Start Strong?

By now, many either have attended virtually, or have heard and seen the data from the 11/18/2021 Englewood, NJ BOE meeting. There is much to unpack and there are data not mentioned that need to be brought forward. As we view student performance, we must ask for connecting data, because it never is prudent to view student performance data in isolation. So, I have a few questions, if I may:

(1) What are the attendance data for each school?

(2) And for the high school, what are the period-by-period attendance data?

(3) What are the teacher observation data for each school--is there any correlation between the high marks that teachers earn and student performance? Are teachers receiving stellar marks while there are glaring student performance deficits?

(4) What are the demographic data for the teachers along the areas of student performance?

(5)  What are the data that measure the effectiveness of In-Service / Professional Development--how has student achievement improved or stagnated as a result?

(6)  What are the data for the frequency of principals visiting classroom--not for formal observations, but to get a sense of what actually is going on in the schools?

(7) What are the data for the time allocated for collaboration among teachers of the same subject to share in best practices? (

(8) What are the data for the methodology of choosing principals for our schools to ensure that they are academic leaders and that they have the opportunity to share best practices with one another? 

 (9) What is the ecumenical outreach? What are the data regarding partnerships with our local houses of worship fostering their assistance in community outreach? 

(10) What are the data regarding the delivery of support to our students who still are displaced from Hurricane Ida?  

 (11) Do the curricula guides exist and what fidelity is there to implementation? How is this measured?

 (12) What is the per capita student spending and what is the itemized list of deliverables? 

(13) With these troubling levels of performance, are individualized strategies indicated for each student, teacher, and administer? 

 (14) What are the strategies between the feeder and the receiver schools to ensure readiness as students transition from one campus to another? 

(15) What are the data on teacher-student ratios? Are smaller class sizes indicated?

As an alumna, and as a former Dwight Morrow High School teacher, I can attest that these are only a small fragment of the important introspective questions that educators ask with great regularity, and have been asking over the years. Because student performance does not occur in a vacuum, it is one of a myriad of components that need to be examined and addressed. The onus of responsibility for student performance does not reside solely with the students. This is a matter for all of us—parents, teachers, administrators, the Englewood community, as well as the students. We should ask pertinent questions. If no one has learned, then no one has taught. We cannot accept that everyone on the campuses, except the students, has stellar performance indicators. If the students have not acquired the knowledge in a manner that they own it and can synthesize it, then we have not taught them. This is a hard truth, but if we are finally going to be transparent and listen to the personnel on the frontlines, then we need to own up to this.

 I submit this in all humility and with Much Love And Concern. L.A.B.

Lynette Adrian Peters-Bickham

Link to the full Report on the EPSD Website

Link to the full report on the EPSD website

Building Educational Excellence

Englewood Moms Fighting For Educational Excellence

ENGLEWOOD Residents, I’ve known Collette Walker Thompson and Amy Jones Bulluck for several years. I have watched how involved they have become in the community. Some people don't know that their involvement in the ENGLEWOOD community and school system didn’t just start over the last few months.

Their involvement and concern for the welfare and fair treatment of the children of ENGLEWOOD spans over more than a decade. They have made it their mission to attend School Board meetings. They are looking for ways to become part of the solution to bring back equity in our school system. In addition to attending School Board meetings, they have helped to establish the NAACP student Organization, in which they work as mentors for the youth.

They were profoundly empathetic and helpful to Residents while organizing a "recovery mission" after our community was devastated by Hurricane Ida. They were on the front lines daily, making sure families were being cared for, with dignity and understanding. These ladies have demonstrated that they are "of" the Community in which they live.

Collette and Amy possess all of the qualities and qualifications we could ever hope for in school board members. These two women are mothers, community advocates, and leaders, who have never been afraid to speak up for what is right. They never back down when it comes to our children. When you pull the lever for Amy and Collette, you are pulling the lever for a better future for your children. We can be assured our children’s best interest is being fought for and protected.

Collette and Amy, thank you for taking up the CHALLENGE of bringing back Educational Excellence to the ENGLEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT!

VOTE COLUMNS 7 AND 8 ON YOUR BALLOT!

Debbie Bland Manning, EdD.

Assistant Dean of Adjunct Administration and Adjunct Professor Of Sociology @Bergen Community College

In Person Learning?

 Back to School?

Perhaps it is time that we all stop pretending that air quality in Schools was perfect pre-Covid. It was more than we teachers who referred to certain Schools as "sick buildings". Now we are forced to clean it all up, because it will not just be the children with existing respiratory problems who will suffer. Now "poor air quality and circulation" can cause illness and death in more people. Have we forgotten that we were forced to bring in the County Hazmat Team to force remediation in at least 2 buildings in the past? Some of us remember Legionnaires Disease and how it was nurtured in poorly maintained HVAC systems, in the elegant Bellevue-Stratford Hotel.

