Link to the Runoff Debate at Hoboken High School on Tuesday, November 25th from 7PM to 8PM:
FACEBOOK LINK: https://tinyurl.com/3ezve8by
For additional details on the December 2, 2025 runoff election in Hoboken click HERE.
Emily Jabbour and Michael Russo will compete in the runoff election for Mayor of Hoboken.
Caitlin Layson, Joe Quintero, Steve Firestone, Peter Keeling, Nicole Magaña, and Elizabeth Urtecho will advance to the runoff to elect three representatives to Council-at-Large seats.
Using these figures, the high school is currently operating at about 43.5% of its original capacity. If we look only at Hoboken resident students (515), the effective utilization by local enrollment is closer to 34% of capacity.
10-year projection model (summary)
Using current Enrollment:
Resident students (9–12): 515
CHOICE students (9–12): 137
Total 9–12: 652
Building capacity: 1,500
To understand what the next decade might look like, a simple projection model was developed using three scenarios:
Status Quo (no growth): Total enrollment remains at 652 students. Utilization stays at 43.5% of capacity over the entire 10-year period.
Modest Growth (+1% per year): Even if total enrollment grows by 1% annually, the high school would enroll about 720 students in ten years—only 48% of building capacity.
Modest Decline (−1% per year): With a 1% annual decline, total enrollment would fall to about 590 students, or roughly 39% of capacity.
Across all three scenarios, the high school remains significantly underutilized relative to its original design. This persistent under-enrollment has implications for operating efficiency (heating, maintenance, and staffing a large facility), as well as for long-term planning around capital improvements, academic programming, and potential alternative uses of space.
These findings do not prescribe a particular course of action, but they do suggest that facility utilization should be a central consideration in upcoming strategic and budget discussions. Options such as reconfiguring grade spans, expanding or reconsidering CHOICE and magnet offerings, consolidating programs, or repurposing portions of the building could be explored in light of both current and projected enrollment.
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| 10 Year Projections- 3 Different Models Click to Enlarge |
No — far from it.
At 34–44% utilization, the building is operating at less than half of its intended capacity.
The facility is significantly under-enrolled relative to the size it was designed for.
Operational costs (heating, maintenance, staffing, utilities) are likely much higher per student than in a right-sized building.
Enrollment patterns suggest a shrinking or shifting student population, especially at upper grades (see chart below).
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| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
* Since the original construction, the Hoboken Board of Education has reported varying capacity numbers for the high school building. These capacity numbers can be found in the yearly audit reports. Regardless of which enrollment capacity numbers are used, the high school building is underutilized.
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| 2024 Hoboken District Audit Report CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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| 1962 Hoboken High School Brochure CLICK TO ENLARGE |
According to data collected and published by NJ.com, the average NJ full-time superintendent made $197,444 during the 2024-25 school year. Hoboken's superintendent makes $231,876.
Dear Dr. Petrosino,
We are pleased to inform you that your paper, "Data and Farming: Uncovering Tensions in Food Justice," submitted for consideration for the 2026 AERA Annual Meeting has been accepted. Congratulations on this accomplishment. AERA received more than 13,000 submissions this year.
To ensure the highest quality papers presented at the Annual Meeting, your submission was reviewed by highly qualified reviewers serving on a panel constituted by the Division C - Learning and Instruction/Division C - Section 2b: Learning and Motivation in Social and Cultural Contexts. Reviewers' comments are now available on the Online Annual Meeting Program Portal (All Academic) System for your use.
The 2026 AERA Annual Meeting will take place in Los Angeles, California from Wednesday, April 8 through Sunday, April 12.
The AERA meeting offers a number of session formats to feature high quality research and scholarly work. Your paper has been placed in a Paper Session titled, “Critical Narratives From Carceral, Educational, and Community Contexts”. Each format involves different modes of presentation. The program schedule will be available on January 16, 2026.
All presenting authors must register for the Annual Meeting no later than March 6, 2026. Individuals who are not listed as presenting authors cannot present at the Annual Meeting. If a presenting author does not register for the meeting by March 6, 2026, their name will be removed as a presenting author. If no presenting author has registered by March 16, 2026, the paper will be removed from the program.
The final deadline for program changes is March 6, 2026. This includes changes to paper titles and presenting and non-presenting authors.
Copies of all 2026 Annual Meeting program related e-mail correspondence sent from the All Academic System, including this email, are available online in your personal "Message Center." This link is available in the Submitter menu of the All Academic System once you have signed in.
Registration and housing for the 2026 Annual Meeting will open in December 2025. Since all presenters must register for the meeting, please register early to take advantage of the Early Bird rates.
If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact the AERA Meetings Team at annualmtg@aera.net or 202-238-3200.
Sincerely,
Tabbye M. Chavous, Ph.D. (she/her)
Executive Director
Public Service Announcement: upcoming lotteries are in January for Hoboken’s 3 charter schools. For more info and lottery applications, refer to each school’s website.
