Why The City Councilors & Community Should STAY "in" School!

"New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) which shows more than 725 school administrators making more than $141,000 annually, including nearly 60 school superintendents drawing annual salaries of $200,000 or more, Rible said, “Such exorbitant salaries are, in part, to blame for the high cost of property taxes associated with education in New Jersey and the state’s chronic budget deficits."
[http://hobokencurriculumproject.blogspot.com/2010/03/nj-bill-seeks-to-cap-salary-of.html]

Here's Your Opportunity...

For those who REALLY want to understand the reasons and glean the qualifications of the candidates running for the Plainfield Board of Education - Come Out to:

PEA Candidates Forum

Wednesday, 3/31

5:30 PM

P.H.S. Cafeteria

Come Join Us Today : 5 PM

For The Record!

I had a very engaging conversation with Annie McWilliams and I appreciated the opportunity to understand her position as well as express my own.  That's "authentic" intentions in action.

Not the cowardly Anon-mer(s) whose commentary speaks only to their self-centered concerns and how  they are sick of talking about the schools (wonder how many kids they have in the district). Not a single candidate spoke last night -- yet out of the 6 speakers that came up to the mic when I was there -- 5 talked about their concerns for the schools.  Hmmm...

And if Anon has it their way looks like we will be checking our ward cards at the door -- lessen you be speaking about anything they might not be interested in...

Silly Rabbit.

It's not about you think my way or hit the highway, but rather how can we come to some common ground -- and we have a lot of common ground to cover.

Anywho -- thanks Annie for reaching out/in and over!  I look forward to the 3rd Ward's meeting and many opportunities to converse, partner and IMPROVE Plainfield -- the community and the schools!  Be well.

Absolutely Disgusted!

You know I’m getting pretty sick and tired of POLICITIANS throwing around the word POLITICS as in “Playing Politics” as if it is a dirty word. If it’s a dirty word then that makes YOU dirty because it’s what you practice and are involved in day in and day out.

It’s not politics that is dirty -- it’s the sneaky, conniving, lying duplicitous nature of the politician that makes it so!

I was completely out done when I walked into the 2nd Ward City Council meeting and was assailed with two absolutely OBSURD proclamations! The first was from Annie McWilliams who said that because the BOE elections were approaching, the council would not entertain any questions regarding education, after all “it was beyond” their responsibility. Yet last week they not only entertained education they introduced and allowed commentary from BOE members and the CSA.

Hmm -- So what’s that about? Sounds like politicking to me…

The real question is -- why would you hold City Council Forums during the BOE election period and then NOT expect people to discuss what is happening?

Why would Annie think it was SLIGHTLY OK to SENSOR/CENSURE what is on the hearts of the people in her community?

Shortly following Mr. Mapp says it is the job of the State and Federal Government to provide education for communities, and just to make sure we all understood him -- he repeated it. WHAT???

Hey Mapp -- It takes a Village to raise a child and like it or not YOUR House is in this Village and YOU along with everyone else will have to PAY to EDUCATE this city’s children.

Think of it this way -- you will either pay to educate them, pay to jail them or pay to bury them. AS for ME and MY HOUSE -- we ARE A PART of THIS COMMUNITY and We gladly give of our time, talent and talons to EDUCATE our future.

I personally, don’t go to City Council Meetings because they are too rigid for my taste. BUT whenever I hear about an OPEN forum format I attend. But guess what I'm coming to talk about? You BETCHA -- EDUCATION…that is to say the DIRE STRAITS of PLAINFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS! And--- it doesn’t matter if it’s during an election season or not!

How could the council even remotely believe they could have a VIABLE and/or VALUABLE conversation about ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT without first understanding how education will play a role in the success of same?

ANNIE -- YOU Can NOT create and/or establish an economic infrastructure WITHOUT ensuring you have the ability to sustain same.

Who is going to work in the stores? Buy from the Stores? Hello -- Own and Operate the Stores? Certainly not the children of Plainfield because their EDUCATION does not afford them the ability to SUSTAIN the economic base.

I got up to talk but time was running out and I had to go to another forum -- So I had to write this up because it was just too darn unbelievable that she and Mapp would take such an asinine stance on such a highly publicized, critical issue in our city. And -- there were a LOT of folks there that felt the same way given the bouts of applause that erupted every time someone mentioned their concerns about education and the current state in our city‘s schools.

Looks like the council made the WRONG call on that one!

It was a sad commentary to witness these two in full blown ignorance of how important the educational issue is to the community, but I must say the community people who spoke up were on point, and despite the edicts of Ms. McWilliams, continued to voice their concerns about the educational system in Plainfield.

Power to the PEOPLE of PLAINFIELD!

Huh?

"I rather be the one suffering the stress of not knowing specifics rather than having stress due to the possible different scenarios." Christian Estevez, BOE Member and Incumbent

Hello Plainfield!  It is exactly this type of mentality that has allowed non-certified, convicted, under qualified, the mismanaged of money and abuse of power to run rampant in our district.  If you DO KNOW then you can't do anything to fix it or HOW ABOUT PREPLAN for it instead of the reactionary rash that is part of this BOE operating strategy!

