Thanks. ;-)

This was recently discussed at a board of education meeting. I believe it is based on a set price determined by the state- if I recall correctly, it was around 13k to 16k (forget the actual amount) per pupil. Here is a link for school choice info: http://www.nj.gov/education/choice

How about leaving Irene Sobolov's kid alone, jerk-off?

Obviously Grafix Avenger doesn't know the Lane Bajardi rules. He can do anything to anyone including attacking their children for his litany of endless political lies with his 1,000 screen names or ghostwriting on Hoboken411.

But take a picture of him and light will make him twitch more than a vampire caught at sunrise.

Hopefully the Feds will not let him off for his role in the Data Theft Ring. Jailing him would be an immediate improvement to political discourse in Hoboken. Feds should give him just enough time to hug it out with Michele Russo before sending him to the can.

"Refuse to put their kids in the high school"? How about "tested into an acclaimed county technology school"? Get a life, and while you're at it try telling it like it is instead of your stupid childish political spin, loser.

"Carmelo is a reformer". Good one, enough. A little holiday humor. Hey, Raia and Russo are reformers too! I hear that when the FBI gets here they are only arresting reformers. So that's how we'll know...

Sounds like someone didn't trust more money in the hands of Raslowski; Now, why would that be? His fiscal practices of raising per pupil costs from 19k to 25k in under 2 years, while simulatneously cutting programming, surely suggests more money in his hands would have been a great thing.

also remember hearing on this site about him being involved in the million $ gagliardi buyout, firing 20 ? teachers, admin funds in the instruction line and major loss in the food, trans and other areas. Would make me think twice too.

I recall he also implemented the seperate high school in demerast which kept the "lower scores" out of the HHS scores- or as he put it : Demarest will be an alternative school for children that have special learning needs or other needs that “have not been served well by traditional structure” though with a vocational track available. He also explained that separate programs in separate places better serve the variety of needs in the high school spectrum. Current high school students have a wide range of histories, backgrounds, and ages – ranging from 13 to 21 – that might be best served by separate facilities."

It wasn't an "interesting idea". It was a scheme to illegally raise test scores.

Yeah and my inititative is to own a mansion and a yacht- it aint happening until I pay for it. Raslowski put that intitiative on the agenda, he made it a reality. Costing the students and taxpayers, yet, more money to maintain a building and hire more admins that it didn't need to.

He used that along with the 10r to keep those pesky little scores from showing up. And afterall, since those pesky scores weren't going to be showing up any time soon on HHS records, why not cut 20 teachers, math classes and remedial classes, while simulatneously adding new admin positions.

Again, Superintendent Raslowsky and Principal Dr. Cella were the 2 people who eliminated the 10r program- not the ones who created it.

I agree with your thoughtful suggestion of a reconsideration of "marginal" cost per student factoring out the fixed costs. I think you are correct of the relative costs on "school choice" students on the finances of the district.

I do believe it is worth noting however that Kids First leader and School Board Trustee Minutillo was against school choice for educational reasons, claiming school choice represented a financial decision over an educational one when it was proposed by Superintendent Raslowsky in April of 2009. Now she appears to have a change of heart but not explaining what she sees are the educational benefits (rather than the economic).
See for yourself:
http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2247672/article-Board-okays-budget-Public-can-vote-on--59-1-M-in-school-spending-April-21-

The Kids First Reformer board member you speak of has more children in the Hoboken public school district than the whole corrupt minority combined.
You're pathetic, Ooc.

Leave Sobolov's kid alone, you CREEP.

Why you would want to drag Mr. Garcia's or anyone's teenage children into the political arena, is beyond me but...just to set the record straight: WRONG again. Using your metric, ALL of Ms. Sobolov's kids attend public schools, same can't be said for Mr. Garcia.

Personal note: I do not see this in any way as a negative for Mr. Garcia, nor anyone else, as Prospective high school students, themselves, may choose from a large variety of schools they wish to attend, based upon their desires/likes. It is a parent's job to support their children.

