are found, the NJDOE could take enforcement actions against the school district, superintendent, and/or Board of Education members involved. This could include sanctions, fines, or other penalties as deemed appropriate under state law.
4. Corrective Measures: The NJDOE may require the school district to take corrective measures to address the deception and prevent similar incidents in the future. This could involve implementing new policies, procedures, or training programs to ensure transparency and integrity in hiring practices and governance.
5. Public Accountability: The NJDOE could issue public statements or reports to inform the public about the findings of its investigation and the actions taken in response to the deception. This would serve to hold accountable those responsible for the wrongdoing and reassure the public of the NJDOE's commitment to upholding standards of integrity in education.

Overall, the NJDOE would likely take decisive action to address the deception and ensure accountability within the school district and its governing bodies. The goal would be to uphold the integrity of the educational system and maintain public trust in the administration of schools.

What did the New Jersey Department of Education actually do...absolutely nothing.