I said it on Tuesday and I'll say it again -- Spare the voters of Plainfield the STRESS of your candidacy. You came, You tried, you FAILED now move on! Ugh!!!

Join The Fun!

Can WE have a REAL Debate?

From Blogger to BOE Candidate -- just passing it on as I see/saw it!

I have personally participated in 3 separate candidate’s forums over the past week (literally in a single weekend) and given the lack of “coverage”/“blogger buzz" -- please allow me to share with you what transpired.

Here’s how things panned out:

Our 1st Forum was at Harvest Radio 1070 AM where 6 out of the 14 candidates showed up to participate. Just to keep this simple --- 4 of them were my running mates and I.

Our 2nd Forum was at Cresent Avenue Church sponsored by SEIU Local 32bj - (7 showed Up -- 4 were my teammates and I). According to the single-only gentlemen who spoke with us this was their first foray into BOE elections. There was no panel, no note taking, no “real” dialog -- just my team answering some questions that we had already replied to in writing and faxed in to their office prior to the forum. The two independents and ¼ of  a slate were present but the interesting thing was that an entire team (for which one member is also a member of the Union who hosted this event) had been notified and interviewed a week prior to any other candidates being invited. Interesting stuff -- Huh?

And our 3rd forum was sponsored by the Plainfield Chapter of the NAACP for which 9 of 14 were present -- 1 full slate (mine); ¾ of a slate (with a valid reason and a note of introduction and apology), ¼ of a slate (with no note of introduction/apology) 1 independent and another independent absent (with a letter of introduction and apology).

If I had one thing to ask of all future planned forum hosts/hostesses -- it would be to PLEASE allow us to have a genuine debate on the issues and the various positions  of incumbents and candidates with regard to the current state of the educational system in this city.

There has not been an opportunity for candidates to actually speak to or about one another, or to inquire about each others reasoning for certain decisions. What are we afraid of in terms of allowing this level of conversation to take place? How else will the general public really know and be able to vet out the best candidates for the position?

Can We Talk???!!!

Meet & Greet Part II

If you've missed us today -- please come join us tomorrow (3/20)...

@ 34 Randolph Road

Look for The Banner!

Stop in -- we would LOVE to have you!

Campaign Kick-off: Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow!

6PM - 8PM

United Church of Christ Congregational

Corner of West 7th  and Madison Avenue

[Parking on Madison Ave./ Additional Parking Diagonally Across the Street At United Family & Children’s Society]

School Leadership Advocacy Movement!

PAAAS Open House - This Thursday!

Come Get to Know More About the People Behind the Grand S.L.A.M. Plan!

This Friday, March 19th

6 PM - 8 PM

United Church of Christ Congregational

220 W. 7th Street & Madison Avenue

Elect

Campbell (2) * Hernandez (9) * Abdul-Haqq (10) * Edwards (13)

Plainfield Board of Education

April 20, 2010

Change is @ Your FINGERTIP! - Get OUT and VOTE!!

Elect

Campbell(2) * Hernandez (9)

Abdul-Haqq (10) * Edwards (13)

Plainfield Board of Education

April 20, 2010

We Are READY -- Taking Back Our Schools -- Brick by Brick!!!

CAMPBELL (2)

HERNANDEZ (9)

ABDUL - HAQQ (10)

EDWARDS (13)

Get Your TICKETS!!!

United Church of Christ Congregational

220 W.7th Street

Plainfield, NJ

For tickets:  See Wilma, Rasheed, Keisha or Renata or send an email to rannette439@verizon.net

Change From The INSIDE -------> OUT!

[Paid For By: Committee to Elect CAHE; Treasurer S. Woodley]

A Grand S.L.A.M. For Plainfield Public Schools!

[Paid For By: The Committee to Elect CAHE; Treasurer Shalonda Woodley]

Fireside Chat : Questions from the Community | Part III

11. Were these positions posted?

a. No. And according to Dr. Gallon that was intentional, and if given the opportunity he “would do it again”.

12. When and how are board policies change under Dr. Gallon’s tenure, especially those pertaining to hiring personnel?

a. There is a Board Policy meeting the 1st Tuesday of every month lead by Christian Estevez at which time the recommended modifications are brought before the members, discussed and voted on.

b. As confirmed by Miss Logan-Leach during the 2/16 Board Meeting (see meeting minutes for specific) she shared that the process had been change in July of 2009 under the leadership of Dr. Gallon.

13. I feel all people elected to the Board should be required to go for training.

a. All Board Members are required to go through training and they have 12 months from the date they take office to complete the training per the New Jersey State Board Association.

14. The Current Board members have listened to staff at board meetings but they did not hear what staff was saying. They simply voted by rubber stamping what the Supt has recommended. What will you actually do as a new Board member, rubber stamp or vote for students and staff.

a. Rubber stamping is for card making and crafts; informed decision making will be the model in which my votes will be cast with the benefit always weighted towards what is best for Plainfield Public School Students.

