The Hoboken Tax Reform Coalition
MARKEVITCH TO LEAD SCHOOL BOARD SLATE PROMISING REAL RESULTS
MARKEVITCH TO LEAD SCHOOL BOARD SLATE PROMISING REAL RESULTS
Running under the banner Real Results, a new slate of candidates for the Hoboken school board filed its petitions Monday and launched its campaign for the April 20 election. The slate is led by long-time Hoboken activist Elizabeth Markevitch and includes Perry Lin, Kathleen Tucker and John Forsman. Markevitch, Lin and Tucker are running for three-year terms and Forsman is running for a one-year term.
Real Results promises quick and effective action to improve Hoboken's schools and get the system's bloated budget under control. Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman say Hoboken's traditionally low expectations for its schools must be dramatically raised, so each student has a chance to reach his or her full potential. At the same time, the Real Results team will tackle the school system's enormous amount of waste--money that never reaches a classroom but instead goes to employees with little or nothing to do, outrageous benefits that are far out of line with the real world and even a junket for a board member next month. At nearly $25,000, Hoboken spends the second-highest amount of money per student of any K-12 district in the state (behind Asbury Park), and almost twice the state average.
Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman all would bring a wealth of business and management experience to a board that's now woefully short of real-world knowhow. Hiring executives, negotiating multi-million-dollar contracts, and supervising top management are what a school board does, and the current board has virtually no one with the skills for these crucial tasks.
All four candidates supported the Kids First slate that last year won control of the board. But as the year wore on, Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman lost confidence in Kids First as some members lost interest in keeping their campaign promises. For example, Kids First missed countless opportunities to cut costs, they shut the public out of an important meeting in December in an apparent violation of the state Sunshine Law, they failed to move quickly against highly paid administrators who they knew were double-dipping and/or incompetent, and they teamed up with the board's minority faction to ram through the appointment of a new superintendent without giving the public any notice.
Most important, the board has not focused on making any meaningful budget cuts for next year and is not planning any tax cut, despite the huge amount of fat in the school budget. Last year's tax levy--the amount of tax revenue raised from Hoboken property owners--was $36,764,796. The planned tax levy for this year: $36,761,743. That's right--the expected tax levy is only $3,053 less than last year's. Real Results promises to cut more than $3,000 out of a $60 million budget.
With the election approaching, Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman feared that no reformers would decide to run this year. The Kids First slate is led by two incumbents who haven't stepped up and made the tough decisions that equal reform. So Real Results expects to be the only slate in the race intent on making real changes in the schools and paying real attention to the budget. Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman expect to have the reform field to themselves in the election while the Kids First slate and other candidates battle for supporters of the status quo and the way things have always been done. Voters deserve a choice and Real Results will give them that choice.
THE CANDIDATES
Elizabeth Markevitch has lived in Hoboken for 20 years and has attended school board meetings since 1995. Her daughter attends Elysian Charter School and will go to Hoboken High in September. Liz comes from a family steeped in education--her mother is a retired teacher and her sister is a teacher. She's also a former director of the Boys and Girls Club of Hoboken. A graduate of Bucknell University, Liz is the founder and president of a firm that recruits staff to fill technical jobs and provides career guidance, and has 18 years of business-management experience. "My mission is matching the right people to the right position, something that the school board has often not been good at," she says.
Perry Lin moved to Hoboken in 2004 and purchased his home here in 2005. He's a product of the Millburn public schools and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. Perry serves as the Northeast regional manager of a publicly traded medical-device company and has 10 years of experience in sales and management jobs in health care and technology. "I so wanted Kids First to work out last year but they really disappointed me," he says. "It's unbelievable that after all their criticism of the budget a year ago, all they did was nip and tuck around the edges. They not only avoided the hard decisions, they avoided many of the easy ones. Their hearts may have been in the right place, but that wasn't good enough. This ticket will show much more backbone."
Kathleen Tucker has been a Hoboken resident since 2004; she and her husband purchased their home here in 2007. She works as a designer for a marketing and media agency in New York, where she focuses on how customers interact with health care industry websites. Kathleen grew up in Chester and still regards her high school history teacher as an important role model. A graduate of the University of Scranton with a degree in international relations and German, she's long had a keen interest in how students learn and what they learn. "I got an excellent education in New Jersey public schools and that's an opportunity every child deserves," she says. "There's so much more we can do to make sure every child here gets that opportunity."