Has the Right to Know been made available to teachers and Community Members so they can check to see what has changed since March of 2020? Have ducts been cleaned, new filters installed, etc. All over the country big businesses, like Pritchard Industries, Inc. have been making millions of dollars per school District. I have never been impressed by their work. Do they test their employees? Things have certainly changed since we learned that the virus is aerosolized. Last I checked our agenda, they have not missed a check.

If the nexus of the virus is in the Community, the teachers need to be vaccinated and gradually moved back into the classrooms before adding students to the equation. It makes little to no sense to say that children are not getting and spreading the virus. Most of the children have been "out of Community Circulation" since March of 2020. It is the adults who have been exposed. Will that scenario change once schools are open? Oh and, has it even been discussed that there is no vaccine for children under 16?

The Board of Education must also demonstrate that they, themselves, trust that the buildings are clean, sanitized and safe, by meeting in person for BOE meetings. Follow the CDC Guidelines and set the example.

NJ Right to Know

What We Do
The Community Right to Know program performs the following functions and supplies the following services:

• Collects and stores chemical inventory information
• Assists emergency planners and first responders by providing them with information about on-site chemical hazards 
• Provides compliance assistance
• Investigates complaints and notifications of unauthorized activities
• Conducts inspections
• Issues enforcement documents, both formal and informal, which may include assessed penalties
  
• Find more information on submitting your annual CRTK Report. There are also links to various documents and reports you may find useful

Bill Feinstein Candidate for Board of Ed. Englewood, NJ

Open Letter To EPSD

My open letter to EPSD about The Zone. 

Please share.

I am writing to urge you to take decisive action, to lead--and find a way to support The Zone for the 2020-2021 school year. Now is not a time to reduce the mental health and community supports for students and faculty.

I understand that Trenton is in crisis and has no good choices to make. However, Trenton does not know what we know, which is that Englewood Public Schools were in crisis before the pandemic. I know this because through the leadership of Mariam Gerges and Liz Corsini, along with Sanetta Ponton, I helped lead hours of workshops for DMHS faculty and administrators last year.
We heard first hand how difficult the conditions in the school were, their struggles in reaching students, and their desire to lead their colleagues in creating a better climate in which students, regardless of their traumas, could learn and thrive. We were having these conversations and workshops in August, September, January and February. What will those discussions sound like over Zoom this year?

I can assure you that the kind of professional development and coaching that your faculty and administrators received last year through these workshops would have cost EPSD thousands of dollars--but you got it "free" from Bergen Family Center, The Zone and the community members like Sanetta, Flat Rock Brook and me--who will do almost anything for Englewood's children. Most importantly, EPSD got all this expertise for "free" because the community knows the value that Bergen Family Center brings--and when called upon by them, we show up.

Now it is time for EPSD to show up for The Zone. I assure you that your students and faculty cannot survive, let alone thrive, without the support that The Zone and its committed staff provide. They pivoted seamlessly to the virtual world, and connected with students in a matter of days. In fact, there were moments on the weekly community calls that Sanetta organized, when it became obvious that Bergen Family Center knew more about some of EPSD students than the district did itself. You need The Zone, we all know you do.

Find the money--in the paper clip and toner budget, in the snacks for professional development budget--find the money. 

Step up and lead. The times demand it.

Sincerely,

Lynne Algrant

Former Council at Large and Former President of the Englewood City Council

The Great Equalizer

The Key to a great Board of Education, that functions the same for

all children and upholds the Constitution and the laws of the state of New Jersey is an informed Community. 

Our task is not an easy one. 

Many people are intimidated by the process and the title these people share. 

Remember that board members are just like the rest of us when they are not seated at that long table. 

The Law is the great equalizer. It protects the rich, the moderately rich, the middle class and the folks who are struggling to make the ends meet. It protects the homeless and it protects the undocumented children. It is supposed to treat all the same regardless of the size of the bank account or the address.

Board Members Must follow the Law. 

They Shall follow the Law. 
Laws have been ignored. 
Laws have been broken.
Too many have looked the other way.

An Englewood School board member entered directly into a contract with the Englewood Board of Education.

18A:12-2. Inconsistent interests or office prohibited

No member of any board of education shall be interested directly or indirectly in any contract with or claim against the board, nor, in the case of local and regional school districts, shall he hold office as mayor or as a member of the governing body of a municipality, nor, in the case of county special services school districts and county vocational school districts, shall he hold office as a member of the governing body of a county.