15. As a board member what will you do to make sure employee’s rights are not violated and they are treated with respect and not taken advantage of by the administration?

a. To the extent that the Board is only able to implement policy, the surest way is to require that Union contracts being upheld and adhered to without deviation – although one would expect that by virtue of the fact that it is a “contract” that in and of itself obligates parties to adhere to the conditions therein. Tying the CSA’s yearly assessment to a metric regarding people skills and negotiation outcomes such as the ability to create opportunities for "win-win" outcomes would also provide an incentive to achieve agreement or a deterrent for potential abuse.

Your Support Is Appreciated

Hello Everybody -- It's Fundraising Time!!!

I'm accepting Campaign Donations!

The 1st 20 People to donate $20 or More will receive:

A

AND A

Make checks or moneyorders payable to: 

Committee to Elect Hernandez for Plainfield Board of Education

Mail to:  439 Randolph Road, Plainfield, NJ 07060

(Don't forget to provide your address so your T-shirt and Keychain can be dropped off)

I'll also have these items available for in-person donations!

I look forward

to your

Support!!!

Fireside Chat: Questions from the Community | Part II

5. Can someone else take a mail-in to the Board of Elections?

a. I would suggest reading through the rules around “mail-in” ballots to avoid any impropriety or potentially illegal behavior.  There are VERY specific rules --  Check here.

6. How many likeminded people are on the board now? Who are they?

a. I think you need only to look through the minutes and review the votes cast and by whom, to know which members tend to vote similarly during resolution adoption.

7. Why would they go outside Plainfield District to hire when we have qualified educators right here that are from the community?

a. This is a very good question and one that would require understanding the administrator’s goal for hiring in general. There has been a lot of disturbing trends when it come to how our current CSA hires and certainly affords us more questions than answers. To the extent that the BOE only implements policies – I would suggest that we begin looking at how we can structure requirements around current district employees and 1st choice options.

8. Are the students still sharing books? So, how can they afford those salaries?

a. Yes, students are sharing books. I'll tell you a real life story.  My daughter's teacher emails me to tell me my daughter is falling behind on her reading/writing assignments.  Immediately, I ask my daughter what is going on, to which she responded that she has to wait for her friend to finish the reading section  because her book is missing pages 58 -112. 

Yes completely missing!  I made her show me and sure enough -- the book was tattered and missing these pages.  Of Course -- as is the mind of an 11 year trying to stall on the assignment -- she never told her teacher.  The point is my child made do at the risk of missing assignments until she could get the book from her friend to finish reading.  [JUST to CLARIFY -- her teacher IMMEDIATELY rectified the situation once she was advised of the circumstance.] I wonder just how many of our kids are just trying to make do with what we are providing them.  And to your second question -- well isn’t that the close to a MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION!

9. Was Dr. Gallon too ashamed of Plainfield to purchase his house here?

a. One could only speculate as to why Dr. Gallon chose not to purchase and/or rent in Plainfield. I think this would be a valid question to ask at a board meeting and I hope you will consider doing so.

10. Is it true that Borge and Kelly are using (Dr. Gallon’s) South Plainfield address for their children to attend South Plainfield Schools while their address is in Perth Amboy where they live?

a. It is rumored that this is the case although we have no evidence to substantiate this claim. I suggest paying attention to the South Plainfield Board of Education proceedings to see if there is any actions brought against these parties, anything other than that is pure speculation.

Fireside Chat : Questions From the Community: Part I

1. What will the candidates do to expedite the process (contract)?


a. Board members can only hold the Superintendent accountable for how he negotiates and cooperates with Board employees. Our legal responsibility is to approve the contract that the superintendent brings before the Board members. There is currently a Board member (Pat Barksdale) assigned as a liaison to Contract Negotiations and I would suggest that PEA members write her to share their concerns with regard to the lack of progress.

2. Why don’t we have a gifted program? Are you planning to have one?

a. Gifted programs have not been implemented as one might expect such as < see here >, but there are honors courses at the high school level. Additionally the creation of PAAAS was to address that student population that have an interest in the arts such as music, dance etc… as well as advanced academics.

3. Is the work sampling system going to be effective this year? Do you think it is a good system to have in our schools?

a. After speaking with some teachers there are concerns with the implementation of the program as oppose to the program merits itself. There are issues with the requirement for data input by the teacher which would be overwhelming in distract from instructional time versus administrative paperwork. Additionally, there has been no evidence of this program being effective in other districts which further adds to the concerns of teachers and parents alike.

4. Who is held accountable? There are too many mistakes being made without a lot of answers.

a. We are all accountable, but as to who is held accountable – that would depend on who believes that the state of Plainfield and the potential of Plainfield rest within their ability to get involved and make the necessary commitment to bring about change.

It's T.I.M.E.: Truth*In*Motion*EVERYTIME!