John Forsman has called Hoboken home for five years. He and his wife became homeowners three years ago and plan to raise their family here. John belongs to St. Francis R.C. Church and the Hoboken Rotary Club, and will soon begin serving as club secretary. He's helped organize the Rotary's Spelling Bee for Hoboken fourth-graders and he's also been a Big Brother. A native of Monmouth County and a graduate of St. Joseph's University, John has worked in health care administration and now works for a major financial institution as a financial adviser and health care specialist. He aims to apply this background to the schools' ballooning medical costs. "Our insurance costs are jumping 16-22% in the new budget," he points out. "We're spending $6.6 million on insurance premiums for probably only 500 full-time employees. It's amazing. With some smart adjustments, we could cut that substantially and still provide virtually the same care."
Real Results promises a full-blown campaign that will point out where the schools can do better, suggest innovative solutions, and challenge its opponents to defend their records and provide better answers. Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman encourage every Hoboken voter who wants real results to support this ticket.
Running under the banner Real Results, a new slate of candidates for the Hoboken school board filed its petitions Monday and launched its campaign for the April 20 election. The slate is led by long-time Hoboken activist Elizabeth Markevitch and includes Perry Lin, Kathleen Tucker and John Forsman. Markevitch, Lin and Tucker are running for three-year terms and Forsman is running for a one-year term.
Real Results promises quick and effective action to improve Hoboken's schools and get the system's bloated budget under control. Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman say Hoboken's traditionally low expectations for its schools must be dramatically raised, so each student has a chance to reach his or her full potential. At the same time, the Real Results team will tackle the school system's enormous amount of waste--money that never reaches a classroom but instead goes to employees with little or nothing to do, outrageous benefits that are far out of line with the real world and even a junket for a board member next month. At nearly $25,000, Hoboken spends the second-highest amount of money per student of any K-12 district in the state (behind Asbury Park), and almost twice the state average.
Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman all would bring a wealth of business and management experience to a board that's now woefully short of real-world knowhow. Hiring executives, negotiating multi-million-dollar contracts, and supervising top management are what a school board does, and the current board has virtually no one with the skills for these crucial tasks.
All four candidates supported the Kids First slate that last year won control of the board. But as the year wore on, Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman lost confidence in Kids First as some members lost interest in keeping their campaign promises. For example, Kids First missed countless opportunities to cut costs, they shut the public out of an important meeting in December in an apparent violation of the state Sunshine Law, they failed to move quickly against highly paid administrators who they knew were double-dipping and/or incompetent, and they teamed up with the board's minority faction to ram through the appointment of a new superintendent without giving the public any notice.
Most important, the board has not focused on making any meaningful budget cuts for next year and is not planning any tax cut, despite the huge amount of fat in the school budget. Last year's tax levy--the amount of tax revenue raised from Hoboken property owners--was $36,764,796. The planned tax levy for this year: $36,761,743. That's right--the expected tax levy is only $3,053 less than last year's. Real Results promises to cut more than $3,000 out of a $60 million budget.
With the election approaching, Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman feared that no reformers would decide to run this year. The Kids First slate is led by two incumbents who haven't stepped up and made the tough decisions that equal reform. So Real Results expects to be the only slate in the race intent on making real changes in the schools and paying real attention to the budget. Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman expect to have the reform field to themselves in the election while the Kids First slate and other candidates battle for supporters of the status quo and the way things have always been done. Voters deserve a choice and Real Results will give them that choice.
THE CANDIDATES
Elizabeth Markevitch has lived in Hoboken for 20 years and has attended school board meetings since 1995. Her daughter attends Elysian Charter School and will go to Hoboken High in September. Liz comes from a family steeped in education--her mother is a retired teacher and her sister is a teacher. She's also a former director of the Boys and Girls Club of Hoboken. A graduate of Bucknell University, Liz is the founder and president of a firm that recruits staff to fill technical jobs and provides career guidance, and has 18 years of business-management experience. "My mission is matching the right people to the right position, something that the school board has often not been good at," she says.
