All Hoboken school children deserve better results- Letter to the Hoboken Reporter

Procession- Feast of the Madonna Dei Martiri
Hoboken, NJ 2013

A recent letter in the Hoboken Reporter points out the continued conversation about issues being raised at the Hoboken Board of Education. I have included some hypertext links to help the reader track down some references. -Dr. Petrosino 

Dear Editor:

Since my last letter to the Editor, Mr. Jason Yoon-Hendricks has provided a response that contributes toward a productive and constructive public discussion of Hoboken Board of Education expenditures and student performance. This can be seen in the blog response by hobokenfan to the Mr. Yoon-Hendricks letter.

Let me review why I started to write in the first place. A Hoboken Reporter article stated that the Hoboken Board of Education adopted a $64 plus million budget. Since the Board of Education projected about 2,100 students, I thought that seemed like a lot so I decided to go to the web sites for other municipalities in NJ and see if they spent more or less per student than Hoboken. Hoboken spent more than any of the others. Later, I found that Hoboken was second only to Asbury Park. Moreover, Hoboken high school was ranked in the lowest quartile of high school in the state. It is reasonable to conclude that Hoboken has higher than average expenditures and lower than average student performance.

The data that I have cited come directly from the web sites of the respective municipalities. 

We all share the common goal of achieving better student performance and more efficient use of public funds. The Hoboken Board of Education and superintendent should welcome the opportunity to explain in any forum such as the Reporter exactly what they are doing to achieve this goal. Remember, this is not about the adults, it is about the kids and their future.

Mike Fischetti

Read more: Hudson Reporter - All Hoboken school children deserve better results