We the people have the power,
 to call them out legally
 when they refuse to comply
 with the Laws of the state of New Jersey.

The next Englewood Board Meeting has been re-scheduled to 

November 14, 2019 @ Grieco School

                            Click this link for the Agenda.

It is Almost Time to Get Out There and Vote

Right to Left, William Feinstein, Suzanne Mullings & Samuel Trusty

"...As an alumnus of the Englewood School System, I have a vested interest in the welfare of Englewood’s educational condition.

I want the children of Englewood to find the same delight in their educational experience that I had the opportunity to experience. I will dedicate time to advocate for our children and their future by improving the educational foundation the district provides to ensure our children are viable participants in the national workforce..."

Suzanne Mullings - Candidate for Englewood Board Education

"...We need school board members who will work for all our children. I will fight to ensure that every child receives the highest quality education. I will work to create an environment and culture that is conducive to teaching and learning, creating a positive experience for all students, teachers, administrators and parents. We need change to restore competence and confidence to the Englewood Public School District..."

William Feinstein - Candidate for Englewood Board of Education

Bill Feinstein is not new to the City, the School District or the race for equity in our Schools.

https://plumwalk2-justsaywhen.blogspot.com/2016/11/just-in-case-missed-candidates-forum.

"... As a board member and policy maker my number one priority will be to ensure we are Providing EVERY child with the BEST education to prepare them for success.    

While doing that, we must also balance the interests of all stakeholders including, Our Students & Parents, our Teachers & Administrators and The Englewood Taxpayer.  I look forward to your questions and to discuss the future of the Englewood Public Schools..."

Claiming a future for our Children

https://plumwalk2-justsaywhen.blogspot.com/2017/10/claiming-future-for-our-children.html

I am very passionate and committed to the success of the Englewood Public Schools. I was fortunate to receive a great education that prepared me for the world outside of Englewood and I want every child today to receive that same great education and experience. As a community we have a responsibility, to ensure that each child is given that same opportunity from day one. We must put a very strong emphasis on early education. When a child falls behind in the early grades, it becomes extremely difficult, if not sometimes impossible, for that child to catch up.

Check Your Child's Summer Packet Now!

Current 4th Grade Parents:

Make sure you check the books given to your children to read over the summer. I am truly at a loss as to why with all of the magnificent material out there, that these books were chosen.

My grandson shares my concern and actually tried to hide the books from me. Why? And who chose the reading material? It is difficult enough as it is to inspire children to do the summer reading. He informed me this morning that he will not even begin to read anything until the end of July. As I read these pages, I totally agree.

It appears to have come from the Superintendent's Office. Now, I ask you, who would be the most likely person to choose the Summer Reading Materials than the class room teachers, who know the children?

Please pray for the children, they are not well. We have trusted people with their Education, Health and Safety who do not have a clue.

Our Schools are In Crisis, and our Children are NOT WELL!

Englewood Board of Education:

How many more families are we going to lose to Bergenfield and other School Districts, because our Superintendent does not have a clue in hell as to how a School District is ran?

Did he forget that his salary is based on student enrollment?

All 9 of you are required to  remind him.

DRAMA AT THE EXPENSE OF YOUR CHILD?

Uniform Memorandum of Agreement between Boards Of Education and Law Enforcement Officials. (the MOA)

Article 1.10
STATIONHOUSE ADJUSTMENTS

*Alternative method to handle first-time juvenile offenders who committed minor juvenile offenses

*Provides a prompt resolution for the victim
*Immediate consequences issued (e.g., community services, restitution)

*Prevents creation of "juvenile delinquency record"

*All law enforcement agencies may utilize
stationhouse adjustment to handle minor offenses

*A school only needs to be notified if it if the victim of the crime (e.g., trespassing on school property, theft)

WERE STATIONHOUSE ADJUSTMENTS MADE IN THE RECENT INCIDENT SURROUNDING THE FIGHT AT DMHS? IF NOT, WHY?

Click here for 2019 Revisions to the MOA

Click here for frequently asked questions regarding the MOA

The complete 2019 Uniform Agreement between Education and Law Enforcement Officials. Neither Party is allowed to remove anything already included in the document.

The MOA is where School District Policy meets the Laws of the State of NJ. It is mandated by law, reviewed and signed by the NJ Attorney General and the NJ Commissioner of Education, after being signed by the Executive County Superintendent and the County Prosecutor.

SO WHAT IS UP WITH ALL OF THE DRAMA?

