Plainfield - Not Politics

Straight Talk • Results • Accomplishments

We Must Fix Our Schools, Plainfield!

The state of the public schools might be Plainfielders ' biggest concern . I've learned this on the campaign trail, from talking with parents, teachers, merchants, business people, people trying to sell their homes, people wanting to start businesses. Plainfielders feel that our schools have not lived up to their full potential for far too long.

Aside from the injustice to public school students and to parents who feel forced to pay to send their children to private schools, a broken school system hurts all of Plainfield: by suppressing property values, hindering growth and industry and contributing to crime. As so many of our citizen's have told me: There is no fixing Plainfield until we fix our schools.

If we could fix our schools, families with children looking for homes would give Plainfield a second look. Even childless potential homeowners would give Plainfield a second look, no longer fearing that if they buy in Plainfield they will never be able to later sell to families with children. Improved property values could also lead to improved tax revenues. If we can fix the schools we can fix Plainfield.

But more importantly, most importantly, if we could fix the schools we could fulfill our obligation to the next generation, to rear well rounded students, ready to compete for spots in colleges, the job market, the world at large.

Failed solutions of the past.
Plainfield has been thrashing around for years, looking for answers. Prior studies and reports have not yielded the results we need. Is it because of inaction? Inadequate action? I don't know. What I do know is that in the past five years, the school system has gone through five superintendents. We must stop looking for a knight in shining armor to come to our rescue. It is now apparent that no one is coming to save us. We must save ourselves.

A mandate from the People.
The easy out for the City government is to say the schools is the School Board's problem. But the voters' rejection of the school board budget for two years in a row is a mandate to the Council to address the problem of our public schools.

The start of the solution - a blue ribbon Education Commission.

From my discussions with my constituents an idea has arisen - not a solution but the start of a solution. I will propose the Council establishes a blue ribbon Education Commission made up of volunteer members appointed by the Council, to seek the answer to the problem of persistent underperformance of our schools. This commission, who like the 9-11 Commission will be formed to look deeply into the issues, report and then disband.

Such a Commission would require the cooperation of the Board of Education and of course the willingness of the Council.

Who would be on the Education Commission? The Education Commission would be comprised of:
* Plainfield residents and those with teaching experience
* Plainfield parents with school age children who attend public and private school
* A State education representative
* Administrators and educators from the district
* A representative from another Abbott district that is doing well - like Union City or Jersey City.

All of the above must have one overriding concern: the betterment of our schools

What would the Education Commission do? The task of the Education Commission would be to:

honestly assess the actual state of our schools, examining it from every angle
honestly determine where the real problems lie
dust off older studies and re-evaluate recommendations, see if they are still valid today
search for real, meaningful answers no matter how difficult
seek input from the People
make recommendations for change

What issues would the Education Commission address?

The curriculum…or lack of a curriculum
Training and evaluation of teachers and administrators
School Board elections: move school board to November?
The value of electing versus appointing members of the School board
The budget and allocation of funds
What tools (books, lab equipment, programs) teachers need to help them give our children the qualified education they deserve
What administrative and other forms of support do our teachers need in order to perform at peak levels
What support and parental involvement issues are the children facing at home
Anything else a creative engaged Commission can propose to improve our schools

What can you do?

You can help. I need your help to make this happen. Tell me what you think. Encourage all elected officials, whether the School Board, the Council, the Administration, the General Assembly or the State to support this search for solutions. Volunteer to serve on the Education Commission.

We need an Education Commission!
Our public schools affects every aspect of our city life: justice for our children, property values, tax revenues, crime rates , growth and development, quality of life , and our very future. You deserve a City Council which will turn its attention to the problem of the schools. Our children deserve the opportunity to excel scholastically in a safe nurturing environment. An Education Commission is not the solution. But I believe it would be the start of a solution.

On June 8th, I ask for your vote to allow me to address the many difficult issues before us.