Perry Lin moved to Hoboken in 2004 and purchased his home here in 2005. He's a product of the Millburn public schools and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. Perry serves as the Northeast regional manager of a publicly traded medical-device company and has 10 years of experience in sales and management jobs in health care and technology. "I so wanted Kids First to work out last year but they really disappointed me," he says. "It's unbelievable that after all their criticism of the budget a year ago, all they did was nip and tuck around the edges. They not only avoided the hard decisions, they avoided many of the easy ones. Their hearts may have been in the right place, but that wasn't good enough. This ticket will show much more backbone."
Kathleen Tucker has been a Hoboken resident since 2004; she and her husband purchased their home here in 2007. She works as a designer for a marketing and media agency in New York, where she focuses on how customers interact with health care industry websites. Kathleen grew up in Chester and still regards her high school history teacher as an important role model. A graduate of the University of Scranton with a degree in international relations and German, she's long had a keen interest in how students learn and what they learn. "I got an excellent education in New Jersey public schools and that's an opportunity every child deserves," she says. "There's so much more we can do to make sure every child here gets that opportunity."
John Forsman has called Hoboken home for five years. He and his wife became homeowners three years ago and plan to raise their family here. John belongs to St. Francis R.C. Church and the Hoboken Rotary Club, and will soon begin serving as club secretary. He's helped organize the Rotary's Spelling Bee for Hoboken fourth-graders and he's also been a Big Brother. A native of Monmouth County and a graduate of St. Joseph's University, John has worked in health care administration and now works for a major financial institution as a financial adviser and health care specialist. He aims to apply this background to the schools' ballooning medical costs. "Our insurance costs are jumping 16-22% in the new budget," he points out. "We're spending $6.6 million on insurance premiums for probably only 500 full-time employees. It's amazing. With some smart adjustments, we could cut that substantially and still provide virtually the same care."
Real Results promises a full-blown campaign that will point out where the schools can do better, suggest innovative solutions, and challenge its opponents to defend their records and provide better answers. Markevitch, Lin, Tucker and Forsman encourage every Hoboken voter who wants real results to support this ticket.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FAP on -
"Real Results promises quick and effective action to improve Hoboken's schools"
Can you give us 5 examples of policies you'll be able to enact in the first 6 months that will improve Hoboken schools.
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Markevitch on -
Stay Tuned
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Permalink Reply by Kurt Gardiner on
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Sun Tzu once commented the a war is over before it begins so with that in mind here are my
2010 Election Hobboken BOE Predictions:
Front Runners for Three Year Seats:
Irene Sobolov (has natural broad appeal despite Sullivan's anti Sobolov rants)
Frank Raia (has 2,000 vote base that will be solidifed once again with easter loaves of bread)
Battling for the third 3-year seat (only one will get in):
Rose Markle
Elizabeth Markevitch
Leon Gold
Contenders for 1-year term:
Ken Howitt
Jean Marie Mitchell
This is based on past voter patterns and what I project to be the voting patterns coming up based on the issues. If my assumptions are wrong then of course the election will could tuen out differently.
Anyway you slice it Maureen's slate will very likely not have working majority so ask yourself what she hopes to gain by runnign this slate other than to stick it to Kids First? If Frank Raia and Ken Howitt are able to get in the "Old Hoboken" BOE will once again be in control. Watch that budget go to $70 million before you can blink an eye.
Of course I predicted the Colts to win the Superbowl. That is why we have elections.
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Permalink Reply by SmartyJones on -
Their platform has been released. It's posted now on Mile Square View.
FAP said:Can you at least give us 1 or 2 now?
Elizabeth Markevitch said:Stay Tuned
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Permalink Reply by rosethorn on
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Kurt -- one problem with your analysis: Old Hoboken controls the school board now. Carmelo, Fran, Farina, Markle and Sobolov make five votes. That's why the budget hasn't been cut, junkets are being approved, meetings are being closed, Romano was picked, etc. And that's obviously why this new slate was formed. (As it says here, there was a real danger of no reformers running for the board at all this year.) If most of the Real Results slate doesn't get in, then Old Hoboken will still control the board and the tax cuts and other reforms that all of you want will have to wait for at least another year. Carmelo and Fran remain on the board next year, so if any three of Markle, Sobolov, Raia and Howett get in, then Old Hoboken stays in control. (Why Kids First put together a ticket with such a split personality--Gold and Mitchell vs obstructionists Markle and Sobolov--I'll never understand. Guess we have to ask Michael Lenz.) And in many respects, a lot of us feel Old Hoboken did a better job compared with the few months that Kids First had a working majority (before Markle starting blocking reforms full-time and Sobolov joined the board). A year ago the board cut taxes. That's not happening this year. Anyway, I wish Real Reform good luck. They're going to need it with people like you who used to be reformers attacking them left and right.
