Board of Education Strikes again

[Guest Parent]

The minutes only go to April 2014. I heard through "the grapevine" by several others that the redisctricting isn't even finished yet, that is why the postponed this special meeting. What idiots! If they do not go through with this middle school and if I was a teacher at Lincoln, I'd be beyond angry. They made the teachers pack up their classrooms already along with paying for their own boxes and storage facilities.

[Guest Guest]

I just checked & they're not missing. Where's the conspiracy now?

They were originally missing. They were posted after later-dated minutes. Whether this was a conspiracy or a genuine oversight is anyone's guess.

[Guest Worried Mom]

Does anyone know if busing is going to be provided to the Lincoln Middle School. I went to the one meeting and read all the available minutes but did not see anything about this. I live way down past Washington School almost in Harrison. I will have 7th grader next year. I would drive her but My husband takes the car to work and i take the bus into Newark. I will be worried about her walking so far. If the children take the bus will the school board be reimbursing the parent? I would like my daughter to get the benefit of a good education so please i not against the middle school just so worried about her getting there and back. Does anyone know anything about transportation being provided? Thank you

[Guest Lincoln Parent]

No transportation whatsoever. It's been asked by many. NJ does have a "2 mile rule", you can only get bussed if you live more than 2 miles from school. So if you are far enough, you can phone the Board of Ed up.

In my case, I have small, young children. Who I am not letting walk alone. No way, no how; especially with the rash of attempted child lurings around the North Bergen area. Since there is not much parking, I have enlisted my in-laws to help drive my kids. One of us will get out of the car with them while the other one just drives around for awhile. It's going to stink in winter but oh well. Speaking of winter, the sidewalks near Lincoln are usually bad (slippery, not shoveled well). So make sure your child has very good boots on.

[Guest Guest]

The minutes only go to April 2014. I heard through "the grapevine" by several others that the redisctricting isn't even finished yet, that is why the postponed this special meeting. What idiots! If they do not go through with this middle school and if I was a teacher at Lincoln, I'd be beyond angry. They made the teachers pack up their classrooms already along with paying for their own boxes and storage facilities.

That's not true. Yes, teachers are packing up their classrooms - most do at the end of the school year - especially at Lincoln where there are several different summer programs going on. They can either find empty boxes or buy - whichever makes sense to them. But NO ONE is being made to pay for storage facilities. If anyone is doing so it's because they want to and I guess they can afford to.

Please don't make things up - the truth is ridiculous enough without adding lies to it.

[Guest TruthHurts]

How come anyone posts a negative comment regarding the BoE, someone has to defend it by calling people names and by calling them liars? Get a life.

[Guest concern parent]

The time is coming parents. July 28 is the last day to file petitions for election to the Board of Education. Let's get people to run who really care. And know something about education and serving on a board.

This board needs someone who is not in politics. Yes, I know running for office is politics. We need people who are willing to stand up for our teachers and students.

We need people who willing to be open with the parents.

Let's hope this election will be about change.

Redistricting Meeting will be held when people are on vacation.

Because this board does not want the drama from parents. The less people the better.

[Guest Parent]

How do we file petitions? Sorry, new to this sort of stuff.

I hope they don't hold this meeting during summer! That would be very wrong. (Although we don't have plans since we put our house up for sale, saving every penny to be able to take a drop in sale price if needed.) But others go away and some even go away for 1-2 months.

[Guest concern parent]

You file petitons with Hudson County Clerk's office in Jersey City.

Petitions are due July 28. 4PM.

But, if elected you will serve three years. It seems you want to leave Kearny. So why get involved in the election process?

[Guest Drunk at meetings]

Ask the little bus driver. He runs every year and loses

[Guest concern parent]

You file petitions at the Hudson County Clerk's office in Jersey City.

Filing date is July 28 by 4PM.

I noticed you said you have your house up for sale.

If elected, you have to serve three years. If you sell then what?

[Guest Possible Candidate]

You file petitions at the Hudson County Clerk's office in Jersey City.

Filing date is July 28 by 4PM.

I noticed you said you have your house up for sale.

If elected, you have to serve three years. If you sell then what?

Do you have to go there to get the petitions or can you go to Town Hall

[Guest Parent]

Opps, sorry, I misunderstood your post and you're right, I can't run. If I know anyone that is, I will pass this info along for them.

But so far...the only talk the parents have is about how we're losing our school and that we're "still in the dark".

[Guest NewMeeting]

They just posted this on the School District website:

A meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, June 12, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. in the Lincoln School auditorium to discuss the 2014/15 Lincoln Middle School and to address concerns related to the Kearny Public Schools redistricting plan.

Wow, they are cutting it so close to the end of school, beginning of summer!

[Guest concern parent]

You pick up the petitions in Jersey City at the Clerk's Office.

Then return them there to be certified.

[Guest concern parent]

How is Redistricting solve the problem of overcrowding? When you need more room

You move to a bigger house. Or build a new one.

