Monday, June 24, 2024

What Actions Would the Hoboken Board of Education Have Been Justified in Pursuing in 2023 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 few of the following suggestions were actually done by the Hoboken Board of Education and, in fact, the President and Vice President of the Hoboken Board of Education seemed to double down on the misrepresentation. 


QUESTION: If a superintendent in New Jersey was hired under the assumption of holding a doctorate and it was later discovered that they lied about having a doctorate for over 14 years, what would be some potential actions the Board of Education would have been justified in pursuing?

ANSWER: If a superintendent in New Jersey was hired under the assumption of holding a doctorate and it was later discovered that they lied about having a doctorate for over 14 years, the expected reaction by the NJ board of education toward that particular superintendent would likely be even more severe than if the deception had been discovered while they were already in the position.

Here are some potential actions the board of education might take:

Immediate Suspension or Termination: The superintendent could face immediate suspension or termination of employment. Lying about qualifications undermines the trust and integrity essential for educational leadership roles, and such behavior is often considered grounds for dismissal. 

Contractual Implications: The board may review the superintendent's employment contract to determine if there are any clauses related to misrepresentation of qualifications. Depending on the contract terms, the board may have legal grounds for termination or other disciplinary actions. 

Public Announcement: The board would likely issue a public statement to inform the community about the situation. This statement would address the discovery of the superintendent's deception, the actions taken by the board, and reassurances about maintaining integrity in leadership roles within the school district. 

Reevaluation of Hiring Procedures: The incident may prompt the board to review and strengthen its hiring procedures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. This could involve implementing stricter background checks, verifying qualifications more thoroughly, and ensuring transparency in the hiring process. 

Damage Control: The board may engage in damage control efforts to mitigate the impact of the superintendent's deception on the school district's reputation. This could include communicating openly with stakeholders, addressing concerns, and reaffirming the board's commitment to honesty and integrity in educational leadership.

SUMMARY: Overall, the discovery that a superintendent lied about having a doctorate for over 14 years would likely lead to significant consequences and prompt a thorough reevaluation of hiring practices and organizational integrity within the school district.

It is important to remember that in answering an Open Public Records Act request for information on Johnson’s background, Board President Sharyn Angley and Vice President Malani Cademartori asserted that Johnson had also finished all the work for the degree, including her dissertation before 2015, but didn’t receive her degree until she paid off her tuition. This was false as Johnson's dissertation was not approved until 2022 and contained MANY references from 2019 onward. 

Later this week, we will explore what steps the New Jersey Department of Education would have been justified in pursuing. 

Thursday, June 20, 2024

HoLa Hoboken Dual Language Charter School- Graduation 2024

Congratulations to the HoLa Hoboken Dual Language Charter School 8th grade graduates! As many of you know, I was involved in the founding of Hola while Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Hoboken and served on Hola's Board for a decade. Wishing you all the best on your next step into high school!









Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Hudson County’s top rated schools. See latest full list.

NJ Advance Media assigned each New Jersey high school a ranking number between 1 and 357 based on the “summative ratings” calculated by the state Department of Education.

The ratings — released last month as part of the state School Performance Reports — measure how each school compares to other schools with the same grade levels when test scores and other factors are considered.

The ratings are calculated using standardized test scores, student academic growth, graduation rates and other factors, including chronic absenteeism. Each school is given a score from 0 to 100, called a “summative score.”

Schools with the same grade configurations are compared to each other and given a percentile rating from 0 to 100, called a “summative rating.” The three comparison groups are: high schools; elementary and middle schools; and mixed grade configuration schools.

See chart: https://www.datawrapper.de/_/XEA2H/


LINK: https://www.nj.com/hudson/2024/05/hudson-countys-top-rated-schools-see-lastest-full-list.html