How about you stop discussing other people's children, you piece of scum?

Garcia or Sobolov, bottom-feeder

Give it up Pet.., er- i mean passkey- The messure to put the segregated alternative school was put on the agenda by Raslowski in 07- talks and discussions are just that- it takes a vote to make it a reality- Gagliardi didnt put it on the agenda- Raslowski did. And thanks for the link...proves the point I was making as well as another...
".Hoboken also falls behind the state average on SAT scores and percentages.
But under the new arrangement, SAT scores would soar because many of the poor-performing students won't take it."

As to your graduation rate..more spin on your part- here are facts:
All who graduated by passing HSPA Demarest-42.9% state:82.5%
All who graduated via AHSA process Demarest-28.6% state:9.4%
All who graduated exempt from passing HSPA Demarest-28.6% state:7.7%

You guys weren't trying to find the problems (or solutions to them), you were trying to hide them.

Finding solutions for the whole district was needed NOT segregating and hiding the lower scores, so the general population wouldn't see them nor cutting teachers and increasing admins while leaving kids with 10 year old textbooks.

Again, I'm just a blog reader and poster-- I was never in charge of anything in my life or had the good fortune or money to go to college.

But, in defense of 10r's creator and architect- it is still not apparent that there was anything illegal or unethical about the program-- it simply provided additional and extensive instructional resources for students having difficulty with the NJASK test at a critical juncture during their secondary education. It was responsive not passive and did not seek to label or actively recruit and attempted to reduce the stigma of being "left back".

Nonetheless, it was decided to abandon the practice from what I understand in place of other approaches during Raslowsky and Cella's time in the district. So, claims that it was 1) their initiation or 2) they continued it for unethical reasons are really without factual claim.

..it's like gum..no matter how hard you try you just can't get this one off your shoes. Nice try, though.

On another note- there are a few questions I have for you- er your buddy- Petro, regarding his role on the board at Hola. Might you (ask him to )provide the answers to the following questions:
in Petro's current capacity as a Board member, did he vote on Frank Raia's loan to Hola, what are the terms of the loan and the payment schedule?

Did Petro vote on the Hola construction contract, what were the terms of the contract. Who got the contract?

What was the purpose of the construction? Was it to expand B&G club or expand Hola? Did Hola's rent increase do to the increase in space? Does the B&G club have access to these new classrooms?

Are any of these things, including Agenda and minutes online?

How dumb do you think people are?

10r was stopped in 2009
alt high school was put back into the high school.

What do you suppose would happen to a school's scores when you place the lower scores back in to the equation? Duh! Doesn't take a rocket scientist ot figure that one out.

It's a new concept to you guys- identify and adress the issues NOT hide them.

now , how about you get answers to the questions.

in Petro's current capacity as a Board member, did he vote on Frank Raia's loan to Hola, what are the terms of the loan and the payment schedule?

Did Petro vote on the Hola construction contract, what were the terms of the contract. Who got the contract?

What was the purpose of the construction? Was it to expand B&G club or expand Hola? Did Hola's rent increase do to the increase in space? Does the B&G club have access to these new classrooms?

Are any of these things, including Agenda and minutes online?

now , how about you get answers to the questions.

in Petro's current capacity as a Board member, did he vote on Frank Raia's loan to Hola, what are the terms of the loan and the payment schedule?

Did Petro vote on the Hola construction contract, what were the terms of the contract. Who got the contract?

What was the purpose of the construction? Was it to expand B&G club or expand Hola? Did Hola's rent increase do to the increase in space? Does the B&G club have access to these new classrooms?

Are any of these things, including Agenda and minutes online?