BOE. Did we look into fedral grants or state grants? How about a private source of funding? Newark received a gift of one million dollars from a private donor.

We need to build a Middle School. Plenty of space on Buuny Hill.

The site is next to the ball fields. Kearny High School is up the hill.

The money that this board has wasted, we could be on our to build a new school.

Parents, attend the special meeting June 12 at 7PM Lincoln School.

Let voice be heard. If we don't like what we hear, I say take the issue to the State Dept. Of Education.

BOE time to do the right thing.

[Guest Guest]

How is Redistricting solve the problem of overcrowding? When you need more room

You move to a bigger house. Or build a new one.

BOE. Did we look into fedral grants or state grants? How about a private source of funding? Newark received a gift of one million dollars from a private donor.

We need to build a Middle School. Plenty of space on Buuny Hill.

The site is next to the ball fields. Kearny High School is up the hill.

The money that this board has wasted, we could be on our to build a new school.

Parents, attend the special meeting June 12 at 7PM Lincoln School.

Let voice be heard. If we don't like what we hear, I say take the issue to the State Dept. Of Education.

BOE time to do the right thing.

Seriously, concerned parent? Newark got that money from Mark Zuckerburg (and wasted it.) Kearny is not in line for that kind of money.

Over crowding can be alleviated by moving people around. In all of the schools with 7/8 grades the number of students in the classrooms are not equal. Some schools have very small class sizes and some have very large class sizes. They are still taking up classrooms leaving elementary classes overcrowded.

Example: Two schools might (likely) each have this situation:

4 classrooms - 2 jr. high English, 2 4th grade classroom

The two jr. high rooms might each only have 15 or 16 kids (15 + 15 = 30) Great!

The two elementary rooms might each have 25 kids (25 + 25 = 50) Acceptable but not optimum.

Now the 4 (total in both schools) jr. high classrooms have a total of 60 kids and the 4 total elementary classes have a total of 100 kids.

Still with me?

Now if we condense the 4 jr high English classes into one location we can have 60 kids in 3 classrooms with 20 in each - very appropriate class size. That leave 5 classrooms for the 4 elementary classes giving us 100 kids in 5 classrooms with 20 in each - again very appropriate class sizes.

That's how the Lincoln Jr. High and redistricting will help. See you at the meeting!

[Guest Get Serious]

How is Redistricting solve the problem of overcrowding? When you need more room

You move to a bigger house. Or build a new one.

BOE. Did we look into fedral grants or state grants? How about a private source of funding? Newark received a gift of one million dollars from a private donor.

We need to build a Middle School. Plenty of space on Buuny Hill.

The site is next to the ball fields. Kearny High School is up the hill.

The money that this board has wasted, we could be on our to build a new school.

Parents, attend the special meeting June 12 at 7PM Lincoln School.

Let voice be heard. If we don't like what we hear, I say take the issue to the State Dept. Of Education.

BOE time to do the right thing.

Federal or state grants to build a new school? Do you have any idea what new school construction costs? Millions & millions, and if you think the state of NJ or the federal government is giving away that kind of money, you are seriously uniformed.

Bunny Hill is Green Acres property . . . can't build on it.

If you want your voice to be "heard", you should know what you're talking about first.

[Guest Drunk at meetings]

Why don't you build your dream school in never never land you idiot Build a school on a hill???? You must live by bunny hill....you must have worked at Shop Rite....Ha Ha

[Guest Taking the Bus?]

It is over one mile from the south part of town to the new middle school.

Are the kids taking a bus?

[Guest LincolnParent]

No, there is a "2 mile" rule in NJ. So it has to be over 2 miles from any school in order to get busing.

I think what the poster meant is for the amount of $ they spent fixing up the High School (that is still ongoing), they could have built a whole new school someplace else. Not to mention the millions still being spent on their office building on Midland (another project not finished, or so the rumor goes).

To the poster who thinks this redisctricting will help, have you've not read all the other posts on here? This is only a temporary solution that will cost taxpayers money, time, and so much more. The parents who have children who attend Lincoln school do not want this to go through.

Yup, see you at the meeting!

[Guest 2nd ward voter]

Unless it is more than 2 miles to the school, the district is not required to provide busing to elementary (K-8) students/

[Guest Guest]

Seriously, concerned parent? Newark got that money from Mark Zuckerburg (and wasted it.) Kearny is not in line for that kind of money.

Over crowding can be alleviated by moving people around. In all of the schools with 7/8 grades the number of students in the classrooms are not equal. Some schools have very small class sizes and some have very large class sizes. They are still taking up classrooms leaving elementary classes overcrowded.

Example: Two schools might (likely) each have this situation:

4 classrooms - 2 jr. high English, 2 4th grade classroom

The two jr. high rooms might each only have 15 or 16 kids (15 + 15 = 30) Great!

The two elementary rooms might each have 25 kids (25 + 25 = 50) Acceptable but not optimum.