                                                                            Summative Rating          Summative Score

Jersey City Public Schools

Infinity Institute

100.00

90.50

Union City School District

Sara M. Gilmore Academy

98.92

94.24

Jersey City Public Schools

Cornelia F. Bradford School

98.86

94.04

Jersey City Public Schools

Dr Ronald McNair High School

96.67

93.67

Soaring Heights Charter School

Soaring Heights Charter School

96.22

89.33

Union City School District

Jose Marti STEM Academy

94.17

91.44

Hudson County Schools of Technology School District

High Tech High School

91.67

87.23

Jersey City Public Schools

Liberty High School

89.17

81.45

Union City School District

Jefferson Elementary School

87.46

78.15

Hudson County Schools of Technology School District

County Prep High School

85.83

78.29

Jersey City Public Schools

Jotham W. Wakeman School

83.02

75.13

Hoboken Charter School District

Hoboken Charter School

82.69

69.82

Hoboken Public School District

Joseph F Brandt Elementary School

79.90

72.14

Hudson County Schools of Technology School District

Explore Middle School

79.72

71.99

Secaucus School District

Secaucus Middle School

78.34

71.21

Hoboken Dual Language Charter School

Hoboken Dual Language Charter School

78.28

71.19

Jersey City Public Schools

Dr. Michael Conti School

78.10

71.09

Elysian Charter School

Elysian Charter School of Hoboken

77.20

70.11

Jersey City Golden Door Charter School

Jersey City Golden Door Charter School

73.07

67.29

Jersey City Public Schools

Academy I

73.01

67.28

Union City School District

Colin Powell Elementary School

68.15

63.36

Jersey City Global Charter School

Jersey City Global Charter School

66.77

62.33

BelovED Community Charter

BelovED Community Charter School

66.59

62.15

Hudson County Schools of Technology School District

Academy of Technology Design

66.11

60.46

Jersey City Public Schools

Innovation High School

65.56

60.21

The Learning Community Charter School

Learning Community Charter School

64.61

61.08

Hoboken Public School District

Thomas G. Connors Elementary School

64.31

60.92

Harrison Public Schools

Hamilton Intermediate School

64.25

60.91

University Academy Charter High School

University Academy Charter High School

63.06

58.58

Weehawken Public School District

Weehawken High School

61.54

51.10

Bayonne School District

John M. Bailey Community School

61.37

58.87

Jersey City Public Schools

Frank R Conwell School

61.01

58.47

Jersey City Public Schools

Nicolaus Copernicus School

60.77

58.39

Union City School District

Veterans' Memorial Elementary School

59.03

57.16

West New York School District

Public School Number Two

58.49

56.87

Union City School District

George Washington Elementary School

57.89

56.47

North Bergen School District

Lincoln Elementary School

57.77

56.46

Harrison Public Schools

Washington Middle School

57.11

56.03

Union City School District

Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School

56.57

55.59

North Bergen School District

Robert Fulton Elementary School

55.25

54.48

Jersey City Public Schools

Alfred Zampella School

55.01

54.43

Hoboken Public School District

Hoboken Middle School

54.77

54.35

Hoboken Public School District

Wallace Elementary School

54.41

54.05

Union City School District

Thomas A Edison Elementary School

53.81

53.59

Bayonne School District

Horace Mann Community School

53.63

53.56

Bayonne School District

Philip G. Vroom Community School

52.49

52.72

Weehawken Public School District

Theodore Roosevelt School

52.37

52.59

Hoboken Public School District

Hoboken High School

51.67

50.67

Secaucus School District

Huber Street School

50.93

51.79

Bayonne School District

Bayonne High School

50.56

49.75

Union City School District

Union Hill Middle School

50.33

51.43

North Bergen School District

Horace Mann Elementary School

50.21

51.33

Kearny

Washington Elementary School

49.97

51.16

North Bergen School District

Franklin Elementary School

49.91

51.15

Kearny

Kearny High School

49.44

49.55

Bayonne School District

Nicholas Oresko Community School

49.37

50.79

Empowerment Academy Charter School

Empowerment Academy Charter School

48.89

50.61

Secaucus School District

Clarendon School

47.93

50.00

Jersey City Public Schools

Rafael Cordero y Molina

46.37

49.01

Bayonne School District

Lincoln Community School #5

46.13

48.83

West New York School District

Albio Sires Elementary School

44.57

47.71

Jersey City Public Schools