Please stop hijacking threads about our schools with "information" true or not, from years past that nobody cares about. Most parents I know could care less about what our schools were like yesterday and whose fault that was. We care about what the schools are like today and what they'll be like tomorrow. Nobody I know was satisfied with the quality of our High school back in 2006 no matter what "award" you say it won and frankly I could give a damn about awards. I care about creating an environment where kids both want to and can receive the quality education they deserve - both high achievers and less high achievers reaching their full potentials.

Based on Passkey's posts here it seems like he wants our schools to fail so he can claim some kind of validation of past policies that he thinks were unfairly discredited. I'm sure that not every decision made by the past regime was a corrupt extension of the patronage mill that existed. Some actual thought was probably given to how best to educate our children, and I'm sure those involved would like their reputations to reflect only the good and not the bad, as opposed to vice versa, but frankly no parent in hoboken cares about your reputation. We care about our children and our schools. Rooting for our schools to fail is nothing short of despicable particularly if by someone who pretends to be an educator. Perhaps pretending to be "just a blogger" reflects the only job Passkey is actually suited for.

All the more reason for you to stay in Texas where you live.

That usually happens when you stop sweeping the dirt under the rug.

Actually Redrider765 I disagree. I think this ALWAYS happens when people who don't know what they are doing and who have a political agenda hire retired interim leaders who don't care about the community or the schools they are administrating. 32 months of Kids First leadership have given us 1) a district in need of improvement (DINI) for the first time ever, 2) a second consecutive year where 3 out of 4 schools failed to make adequate yearly progress, and 3) a second consecutive year in which more than 90% of our public school children attend a school that has failed to make adequate yearly progress.

In short, the political group known as Kids First have single-handedly been responsible for the inexcusable reversal of a district clearly on the rise and with a documented upward trajectory (independently measured by the State of NJ; NJ Monthly and US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT) into a school district in literal free fall.

CuriousGal, don't hold your breath but I agree an investigative article is needed.

Funny how you keep relying on those AYP reports but let me ask you this. Did the state rescore Hoboken taking into account all the mischaracterized & misclassified data Jack reported to the state? How much worse would our scores have been back then when he ran the district and how much more improved would be now had they done that. And how bad would the schools be if back then all the dumb kids who would have failed the exams been included in the test results? Sorry, not buying that your arguments which are based on faulty data have any merit what so ever. I personally am glad Kids First is shining a spotlight on what is really going on in the schools and not allowing the superintendent to fudge the data so the schools look better than they really are.

4th time...how about you get answers to the questions.

in Petro's current capacity as a Board member, did he vote on Frank Raia's loan to Hola, what are the terms of the loan and the payment schedule?

Did Petro vote on the Hola construction contract, what were the terms of the contract. Who got the contract?

What was the purpose of the construction? Was it to expand B&G club or expand Hola? Did Hola's rent increase do to the increase in space? Does the B&G club have access to these new classrooms?

Are any of these things, including Agenda and minutes online?

I'll rely on Federal, State and unsolicited analysis by state and national magazines for objective data any day of the week on how the district was and is rather than the PR and spin that comes out of the Board of Ed and on the blogs these days.

From 11/18/09 - Carter assured parents that "next year will be better."

The data isn't objective when the person reporting it is fudging the data. Jack fudged the data when he reported it.

There are 2 political agendas going on here
- reformers want the schools to use the money they get to educate kids and only to educate kids. No wasting money on patronage jobs, hiring someone's BFF, no steering of contracts to certain politically connected businesses, etc. If the money doesn't benefit the kids, it shouldn't be spent. That is my take on KF.
- people like Passkey want a return to patronage jobs, nepotism, hiring of BFFs of the superintendent, more make work jobs & they want the BOE to exist to employ people w/o regard to merit or need. The needs of the kids don't matter. What matters is jobs, money and spending more money on more jobs we just don't need. They want to go back to the days when the BOE had 500+ employees for only 2000 kids. Well that and you need to fudge the results of all the scoring so you look like you aren't wasting money when you really are.

Which agenda do you prefer?

