Our Schools are In Crisis: Too Many Unsettled Contracts!

Curriculum Now!
Student Rights Now!
Test Score Report Now!
Accurate and Timely Reporting Now!
More Preparation for Standardized Tests Now!
Pre - Kindergarten for all Now!
Proper Use of Grant Funds Now!


Fiscal Accountability Now!


New Law Firm Now!


Forensic Audit Now!

Dwight Morrow High School Alumni Educational Alliance
Annual Picnic 

Come stand beside us in support of a Free Public Education Now!



Education should not be a debt sentence!


The amount of money in the budget 
shall be enough to fund the programs
necessary to provide a
Thorough and Efficient Education!


Put on your comfortable shoes and
Join us in a rally for a Thorough & Efficient 
Education For All Children
Thursday, July 26, 2012

Meet us at Liberty School at 5:30 pm
Get to know the dedicated Secretaries and Paraprofessionals
who touch the lives of children everyday.
Walk with us in solidarity 
Talk with us about the Achievement and 
The Needs of our children.




Stand with us in the cafeteria of Grieco School 
as we give the Board of Education of Englewood
some new faces to remember.



                               
                       
                     
       
How are the children?  With your help, they will be well.

The Auditor Warns EPSD again. Stop spending.

I am quite frankly still waiting for item number 1 on the CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN to be completed. Dr. Carlisle's contract is still not legal. How are they conducting negotiations without a Superintendent or an Assistant Superintendent? Who is restructuring the failed Educational Model that is draining the resources and polarizing the district? Who is making recommendations to the Board about staffing and streamlining the Educational Model that the District cannot afford? In 2003, the state of NJ told EPSD that they generate enough money in district to support this program without state aid. Of course, we know the rest of the story. EPSD blackmailed the state into giving them $30 million dollars by suing them. What did they do with all that money from the state plus the tax revenue collected from us? That is the $9 million dollar question.


Dr Carlisle...Earn your money. Redesign the model. I challenge you. It is not that difficult. EPSD. You made this mess, stop trying to make the public the bad guy. You know what has to be done. Stop trying to get others to do it for you. You made the mess. Sit down with that expensive Candidate for Superintendent and fix it.

The School Board never stopped spending after hearing this report. What happened to the $5 million dollars from the sale of Liberty School? I hear that there is still one million more to come from the City.

Just to be clear, some of us know that there are 3 programs that are a drain on the district. The one that was created to make space for "school choice students" should be assessed as well. The culture and climate of a school or community is NOT changed by ostracizing certain groups from the larger one. That action serves to polarize a community. That separation may be traced down through the grades to the Ivy Program (begins in 4th grade) and through to Pre-Kindergarten. Common Core Standards and the stipulations in the St. Cecila lease. How rich?! If the Board was anticipating the deficit of $4 million dollars, why would they sign this crazy lease?

Reckless and irresponsible.

There is very little mention of children and achievement in this whole scenario. What is going on in the classrooms? When are we going to hear Dorian Milteer's presentation on test scores? We are waiting.

Positive Trends in New Jersey Student Health Survey

Department of Education Announces Results of the New Jersey Student Health Survey Showing Positive Trends in Student Health and Well-Being 

Trenton, NJ - The Department of Education today announced the results of the 2011 New Jersey Student Health Survey (NJSHS) showing overall positive trends in student health and well-being. The 2011 survey, taken by 1,657 students in 31 high schools across the state between March and June, provides information for families, school staff, administrators, community members and policy makers about adolescent behaviors and trends.

Juneteenth 2012

 "The health, safety and emotional well-being of our students is of the utmost importance and the information collected through this survey is critical because it provides us with a greater awareness of trends in adolescent behavior," said Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf. "We will continue to provide as much support and professional development to districts as possible to ensure that our students are physically and emotionally healthy and ready to learn." 

The Department of Education has taken a number of steps to improve the health and well-being of students over the past several years in partnership with other state agencies. With the support of funding from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Department provided professional development to physical education teachers, food service directors, and school wellness teams to support increased physical activity and healthy eating in schools.

The Department of Education has also partnered with the Department of Agriculture to support the expansion of the School Breakfast Program to increase students' access to a healthy breakfast.

Through implementation of the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights (2011), the Department has provided training to thousands of school staff across the state, a model anti-bullying policy, and several guidance documents to help schools better identify and intervene in instances of harassment, intimidation, and bullying.

The NJSHS is comprised of 88 questions addressing a wide variety of behaviors including, but not limited to, physical activity and nutrition, emotional health, sexual behavior, use of tobacco and drugs, and violence.

Summaries of the results are provided to all public middle school and high school principals, superintendents, public charter school leaders, and local health officials in the state in order to help guide decision making when developing policies and programs that address adolescent behaviors.

