The Hoboken Tax Reform Coalition
Do not vote for KidsFirst!
Do not vote for KF until they answer satisfactorily the following questions:
1. What actions were taken to identify and eliminate the ILLEGAL students and how many were found? (12 is not the answer!)
2. THERE is NO TAX decrease for the taxpayers this year! Why? The BoE tax levy this year is only $3,000 less than last year! Please don't respond by saying that the state cut funds!
3. What concessions were negotiated with the custodian union? What is the outcome?
4. What did the BoE do to decrease the almost $30,000 per student? (hint: bringing illegal students as it was done in the past, is totally unacceptable!)
5. All board members should disclose to the public all members of their family employed by the school district. If there is such a conflict of interest, they should explain why they want to be on the BoE.
It is appalling to me that we trusted KF to do the right thing for the taxpayers, and 1 year later they managed to cut not more than 3 thousand dollars! Last year HobokenRevolt mobilized a great deal of members to sit out in the cold to convince the taxpayers to vote for KF! I believe that is the Revolt' steering committee responsibility to hold KF accountable!
It is time to stop deceiving the public!
1. What actions were taken to identify and eliminate the ILLEGAL students and how many were found? (12 is not the answer!)
2. THERE is NO TAX decrease for the taxpayers this year! Why? The BoE tax levy this year is only $3,000 less than last year! Please don't respond by saying that the state cut funds!
3. What concessions were negotiated with the custodian union? What is the outcome?
4. What did the BoE do to decrease the almost $30,000 per student? (hint: bringing illegal students as it was done in the past, is totally unacceptable!)
5. All board members should disclose to the public all members of their family employed by the school district. If there is such a conflict of interest, they should explain why they want to be on the BoE.
It is appalling to me that we trusted KF to do the right thing for the taxpayers, and 1 year later they managed to cut not more than 3 thousand dollars! Last year HobokenRevolt mobilized a great deal of members to sit out in the cold to convince the taxpayers to vote for KF! I believe that is the Revolt' steering committee responsibility to hold KF accountable!
It is time to stop deceiving the public!
Views: 7
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by georgia on -
Maybe Mr. Leon Gold would like to defend KF and explain why he joined them despite the fact that their accomplishments are unsatisfactory after a year full of hopes for reform.
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Permalink Reply by Kathy L. Mallow on
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Georgia, I.S., etc.
Perhaps a better approach, instead of railing against KF, would be to address your issues to everyone running. Why not ask for specific, measureable goals & objectives from each candidate running?
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Permalink Reply by Sven on
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Kathy L. Mallow said:Georgia, I.S., etc.
Perhaps a better approach, instead of railing against KF, would be to address your issues to everyone running. Why not ask for specific, measureable goals & objectives from each candidate running?
Good point. I would definitely like to see HR put out another detailed questionnaire for all candidates running in the upcoming BoE election.
Nevertheless, it seems reasonable to me to ask KidsFirst how they lived up to their campaign promises, which were among others to conduct a meaningful reregistration process for all pupils and to substantially reduce the tax levy. I am very eager to learn more details of what was achieved and what was not (and why not).
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Permalink Reply by Sven on
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Incognito Smith said:I’d like them to also explain why we need more people on the BOE payroll to run a district of about 2000 students (many non residents) than when we had more than 7000 students.
Excellent point! And this is precisely where the problem is. If the BoE is unwilling to reduce the head count, there will be no way for them to cut taxes in a meaningful way. So far, not much has happened in that regard and it seems reasonable to ask KidsFirst specifically if, when and by how much they are planning to reduce head count.
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Permalink Reply by scott m siegel on
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The State of N J is cutting everywhere. It will only get worse. Just last night the Board solved a $350,000 deficit from the lunch program. There have been job cuts, accounting straightened out and couple of million dollars in other cuts. You can't rebuild a system that used 30+ years to not teach our children and ran it as a patronage mill overnight. The only real way to reduce the per pupil cost would be to close the charter schools and place them in the public schools. Not gonna happen. How much would you agree to spend on hiring detectives to find the illegal kids? I'm curious about #3 too. I don't like that they got raises. The fact that there will be a co-pay is welcome.Come to the 3/23 BOE budget workshop, I'll ask that question. I agree on #5. It's hard to fire people with tenure unless you have cause.
