Kids First Rolls On: Part 1 The Truth About Finances and Pupil Rolls

Kids First kicked off last weekend with newcomer Jen Evans alongside incumbents Leon Gold and Irene Sobolov before another packed house at Hoboken's Turtle Club. Under Kids First the public school system has seen many positive results although more work is needed to fulfill their promised goals. It is amazing to read the lies and distortions on the blogs, but heh, that's Hoboken for you.

Prior to 2009 there was much disarray and disfuntionality in the BOE. If you don't believe me there are multiple stories on Graphix Avenger. It is still amazing to read Curious Gal and her buddy Frank Sinatra keep on repeating the myths while ignoring facts. Want some transparency Frank? The BOE allowed the newly convicted Patrick Riccardi to video tape the meetings allowing him to erase the audit portion when for the first time the it was publicly discussed instead of being voted on and then disappearing into a black hole. The same event occurred under Mayor Zimmer when she did the same after becoming City Council President.

The city had 44 serious violations, so bad that the accountant couldn't tell if anyone was stealing money, allowing Parking Director John Corea and his mob partner to abscond over $1 million. The BOE had 29 major violations such as teachers skimming money to buy personal items, expensive dinners for the BOE at various restaurants on the taxpayers dime, payments to individuals who did not deserve them and other similar actions. Since those reports both governmental units have completed corrective actions to eliminate the errors of the past.

Despite stringent denials the truth is the BOE withdrew students from taking tests in order to juice the scores upward. This was openly discussed during the audit report, but of course we can't see it because Patrick erased it. It is amazing that only that portion which displayed the misdeeds was lost isn't it? This was called the 10r program, which did exist despite prevarications. Kids First is willing to bite the bullet and see the truth about test scores and attempt to overcome their weakness.

The other Frank Sinatra rant focused on the budget. This is Beth Masonesq in that he focuses on the budget rather than the more important tax levy.

If you look at the Hoboken BOE website you will find a tab for financial information where you can review budgets and audits going back to before Kids First. The reason why the budget is immaterial to Hoboken tax payers is because beyond the levy are funds from outside sources such as Hudson County, the State of NJ and the Federal Government. I remember the same discussion at City Hall with the Beth Mason acolyte Lane Bjardi when I implored the council to look beyond the budget and focus on the tax levy which we have done ever since.

The levy was $36,479 in 2009 and today stands at the same $36,479. Yes, the budget is up and that is good because it means that Kids First is obtaining outside sources funds rather than soaking the taxpayer, which I guess is something Frank is hoping for.

You can also find the pupil roll, where Frank and others keep talking about the exodus from the Hoboken public school system. In 2008 there were 1892 students on the regular roll, 2029 in 2009, 2033 in 2010, 2081 in 2011 and 2162 estimated for 2012. If this is an exodus I would hate to what a real one would look like. Frank and Red Wing are also wrong by stating that Irene pulled her children out of the public schools. Her son goes to Hudson County Hi Tech, which is public magnet high school. Both have always attended public schools Perhaps he is mistaking her for Maureen Sullivan who did pull her children out.

Another Old Guard red herring is the cost per student. The Hoboken BOE is at or near the minimum tax levy law required by the NJ BOE. Information on this rule can be found on the BOE website in the Financial Document area. When the state does not permit the BOE to cut taxes it is impossible to lower the per student cost.

Before Kids First the BOE was proficient in only 2 of the 5 state categories. Under Kids First the BOE is now proficient in 4 out of 5, with only test score improvement remaining. It is important to note that the younger children scores are improving and to also note that many of the older students were simply passed up the ladder despite lacking the necessary skills. This makes it very difficult for high school teachers to have an impact. Nevertheless Kids First is focusing on attempting to reach every child and improve their academic profile. More on that in Part 2.