Redrider765- you propose a false dichotomy. The reality is you cannot deny the data, the quotes, the film clips, the interference of City Hall on the Board (another "disgust" Minutillo had when Roberts was mayor but under Zimmer seems to be fine with) and the empty promises and damage done by the Kids First Board of Education. The only strategy remaining is to present a failing and corrupt version of the past which Kids First and their political supporters are fighting valiantly to overcome. Unfortunately, federal, state, and independent analysis by independent national publications do not support that assessment in any manner whatsoever.

Student test data is not submitted, they scores tabulated by the state and reported back to the district. QSAC evaluation is done over 3-4 days by independent county superintendent auditors and reported back to the district. Not submitted. Whether you trust Raslowsky or Raia is immaterial-- you can trust the numbers and the process.

I stopped reading your post at "objective analysis". You are not objective.

Whether I am objective is not the issue. Federal data is objective. State data is objective. NJ Monthly data is objective. US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT data is objective.

I ignore fudged data. You are basing your arguments on fudged data.

Student test data is not submitted, they scores tabulated by the state and reported back to the district. Not fudged. QSAC evaluation is done over 3-4 days by independent county superintendent auditors and reported back to the district. Not submitted. Not fudged. Whether you trust Raslowsky or not is immaterial immaterial-- you can trust the numbers and the process. No fudging.

If you deliberately exclude the worst performers in a district from the population of students who are tested, you are fudging the data. The man juiced the results just like all those ball players who were taking steroids back in the 90s. His results should all have an asterisk next to them to denote those juiced results.

johnsmith- Childhood friend? You sure? When Roberts graduated high school Raslowsky was in the 6th grade. Redrider765, do you trust data from johnsmith? ;-)

Enough for today guys-- enjoy the weekend.

LOL! Way to dance around the issue there, Passkey. "These aren't the droids you are looking for. Go about your business. Move along, move along."

Interesting: "some people feel charter schools should be held accountable to not only the state, but also to the local communities (districts), parents, and students they serve" given the local community pays about 90% of a charter school budget and the parents have entrusted their children to a charter school becasue they believe that charter school's focus was on accountability to the community, parents and students.

People, on any school board, who believe that a school is not accountable to the local community, parents and the children they serve, will eventually find the " I report to a higher authority" response won't suffice.

how about you get answers to the questions.

in Petro's current capacity as a Board member, did he vote on Frank Raia's loan to Hola, what are the terms of the loan and the payment schedule?

Did Petro vote on the Hola construction contract, what were the terms of the contract. Who got the contract?

What was the purpose of the construction? Was it to expand B&G club or expand Hola? Did Hola's rent increase do to the increase in space? Does the B&G club have access to these new classrooms?

Are any of these things, including Agenda and minutes online?

Charter school funding is determined by the state of NJ. The 90% figure you reference is not completely accurate. In fact, recently a group of Jersey City charter schools have sued the Christie administration to correct what they say has been a stark underfunding of charter schools, throwing a twist into the ongoing debate over how New Jersey's charters are paid for. More charters are likely to follow as well as more debate on the issue.

As for your questions- I believe any inquiries concerning charter schools should be directed to the NJ Commissioner of Education: http://www.nj.gov/education/genfo/overview/commiss.htm

Hope that helps.

so the state grants the charter, municipla taxes pay for the school but if someone has a question about the unelected charter Board members issuing loans and construction contracts, you direct them to the Comm?

No online agendas or minutes? No explanation from Board member Petrocino? No followup from Claire?

Seems you will answer anything but the constantly asked questions below...what gives?

in Petro's current capacity as a Board member, did he vote on Frank Raia's loan to Hola, what are the terms of the loan and the payment schedule?

Did Petro vote on the Hola construction contract, what were the terms of the contract. Who got the contract?

What was the purpose of the construction? Was it to expand B&G club or expand Hola? Did Hola's rent increase do to the increase in space? Does the B&G club have access to these new classrooms?

Are any of these things, including Agenda and minutes online?