Love Hoboken. Vote Tuesday 2pm to 9pm for Board of Ed. & the School Budget.
Categories: For Buyers, For Sellers, Hoboken Condos, Neighborhoods
If you are already registered to vote in Hoboken, you do not need to register separately for Tuesday’s Board of Ed. election. Nor do you need to be a property owner or have a child in the school system. Nearly 30% of your tax bill goes to the Hoboken school system. The reputation of our schools and educational system affect your property value. This is critically important this year in light of our property tax increase.
There are 6 candidates for 3 open seats. You will also have the chance to vote up or down on the school budget, which represents 30% of our tax levy. If the school budget is defeated, the budget will go to the city council which, within certain constraints and subject to statutory minimum funding, has the authority to approve a reduced budget.
Please take the time to become informed and vote. Here are some of the issues:
- The cost per pupil for the current school year is approximately $25,000, nearly twice the state average. Based on the most recent comparative data, the spending per pupil in Hoboken for the 2007-08 school year for municipalities with a Kindergarten to 12th grade district was the second highest in the state.
- Our teachers made an average of$74,902 for 2007-08. The state average is $57,242.
- The district’s health insurance costs increased 23% from 2007-08 to 2008-09 and are projected to increase another 17%for 2009-10. Under the teacher contract recently approved by the board of education. School employees do not pay insurance premiums. It is paid for by the district. They do not have co-pays for medical care and are required to pay only a small co-pay for prescriptions, except for new hires.
- Hoboken’s administrator to student ratio far exceeds the State average based on the most recently available State School Report Card.
- Approximately 30 Hoboken school administrators had salaries over $100,000 year in 2007-08.
- All three grade schools serving K to 8th Grade failed to meet the 2007-08 Federal benchmark for making adequate yearly progress. State test results for 2007-08 for the middle school grades were extremely weak; the primary and high school grades performed better. For more information, see the New Jersey School Report Card .
In addition, voters should be aware of the voting record of the two incumbents, Theresa Minutillo (Kids First) and Frank Raia (United for Students), who have voted as follows on these key votes affecting taxpayers:
Teachers’ Contract with annual salary increases:
Minutillo: Against
Raia: For
2009-10 School Budget with increase over last year:
Minutillo: Against
Raia: For
Love your City. Vote April 21.
I will vote for a candidate who will lower my (school) taxes. Who is that?
Where does all this money go?
Mark – Then you should vote down the budget and vote for Theresa Minutillo’s slate as she was the only incumbent candidate who voted down the budget. It includes hefty increases and no plan to reduce spending going forward.
Potential Buyer – the money goes to salaries and benefits, more for administrators than teachers. For example, we have 8 principals but only 5 school buildings. Why do you need more than 1 principal per school? My district had way more students yet we had only 1 and we were one of the best school districts in NY. We were also union free – no teachers union – no extra waste!
Here’s a youtube you should watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kFjUv8AYRA
It’s a shame how much money is wasted and how our students barely meet minimums. My class at Stevens had two Hoboken High students; and they were given conditional admission (i.e. smart students with a lot of potential but POOR educational background). Maureen Sullivan once took high school students on a tour of Stevens ‘to show them that one day they can’ attend it. It’s a shame.
With all due respect to the good teachers we have, I have never seen a system that rewards mediocore performance like Hoboken School System. We owe it to the kids currently going to School in Hoboken, we owe it to our neighbors, we owe it to ourselves, and we even owe it to our (future) kids. Things have to change, starting TOMORROW!
Vote Kids First everyone!
Lori,
Thanks. Minutillo, Sullivan, McGovern it is. My wife and I will vote tomorrow for them!
Next up is the mayor. Not sure whom to vote for that either… Same question I guess: lower taxes will be priority #1!
Thanks Mark! Glad to hear. Two more votes!
I feel very passionate about this! Not to sound like an infomercial, but to me the choice is clear; it’s a choice between business as usual Hoboken, and change Hoboken. Just check out the questionnaire answers posted above; particularly the one around the outrageous costs.
If you’re a condo owner; you probably know what that means. Not only in terms of immediate gains (i.e. lower taxes and transparent budgets), but also for Hoboken overall; Areas with better schools are always more desirable to live; as younger families can stay longer.
And if you are a renter; please take a few minutes and vote tomorrow. We all, owners and renters, want Hoboken to be its best; we can’t have a beautiful waterfront; fabulous shops and bad schools. Schools need to be fixed. I’ve been here 10 years and been hearing same old same old. It’s time for action.
VOTE KIDS FIRST! Minutillo, Suillivan, McGovern!
(Sorry to post again but I am very passionate about this)