Now the 4 (total in both schools) jr. high classrooms have a total of 60 kids and the 4 total elementary classes have a total of 100 kids.

Still with me?

Now if we condense the 4 jr high English classes into one location we can have 60 kids in 3 classrooms with 20 in each - very appropriate class size. That leave 5 classrooms for the 4 elementary classes giving us 100 kids in 5 classrooms with 20 in each - again very appropriate class sizes.

That's how the Lincoln Jr. High and redistricting will help. See you at the meeting!

Maybe you meant to say teachers, not classrooms. Don't forget the jr. school and the 4th graders will be in two separate buildings. You won't be able to use that extra jr. high room for 4th grade, but you should have a fifth teacher available.Finishing the high school should be the Board's first priority, instead of getting bogged down in a new enormous middle school project. I think the school district has always had to move classes around a little, one year there is a load of 6th graders, the next year there are less 6th graders but more 4th graders and on it goes, they always seemed to manage in the past. Sometimes a school district line was moved a block or two, but never a disruption of this enormity. For everyone's sake, especially the children who will be losing their school by either being thrown into a large high school-like environment or the little ones adjusting to a brand new school, I really hope it is a big success.

[Guest Guest]

Maybe you meant to say teachers, not classrooms. Don't forget the jr. school and the 4th graders will be in two separate buildings. You won't be able to use that extra jr. high room for 4th grade, but you should have a fifth teacher available.Finishing the high school should be the Board's first priority, instead of getting bogged down in a new enormous middle school project. I think the school district has always had to move classes around a little, one year there is a load of 6th graders, the next year there are less 6th graders but more 4th graders and on it goes, they always seemed to manage in the past. Sometimes a school district line was moved a block or two, but never a disruption of this enormity. For everyone's sake, especially the children who will be losing their school by either being thrown into a large high school-like environment or the little ones adjusting to a brand new school, I really hope it is a big success.

The problem is not with the number of teachers, it is more the number of rooms. In Garfield School, where there is no junior high, there are way too many kids, it doesn't matter how you adjust, 30+ kids in an elementary class is just unforgivable and unless we figure out some way of helping these numbers, we're doomed. By moving the jr. high out of Washington School, we now have ROOMS to spread out into. Children will be redistricted out of Garfield and into Washington where there will be adequate space for those students to be in acceptable class sizes.

There are Schuyler School students in preK and K that attend other schools (mostly Roosevelt.) It isn't that we can't find teachers to teach the overflow - there are no rooms to put them in.

After every office, closet, and hallway has been taken to put students, it's time that we do something a little bit more educationally sound. This solution is, in fact, temporary - I believe Mrs. Blood said it will help for about 5 years and then a more permanent plan needs to be in place.

Our options are:

1. do nothing

2. come up with a knee-jerk plan (like leasing and renovating St. Stephen's for millions of dollars)

3. redistrict for a nominal cost while giving us time to come up with a more permanent solution. Remember we are using properties that we already have, teachers we are already paying. We are not adding costs to our budget; but we are alleviating the situation for a while.

In my opinion, #1 is not an option. We are talking about our children's education here. If we know we can do better than we are, we should. This plan respects the taxpayers by not putting on unnecessary costs while we figure out what to do. If you can come up with a better plan than #s 1, 2, or 3, please write it up and present it to the board at the next meeting. Also, if you can come up with such a plan, please go over to Jersey City and get an application to run for the board, we need great minds like yours.

[Guest Guest]

Wow!! How defensive!

The problem is not with the number of teachers, it is more the number of rooms. In Garfield School, where there is no junior high, there are way too many kids, it doesn't matter how you adjust, 30+ kids in an elementary class is just unforgivable and unless we figure out some way of helping these numbers, we're doomed. By moving the jr. high out of Washington School, we now have ROOMS to spread out into. Children will be redistricted out of Garfield and into Washington where there will be adequate space for those students to be in acceptable class sizes.

There are Schuyler School students in preK and K that attend other schools (mostly Roosevelt.) It isn't that we can't find teachers to teach the overflow - there are no rooms to put them in.

After every office, closet, and hallway has been taken to put students, it's time that we do something a little bit more educationally sound. This solution is, in fact, temporary - I believe Mrs. Blood said it will help for about 5 years and then a more permanent plan needs to be in place.

Our options are:

1. do nothing

2. come up with a knee-jerk plan (like leasing and renovating St. Stephen's for millions of dollars)

3. redistrict for a nominal cost while giving us time to come up with a more permanent solution. Remember we are using properties that we already have, teachers we are already paying. We are not adding costs to our budget; but we are alleviating the situation for a while.

In my opinion, #1 is not an option. We are talking about our children's education here. If we know we can do better than we are, we should. This plan respects the taxpayers by not putting on unnecessary costs while we figure out what to do. If you can come up with a better plan than #s 1, 2, or 3, please write it up and present it to the board at the next meeting. Also, if you can come up with such a plan, please go over to Jersey City and get an application to run for the board, we need great minds like yours.