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Permalink Reply by FAP on
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RoseT, that's factually just not true. The budget was cut by 3.6% in Kids' First first year in the majority. They are constrained by employment contracts the old guard signed before taking the majority or else I suspect that cut would have been in excess of 5%.
To your point that meetings are closed are you saying the Brinkman ticket if voted in will NEVER have a closed meeting? Given the legal and contractual issues that the board decides this seems rather foolish. There are valid reasons to go into closed session. If you speak to a lawyer you'll probably rethink this position.
I'm proud of the strong diverse people Kids' First put into office, and yes that usually includes Maureen. The staff cuts and the budget cuts they've made appeal to me as a fiscal conservative and the methodical fashion they've taken on the issues appeal to my conservative government philosophy.
rosethorn said:Kurt -- one problem with your analysis: Old Hoboken controls the school board now. Carmelo, Fran, Farina, Markle and Sobolov make five votes. That's why the budget hasn't been cut, junkets are being approved, meetings are being closed, Romano was picked, etc. And that's obviously why this new slate was formed. (As it says here, there was a real danger of no reformers running for the board at all this year.) If most of the Real Results slate doesn't get in, then Old Hoboken will still control the board and the tax cuts and other reforms that all of you want will have to wait for at least another year. Carmelo and Fran remain on the board next year, so if any three of Markle, Sobolov, Raia and Howett get in, then Old Hoboken stays in control. (Why Kids First put together a ticket with such a split personality--Gold and Mitchell vs obstructionists Markle and Sobolov--I'll never understand. Guess we have to ask Michael Lenz.) And in many respects, a lot of us feel Old Hoboken did a better job compared with the few months that Kids First had a working majority (before Markle starting blocking reforms full-time and Sobolov joined the board). A year ago the board cut taxes. That's not happening this year. Anyway, I wish Real Reform good luck. They're going to need it with people like you who used to be reformers attacking them left and right.
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Permalink Reply by georgia on
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I am glad that someone else runs. I said it long time ago that I was unhappy with KF, and they are a disappointment (despite their 'results' the budget is the same, and I don't care to hear their excuses either!). The numbers speak for themselves. I also don't think Raia stands a chance; times are changing.
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Permalink Reply by FAP on
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Georgia again just not factualy true.
Here's what I wrote ont he Hoboken Republican board when they had trouble putting the numbers together...
The budget for 2009-2010, which was approved by the board against the wishes of the then Kids' First minority, is $62,013,193. The proposed 2010-2011 budget is 59,762,551, a decrease of 3.6% year over year.
The 3.6% cut would have decreased the tax burden however the reduction in State aid has changed our situation and the tax levy was expected to remain flat. I say "was" because the numbers I have are from a document dated 02/01/2010, 19 days old, and as we all know the State situation has changed in the last few days and aid may be further reduced.
The proposed budget makes 10 assumptions the first of which is "A desire to reduce the local property tax levy" so taxes are a prime consideration to the current board.
Sadly we are saddled with the sins of the last board. The contracts the last board approved over Kids' First opposition see salaries increase by over 1.1 million dollars and benefit costs increasing by 600K. With a better board some of this would have been savings.
Please take a look at the numbers yourself. The Hoboken Journal has them up or you can download them from this link.
http://jump.fm/SBWHJ
georgia said:I am glad that someone else runs. I said it long time ago that I was unhappy with KF, and they are a disappointment (despite their 'results' the budget is the same, and I don't care to hear their excuses either!). The numbers speak for themselves. I also don't think Raia stands a chance; times are changing.
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Markevitch on
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BUT, the budget voted on by the board last April was $59.4 million.