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Permalink Reply by georgia on
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What is the point? They all say one thing and do another. But the fact that KidsFirst are silent, tells me the story! They cannot defend themselves. I supported them last year, but not anymore. They did not live up to the taxpayers' expectations! Their 'achievements' listed on Hoboken Reporter (I believe) are an insult.
Kathy L. Mallow said:Georgia, I.S., etc.
Perhaps a better approach, instead of railing against KF, would be to address your issues to everyone running. Why not ask for specific, measureable goals & objectives from each candidate running?
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Permalink Reply by Kathy L. Mallow on
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Georgia,
Scott makes some excellent points. There's a confluence of factors that, sadly, are working against significantly reducing the bottom line. I believe KF has done its best, given the variables. As Scott notes, Hoboken's problems, not only @ the BoE, are decades in the making. "Slash & Burn" might be an appealing concept, but in practice, something very different. I might ask, how would you specifically effect cost-reduction at the BoE? That is, suggest concrete answers to some of the questions you pose. Obviously, you're unhappy with non-resident students. Who isn't? And I might suggest the goal is to "do the right thing," not only for the taxpayers, but also & especially for the students.
georgia said:What is the point? They all say one thing and do another. But the fact that KidsFirst are silent, tells me the story! They cannot defend themselves. I supported them last year, but not anymore. They did not live up to the taxpayers' expectations! Their 'achievements' listed on Hoboken Reporter (I believe) are an insult.
Kathy L. Mallow said:Georgia, I.S., etc.
Perhaps a better approach, instead of railing against KF, would be to address your issues to everyone running. Why not ask for specific, measureable goals & objectives from each candidate running?
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Permalink Reply by Lincolnlogger on -
I completely agree with Kathy here. While I'd like to see quick progress on reducing the BoE budget, a "Slash & Burn" mentality is not the proper approach. In cases where you are dealing with layoffs or staff reductions, slow and steady wins the race. It takes time to identify the waste, and more time to get rid of it in a civil and legal process. If you cut too quickly, you'll find the BoE facing lawsuits and additional termination expenses that will be counter productive.
Honestly, I think Kid's First has done a good job of identifying areas and eliminating some waste so far. I am confident that the plan is to continue to do the same, and that it will be successful should Kid's First remain a major force on the BoE. However, if not, we'll find ourselves marching backwards if the "Real Results" candidates are voted in. I think the best option is the stay the course with Kid's First, they've invested the time, resources, and energy to get the job done, so let's give them the chance to do it.
Kathy L. Mallow said:Georgia,
Scott makes some excellent points. There's a confluence of factors that, sadly, are working against significantly reducing the bottom line. I believe KF has done its best, given the variables. As Scott notes, Hoboken's problems, not only @ the BoE, are decades in the making. "Slash & Burn" might be an appealing concept, but in practice, something very different. I might ask, how would you specifically effect cost-reduction at the BoE? That is, suggest concrete answers to some of the questions you pose. Obviously, you're unhappy with non-resident students. Who isn't? And I might suggest the goal is to "do the right thing," not only for the taxpayers, but also & especially for the students.
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Permalink Reply by Sven on
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scott m siegel said:The only real way to reduce the per pupil cost would be to close the charter schools and place them in the public schools. Not gonna happen.
Scott, arguing about cost per pupil is a fallacy. If that was really the main goal, all KidsFirst would have to do is continue what has been done in the past, namely allow more out-of-town students to enroll in Hoboken schools (or worse yet, actively recruit them). While such an approach would spread the existing fixed costs over a larger student base, thus lowering the cost per pupil, at the same time the total budget would go up, leading to an increase in the tax levy.