Christa McAuliffe School

43.85

47.05

Secaucus School District

Secaucus High School

43.61

46.92

Bayonne School District

Woodrow Wilson Community School

42.53

46.38

Union City School District

Robert Waters Elementary School

42.05

45.97

West New York School District

Public School Number Five

41.57

45.62

Bayonne School District

Washington Community School #9

41.09

45.34

Jersey City Public Schools

Charles E. Trefurt School

40.91

45.27

Harrison Public Schools

Harrison High School

40.56

43.50

West New York School District

Robert Menendez Elementary School

39.53

44.37

Jersey City Public Schools

Rev. Dr. Ercel F. Webb School

38.75

44.02

Kearny

Schuyler Elementary School

38.51

43.80

Union City School District

Emerson Middle School

38.21

43.68

Bayonne School District

William Shemin Midtown Community School #8

36.35

42.26

Kearny

Franklin Elementary School

36.11

41.99



Jersey City Public Schools

Patricia M. Noonan School, PS #26

35.33

41.62

Jersey City Public Schools

Julia A. Barnes School

34.91

41.22

Guttenberg School District

Anna L. Klein

34.85

41.22

Union City School District

Union City High School

34.72

40.24

North Bergen School District

McKinley Elementary School

33.83

40.64

North Bergen School District

John F Kennedy Elementary School

31.07

38.39

West New York School District

Harry L Bain

31.01

38.35

Bayonne School District

Mary J Donohoe Community School

29.87

37.32

West New York School District

Public School Number One

29.03

36.71

Jersey City Public Schools

James J Ferris High School

28.61

35.89

Bayonne School District

Walter F. Robinson Community School

28.07

36.22

Jersey City Public Schools

Martin Luther King, Jr. School

27.29

35.65

Jersey City Public Schools

James F. Murray School

26.87

35.18

Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School

Dr Lena Edwards Academic Charter School

26.81

35.11

Jersey City Public Schools

Joseph H. Brensinger School

26.39

34.74

North Bergen School District

Polk Street School

25.13

34.05

Kearny

Garfield Elementary School

24.84

33.66

Jersey City Public Schools

Dr. Paul Rafalides School

24.24

32.84

Jersey City Community Charter School

Jersey City Community Charter School

24.12

32.80

West New York School District

West New York Middle School

24.06

32.78

Jersey City Public Schools

Middle School # 4

22.80

32.08

Hudson Arts and Science Charter School

Hudson Arts and Science Charter School

22.62

31.99

Bayonne School District

Henry E. Harris Community School

22.02

31.76

Kearny

Roosevelt Elementary School

20.34

30.68

North Bergen School District

North Bergen High School

20.00

30.34

Jersey City Public Schools

Dr. Maya Angelou Elementary School

19.50

29.94

Jersey City Public Schools

Gladys Nunery School

18.54

29.21

The Ethical Community Charter School School District

The Ethical Community Charter School

16.02

27.05

Jersey City Public Schools

Franklin L. Williams School

12.72

22.95

West New York School District

Memorial High School

12.50

21.28

Jersey City Public Schools

Mahatma K. Gandhi School

12.36

22.64

Kearny

Lincoln Middle School

12.06

22.46

East Newark School District

East Newark Elementary School

11.46

21.97

Jersey City Public Schools

Dr. Charles P. DeFuccio School

8.34

19.06

Jersey City Public Schools

William L Dickinson High School

7.22

15.10

Jersey City Public Schools

President Barack Obama Elementary School

6.84

16.93

Jersey City Public Schools

Ollie Culbreth, Jr. School

5.34

14.92

Jersey City Public Schools

Alexander D. Sullivan School

4.14

12.89

Jersey City Public Schools

Lincoln High School

2.78

7.81

Jersey City Public Schools

Chaplain Charles Watters School

2.70

9.89

Jersey City Public Schools

Martin Center for the Arts

2.46

9.66

Jersey City Public Schools

Ezra L. Nolan School

1.56

7.21

Jersey City Public Schools

Henry Snyder High School

1.39

5.42

Jersey City Public Schools

Whitney M. Young, Jr. School

0.90

5.93

Bayonne School District

Bayonne Alternative High School

0.00

0.15

Harrison Public Schools

Lincoln Elementary School

n/a

45.71

Harrison Public Schools

Kennedy Elementary School

n/a

n/a

Hudson County Schools of Technology School District

Academy of Career and Technical Education

n/a

61.05

Union City School District

Hudson Elementary School

n/a

58.55

Union City School District

Eugenio Maria de Hostos Center for Early Childhood Education

n/a

n/a

Weehawken Public School District

Daniel Webster School

n/a

n/a