The budget went up and it goes up over the year as various grants roll in and, by law, budgets need to be readjusted To $62,013,193
The proposed 2010-11 school budget is $59,762,551
And like last year when Grant money comes in it will go up
This year the board is considering a $59.8 million budget ... up about $400,000.
The real apples to apples comparison is the amount that taxpayers vote on in the April election.
The local tax levy approved last April for the current year is $36,764,796.
Next year's budget calls for taxpayers to approve $36,761,743 in local taxes. That's a savings of $3,053 or well under 1%.
FAP said:Georgia again just not factualy true.
Here's what I wrote ont he Hoboken Republican board when they had trouble putting the numbers together...
The budget for 2009-2010, which was approved by the board against the wishes of the then Kids' First minority, is $62,013,193. The proposed 2010-2011 budget is 59,762,551, a decrease of 3.6% year over year.
The 3.6% cut would have decreased the tax burden however the reduction in State aid has changed our situation and the tax levy was expected to remain flat. I say "was" because the numbers I have are from a document dated 02/01/2010, 19 days old, and as we all know the State situation has changed in the last few days and aid may be further reduced.
The proposed budget makes 10 assumptions the first of which is "A desire to reduce the local property tax levy" so taxes are a prime consideration to the current board.
Sadly we are saddled with the sins of the last board. The contracts the last board approved over Kids' First opposition see salaries increase by over 1.1 million dollars and benefit costs increasing by 600K. With a better board some of this would have been savings.
Please take a look at the numbers yourself. The Hoboken Journal has them up or you can download them from this link.
http://jump.fm/SBWHJ
georgia said:I am glad that someone else runs. I said it long time ago that I was unhappy with KF, and they are a disappointment (despite their 'results' the budget is the same, and I don't care to hear their excuses either!). The numbers speak for themselves. I also don't think Raia stands a chance; times are changing.
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Permalink Reply by rosethorn on
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FAP -- I beg to differ. As of now, the budget is going up, not down. There is no 3.6% cut. It's an honest mistake. Budgets are confusing. You're comparing apples and oranges. The budget voted on by the board last April was $59.4 million. The apples-to-apples comparison is the budget the board will be voting on next month. That now stands at $59.8 million budget--up $400,000--though it could change over the next six weeks (and you and other fiscal conservatives should be pressuring the board to cut it). The 3.6% comes from the difference between the actual 2009-2010 budget as it stands right now with four months to go in the year--$62 million--and the $59.8 million that the board is considering right now for next year, according to the documents available at the board office. But that's an apples-to-oranges comparison because the budget always goes up during the year as various grants, federal stimulus money and other revenue roll in. There's no way to know where the budget will stand a year from now so you can't use that $62 million to say Kids First is cutting next year's budget.
Another thing, FAP, Kids First has not been entirely constrained by employment contracts signed by the old guard. Kids First had a chance to rein in the outlandish benefits and raises in the non-union contracts that expired last June 30, but a check of the contracts shows they did no such thing. And Kids First just negotiated and signed a contract with the custodians union, but as has been acknowledged, the raises are far out of line with inflation (and reality) and there is no appreciable dent in the contract's rich benefits and health-care package. So Kids First can't entirely blame old contracts for the high costs--when they had a chance to do better, they blew it. Will they do better with the teachers' contract coming up next year? I doubt it. Will Real Reform do better? It's impossible to say. But they can't do worse than Kids First.
Final point: Of course I'm not saying every meeting should be completely open. Of course there are sensitive personnel and contract issues that must be discussed in closed session. What I'm referring to is the December meeting, which I was at, at which the board twice voted 8-1, I think, to interview school board candidates in closed session. There was widespread murmuring in the crowd that this was a obvious violation of the Sunshine Act. That's when a lot of the disenchantment with Kids First first began to set in.
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Permalink Reply by FAP on
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The proposed 2010-11 school budget is $59,762,551And like last year when Grant money comes in it will go up
Liz I have to disagree. If you've been at all following the drastic change in our State's fiscal health you can only expect 2010-2011 aid to be lower than last year. And the reason, as I made special mention of, that the tax levy is staying flat is that State Aid is being reduced. Without the Kids' First budget cuts taxes would be going up.
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