Cost per pupil is merely a manifestation of the efficiency (or lack thereof) of a school district, but it should not be misconstrued as the target to be used in optimizing the operations. Once the administrative side of the school district is right-sized, the cost per pupil will correct automatically.
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Permalink Reply by Sven on
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Incognito Smith said:Sven and Scott,
I totally disagree with both of you. How about basing it on COST PER EMPLOYEE instead of cost per pupil? ... It’s really the employees where we are spending the funds and not the students.
IS, what are you disagreeing with me about? Isn't this exactly what I said? The administrative ranks have to be thinned out (dramatically), and then the cost per pupil is going to come down automatically. (The reason why the cost per pupil comes up a lot in these discussions is because it is one of the metrics provided in the School Report Cards published by the NJ DoE every year.)
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Permalink Reply by georgia on
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Kathy,
I do understand the current state of affairs, and I am sure that a few of the ladies from KF must understand it as well (I am told that they are educated people). They must have known that state cuts were imminent, but as you said, perhaps 'they worry about the students' more than the taxpayers. However, more $$$ doesn't mean more education in Hoboken. The school system was created to milk money from the 'yuppies'. It will get worse. This recession is here to stay many more years.
I don't follow you when you say we should do the right thing for the students. The students are ok - they have an army of people! Or are you suggesting that I should care deeply about the ILLEGAL students and give them my money unconditionally? First of all it's against the law to bring out-of-towners in order to justify positions. Second of all, KF needs to be accountable. I cannot give 'suggestions' about the cuts. That's why we gave KF the power! They are the insiders, they are deciding behind close doors what to do (or rather what not to do). If I would want to be elected, I wouldn't even stand a chance, because I am not a BnR! That's how Sobolov got in! The school workers are defending their jobs, and I understand, but the money bag is empty. People continue to flee this town.
Kathy L. Mallow said:Georgia,
I might ask, how would you specifically effect cost-reduction at the BoE? That is, suggest concrete answers to some of the questions you pose. Obviously, you're unhappy with non-resident students. Who isn't? And I might suggest the goal is to "do the right thing," not only for the taxpayers, but also & especially for the students.
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Permalink Reply by Kathy L. Mallow on
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Georgia:
With all due respect, your position seems clear. Though your reasoning seems clouded & some of your allegations false (KF doing back room deals, etc.), IMHO. It seems pretty obvious, you're about posting "Real Reform" speak. That's surely your prerogative. Hoboken's schools, finances, taxes, etc. are very charged issues. From your posts, you're choosing to not offer concrete suggestions, but instead scapegoating folks who I believe have been making good efforts in a very difficult environment.
I'd like to evaluate all the candidates running & hear about their specific, measureable plans to improve our schools & reduce the cost to residents. It's a daunting task in the current climate.
georgia said:Kathy,
I do understand the current state of affairs, and I am sure that a few of the ladies from KF must understand it as well (I am told that they are educated people). They must have known that state cuts were imminent, but as you said, perhaps 'they worry about the students' more than the taxpayers. However, more $$$ doesn't mean more education in Hoboken. The school system was created to milk money from the 'yuppies'. It will get worse. This recession is here to stay many more years.
I don't follow you when you say we should do the right thing for the students. The students are ok - they have an army of people! Or are you suggesting that I should care deeply about the ILLEGAL students and give them my money unconditionally? First of all it's against the law to bring out-of-towners in order to justify positions. Second of all, KF needs to be accountable. I cannot give 'suggestions' about the cuts. That's why we gave KF the power! They are the insiders, they are deciding behind close doors what to do (or rather what not to do). If I would want to be elected, I wouldn't even stand a chance, because I am not a BnR! That's how Sobolov got in! The school workers are defending their jobs, and I understand, but the money bag is empty. People continue to flee this town.
Kathy L. Mallow said:Georgia,
I might ask, how would you specifically effect cost-reduction at the BoE? That is, suggest concrete answers to some of the questions you pose. Obviously, you're unhappy with non-resident students. Who isn't? And I might suggest the goal is to "do the right thing," not only for the taxpayers, but also & especially for the students.
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