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| CLICK TO ENLARGE |
The university announced this plan, "The Stevens Investment," two weeks ago, saying, "Pursuing higher education opens doors for students and their families, promoting social mobility and creating new career opportunities. For some families, the cost of tuition can make that path feel out of reach."
Here are other free tuition programs at other colleges and universities around the nation....
2025 US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT’S Best Elementary Schools in Hoboken Public School District District
Elysian Charter School of Hoboken
Ranked #48 in New Jersey Elementary Schools
Ranked #109 in New Jersey Middle Schools
Enrollment 293
Hoboken Dual Language Charter School
Ranked #50 in New Jersey Elementary Schools
Ranked #50 in New Jersey Middle Schools
Enrollment 432
Joseph F. Brandt Elementary School
Ranked #81 in New Jersey Elementary Schools
Enrollment 611
Hoboken High School
Ranked #148 in New Jersey High Schools
Enrollment 607
Hoboken Middle School
Ranked #185 in New Jersey Middle Schools
Enrollment 432
Thomas G. Connors Elementary School School
Ranked #279 in New Jersey Elementary Schools
Enrollment 328
Hoboken Charter School
Ranked #358-411 in New Jersey Elementary Schools
Enrollment 299
Wallace Elementary School
Ranked #389 in New Jersey Elementary Schools
Enrollment 594
According to the report, Hoboken City enrolled 164 students through the Choice program this year — all full-time. There were no shared-time or half-day kindergarten enrollments, and no students listed as LIEP (English Learners) or “Speech Only.”
Here’s what the grade-by-grade breakdown looks like:
Kindergarten through Grade 5: Enrollment is light, with just a handful of students per grade (ranging from 1 to 6).
Grades 6–8: Middle grades stay small, averaging about 2–4 students each.
High School: Enrollment jumps sharply, with 25 students in Grade 9, 45 in Grade 10, 39 in Grade 11, and 28 in Grade 12.
That means the high school alone accounts for nearly 85 percent of the total Choice students in the district.
The report also shows that 98 of the 164 students (nearly 60%) qualify for free lunch, indicating that Hoboken continues to serve a significant share of economically disadvantaged families through the Choice program. There were no students reported as receiving reduced lunch.
Four of the enrolled students are identified as Special Education – High School, making up about 2.4 percent of the total Choice population.
What stands out most isn’t just the distribution — it’s what these numbers imply for local school policy.
Hoboken City schools have often raised concerns about overcrowding, particularly in the elementary grades. Yet the district continues to accept over 160 students a year through the Interdistrict Choice program. This practice seems inconsistent with the public narrative of space limitations and overcrowded classrooms.
If space is genuinely an issue, one would expect limits on new enrollments — especially from outside the district. But instead, the data suggest Hoboken is actively participating in programs that bring in more students annually. It raises an important question:
How can a district claim it’s struggling with overcrowding while voluntarily enrolling more students through state choice programs?
The numbers don’t lie — and they deserve a closer look from both residents and policymakers.
If Hoboken City were to sunset its Interdistrict Public School Choice program, the district would stop admitting new Choice students while allowing those already enrolled to continue through graduation. This phased approach would gradually reduce total enrollment over several years as current students advance and graduate.
Based on the most recent data, Hoboken currently serves 164 Choice students, with the majority enrolled in grades 9–12. Under a sunset policy, these upper-grade students would complete their education in Hoboken without disruption, while no new out-of-district students would enter the system.
As each class of Choice students graduates, available space in the schools would steadily increase—first in the high school, then eventually in the lower grades. Over time, this would ease the pressure on classroom space, facilities, and staffing. The district could then redirect those resources to serve in-district residents, potentially reducing class sizes and expanding programs for local students.
In short, sunsetting the program would allow Hoboken City to free up capacity gradually and responsibly, addressing space concerns without displacing any current Choice students.
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| 2025 Hoboken City CHOICE Data CLICK TO ENLARGE |
The seven-candidate field split the vote among several well-known local figures. Tiffanie Fisher finished third with 3,593 votes, while Ruben Ramos Jr. received 2,791. Dini Ajmani earned 2,426 votes. Patricia Waiters and a small number of write-ins rounded out the totals. In all, 18,676 ballots were cast in the mayoral race.
The council-at-large contest is also expected to continue into a runoff. Jabbour’s running mates Steve Firestone, Caitlin Layson, and Joe Quintero currently lead. On the opposing slate, Pete Keeling and Nicole Magaña are positioned to advance as well. The final spot appears to be between Liz Urtecho and former Councilman Dave Mello, who ran with Fisher. More clarity is expected once results are certified.
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In the 6th Ward, voters selected a successor to the late Jen Giattino, who died one year ago this week. Diane Imus, supported by Fisher, won the four-person race by a wide margin, defeating Ryan Cunningham, Ian Rintel, and Manny Rivera Soler.With several key decisions still ahead, Hoboken’s political landscape remains in motion. The December runoff will determine the city’s next mayor and finalize the council’s makeup for the coming term.
PLEASE NOTE: The runoff is on DECEMBER 2, 2025----
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| from HobokenGirl |