The survey, administered biennially since 1993, was conducted with funding from the New Jersey Department of Education through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Department of Education under Title IV, Part A of the No Child Left Behind Act, and the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

For key findings: the release is here: http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0622shs.htm

Center for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm

$5 million in Federal Grants Will Track NJ Student Progress Pre-School - College & Into The Workforce

Trenton, NJ - New Jersey was awarded $5 million in federal grants this month to expand the state's current data system, NJSMART, to track students from pre-school through higher education institutions and into the workforce.

This expansion will provide valuable information to practitioners in both K-12 schools and higher education institutions to better help measure the effectiveness of programs and to drive improvement efforts. 


"For the first time in New Jersey, we will soon be able to track students from pre-k all the way through their entry into the workforce," said Acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf. "This data system will be critical to assess the effectiveness of K-12 and career and technical education programs as we strive to ensure that all students graduate from high school truly ready for college and career." 

 Last week, the Department of Education received a $4 million award over three years to expand the state's current data system from K-12 into one that tracks students from pre-k through entry into the workforce. Earlier this month, the Department of Labor and Workforce Development received approximately $1 million to link employment and education data. 


The Office of the Secretary of Higher Education will be the lead developer of this expansion, with the support of the Department of Education and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Release is here: http://www.state.nj.us/education/news/2012/0619data.htm

Suggestion Box EPSD: Still Spending

A 4 million dollar deficit and still spending. When times are this hard, every effort should be made to STOP spending unless there is NEED. You have not proven that there is a deficit. Is it because it is a sanction and not a deficit?

Summer School must be conducted for those in need of credits to graduate. (June 13, 2012 agenda pages 10 - 17) This includes subjects such as Math, English, Science, Social Studies and a Foreign Language. It should only include those subjects. So why does this very expensive proposal include so many teachers who do not teach major subject areas? Why is there still waste? I should also hope that teachers who failed students during the year are not assigned to teach those same students in summer school. That is an extremely expensive summer school program. You also know right now which students will fail subjects for the year. You know which students qualify for assistance under grants to help them get through Summer School. Why are we even having summer school here in the district? Send these students to established summer schools in other districts (that work) and have parents pay on a sliding scale according to need. Your summer school will cost close to a half million dollars, if not more. No doubt this is probably grant money. Poor planning and work organization again.

Field Trips: The agenda for June 13, includes 41 field trips. (pages 3 - 9) This money should have been planned out better to do the most good to raise student achievement. Again, we see signs of poor planning and work organization, because you are spending Grant Money at the last minute. You continue to do the same things that have failed the children in the past. Who suffers?

The Pre-Kindergarten threat did not fall on deaf ears. For those of us down here in the Valley who have been paying attention, we know that you have been limiting our access to Pre-Kindergarten anyway. This cut hurts another group that you wish to threaten. Your fake lottery has not gone unnoticed. Try again. How many 3 year old children do you register from the Valley? You know who that threat was aimed to silence. I hope they are listening. They did after all elect you feeling you had their best interest at heart. Courtesy busing is another one of those coded threats. Give it a rest. You have been found out.

What exactly is a sacred cow? There is no such thing. You have thrown us and our children under the bus for no good reason. Was it worth it? You know which programs and services can be cut. Get to work and determine the NEED. Why should we tell you your jobs? The people that we pay a combined salary of over $400,000.00 per year must find a way. You made the choice. You need to fix this. Evaluate Dr. Carlisle!

Regardless of the tone the people use while feet are on their necks, you have an obligation to follow the law.

Another Suggestion: Dr. Carlisle. Stop luring folks into your office to strike deals. That does not make the rest of us trust you. It makes us stronger in the resolve to bring the law to Englewood. Word on the street is that a deal has been struck with the STATE. Does that put you, the Board and the State in bed together?  Well, if the board could sue the state, and you keep threatening to sue us, we can sue you ALL as one. Stop grandstanding and do some work. Earn your salary. We are not impressed with your efforts. Stop spending and start working for the children of this town.

We have video footage of you listening to women holding their autistic children with little or no compassion on your lips. On June 13, 2012, you listened to a simple request from a couple and proceeded to take nearly a half hour to make sure they felt better. Stephen Brown and Dr. Carlisle made sure to extend extra attention to this couple. Is this because they came as a couple and they were from a select group that you fear and respect? You have not made it a secret that you have open disdain for unmarried or single women with children. Do you think this goes unnoticed by the public? Do you really expect us to stay silent when you treat us this way?

So when did the Englewood Board of Education start having school board meetings on Wednesday nights? Mayor Huttle's Master's Plan Hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 27, 2012 and has been scheduled
for quite some time now. It seems that some people are not included in the future of Englewood. I am not planning to sell my house, are you? So why did the Board of Education plan a very important school board meeting on the same night as Mayor Huttle's Massa's Plan Hearing which has been on the City of Englewood's website for weeks. Are these 3 factions of government in cahoots against the students and the people of Englewood? The City, The School Board and The State of New Jersey.