 ARE OUR CHILDREN BEING USED TO KEEP CERTAIN FOLK IN THE SPOTLIGHT? 

TAKE NOTE PARENTS. 

THE CHARADE CONTINUES!

STOP THE OBVIOUS EXPLOITATION OF OUR CHILDREN BY EDUCATING YOURSELVES!

https://www.nj.gov/education/students/safety/behavior/law/moa/understanding.pdf?fbclid=IwAR06UhOUJPbeabN9vtsEjsCW383tRlWUWApOu5X6LQ0w0-NpzDu4AyPq6Iw

Is Your High School Child Headed To Jail?

ATTENTION PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS:

Learn to recognize conflicts of interest and violations of the Code of Ethics for School Board Members, when you see them. 

This knowledge is guaranteed to make your child's education in Englewood, New Jersey a lot more fulfilling. Get the Education that your children deserve.

                                 How to use this booklet 

"All students and their families should know their rights, whether or not they seek to challenge a disciplinary decision. Well-informed students, families, educators and community stakeholders can use this information to advocate for fair disciplinary practices in their school and district. 

This booklet has a lot of internet links that you can and should use to improve your school’s approach to discipline, get connected to other families and organizations working on changing school discipline, and get more information about protecting your rights. 

If you have any trouble accessing these links, please contact the Education Law Center for printed versions of each link. 

Know that this booklet is based on New Jersey state law. While your school’s code of conduct can give you more rights than this, it cannot give you fewer. 

Be sure to review your local code, and contact the Education Law Center if it does not comply with state law. 

If you or your student is facing a suspension or expulsion, please turn to the Know Your Rights section on page 4 and the School Discipline Checklist on page 26 Table of contents." 

https://edlawcenter.org/assets/files/pdfs/publications/Student_discipline_manual.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2lHLbBSBxitsI2ZA99-ZC6hfjrBKgTbc6f3Tcd70mRU-pWZAf-rdXZyUg

Make this your go to document when dealing with Boards of Education regarding your child's behavior in school.

School Discipline in New Jersey: A toolkit for students, families, and advocates

A Question of Ethics and Stability

AFTERCARE QUESTIONS

First there are some questions pertaining to this after school program. 

I would like to know; 

• What are the costs per child? 
• Will the superintendent/board be provided proof of background checks? 
• Will the people working in the after school program have experience with a Title I district that resembles the cultural and economic diversity of Englewood? 
• Will you look to hire people from Englewood who are familiar with the strengths and challenges of our children? 
• What is the staff turnover rate?

GENERAL STATEMENT

As elected officials you take an oath to abide by a Code of Ethics which is dictated by New Jersey law. I am very disturbed by the actions initiated by board members over the course of the past year. These actions clearly indicate that school board members 

don’t know, 

don’t understand, 

or 

don’t care about following the Code of Ethics or about the best interests of our school district.

Everything from questionable 
business 

relationships, to threats of

Too many substitutes in our

classrooms everyday.

potential violence toward community members, to most recently Ms. Lerner and Ms. Schwartz’ emails. 

I find it very concerning that Ms. Lerner chose to empathize with Mr. Berrios and chastise Mr. Rodriques. There is never a justifiable reason for an elected official to shout obscenities or threaten 

community members in front of their children. 

And to 

condemn Mr Rodriques for taking 

a stand and holding the board to

Not enough Student

Support 

Staff

to nurture our 

children, or yours

task by asking that they abide by the oath that they took and the NJ Code of Ethics for School Board Members clearly indicates that you are not concerned about being the best board member, you can be. 

Laws/guidelines/codes are created for a reason and the blatant disregard for these laws/guidelines/codes is disrespectful not only to our community and children but to yourselves.
Ms. Schwartz’ email to the board is also indicative of the mass confusion about the roles and responsibilities of board members. Posts on people’s personal FB pages are not the business of the board and while some may find issue with Mr. Whilby's posts, the constitution of the United States protects his freedom of speech. So, I am very curious to know, Ms. 

Schwartz, why were you on Mr. Whilby’s FB page and why do you feel what he posts is considered BOE business? Some might consider that stalking.

Enough is enough. If you are not going to follow the law on policies and Code of Ethics, which is 18A for reference, and not attend trainings to improve your skill set and knowledge as board members, if

 you are going to stalk and threaten community members 

(and for the record, Mr Berrios is not the only board member to have confronted a community , member-video to come) 

then please, for the sake of our children and our community step down. We will appreciate and respect you for acknowledging that maybe this isn’t the best role for you

Amy Jones Bulluck