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On the other side of this year’s crowded and heated Hoboken School Board elections is the Listening Leadership candidate, led by the only incumbent running for re-election this year.
Incumbent board member Alex de la Torre leads three seats on the board, along with members of the zoning board and members of the education nonprofit, after the high school referendum failed in January. 2 seats are vacant.
Director De La Torre, Leslie Norwood and Antonio Grana said: hudson reporter about what they plan to bring to the school board if they are elected in November.
meet the candidates
Director Alex de la Torre is seeking to complete his second term on the Board of Education after being appointed in 2018 and elected to his first term in 2019. He was also endorsed by Mayor Ravi Bala in 2019.
When asked why he was running for re-election, he said, “To sum it up, it’s part of progress.” I think the most important thing is to have
Leslie Norwood is a board member of the Hoboken Public Education Foundation, a nonprofit that raises private funds for public schools, and is running for public office for the first time.
“I’m running for [the] This year’s school board thinks the district has made incredible progress over the past eight years,” she said. “I am committed to continuing that progress.”
Antonio Grana is a member of the city’s Zoning Coordinating Committee and is running for public office for the first time. When asked why he was running, he said he wanted to stick with Hoboken.
“My commitment to the district comes from an expression we call ‘community commitment,'” he said. When I go to middle school, high school, and see tremendous growth in my district, I want to be part of the trend and see it continue.”
their top priority
As a top priority if they are elected, de la Torre said they would focus on student outcomes, saying, “They definitely have the right leadership, the right teachers to make that improvement.” He said the school facilities would also be “maintained.” he got up at night
“What are we going to do when enrollment increases and kids need to go here?” he said. “Where are you going to put them? Where are you going to put them so that they can have the same experience as all the other kids in New Jersey?”
Norwood said the focus would also be on academic performance, and said the school district had “done a phenomenal job” with AP scores and STEM education, as well as surveyed facilities.
“Despite these successes, the board and the district continue to work in these areas with the release of the Albert platform to support AP student learning and a variety of STEM projects, including the Riverkeeper project, which was newly introduced this year. I’m inclined,” she said.
Grana said his concern is “where will children actually sit in the future and where will the facilities be for them to participate in the programs that states and districts want our children to participate in?” rice field.
“We need to have a broader conversation with the community about how we address supply and demand,” he said. “The demand for our public schools has increased significantly. We need to figure out the supply equation to know where our kids will sit and be in all these programs.”
Referendum group for high school
The entire group, through their actions or votes, supported the now unsuccessful referendum to build a $241 million high school.
Director de la Torre said the reason he supported the referendum was because the proposed high school should have been considered a long-term institution, and the new high school would be the fourth in the current school reorganization. said it would have made room for an elementary school in the school building.
“That would have provided them with facilities better suited to learning today in this century,” he said. would have lived in a new facility with all the facilities necessary for their education, whether they were to go on to higher education or vocational training.”
Norwood said he voted yes in the January referendum. Because he felt the city had been “postponing” maintenance and investment in the facility for decades. “As an infrastructure expert, she feels it is important to ensure that facilities in the capital are safe and suitable for students,” she said.
However, she added that she was “frustrated” by the lack of community engagement before the referendum was announced. This was a criticism of the referendum as a whole.
“I think the board can do a better job on all three given the short timeframe and lack of transparency before the referendum,” she said. “As a public finance attorney, I look forward to participating in the process, if elected, with the Community and Board for the Joint Process for the Community Process.”
Grana had chaired a group called Friends of New Hoboken High School that raised money to support the referendum. When asked why he chaired the group, Grana said land-use decisions were a “very sensitive topic” and his goal was to invest before the market pushed bonds higher. Stated.
“This is probably the lowest price we got for building such a facility,” he said. “With the delay, you know what the interest rate means. Now we’re talking about a different price tag. We also need a conversation with the community. But it’s a balancing act, and that balancing act. That’s why we need leadership on this board.”
Responding to future facility plans
When asked if there are plans for another high school referendum now, De La Torre said he hasn’t “completely stopped” and has no plans to bring anything to the community.
De la Torre said what would be done differently if plans for another school facility came up, it would be about community engagement. “It’s not just our parents, is it?” he said. “It’s the most important thing for them, but we want to make sure we hear from everyone.”
“Every voter has a voice and they spoke loud and clear last January. I’ll make sure to give you my thoughts on it, give me as much information as you can,” he continued.
Norwood said districts need to improve their use of existing facilities and their conditions, as well as changes in enrollment numbers. She also said that community involvement is “important in advancing potential plans for capital facilities, whether renovations or new buildings.”
In addition to community engagement, Grana will have a broader discussion of “allowing people to have an opinion on what the values are and where they see some of those priorities.” said there was a need.
towards November
When asked if they supported or opposed what Republicans and conservatives are doing to education when it comes to what they are taught about race, gender, and LGBT issues, all three said they were against such efforts. I replied that I objected.
“As a school board, I don’t believe national affairs should be taken up,” de la Torre said. “I do not support banning topics in schools.”
“The limits of honest discussion, honest perceptions, the ability to consume materials that help generate critical thinking, [Republican Gov. Ron] DeSantis [of Florida]or anyone else: “When did you become afraid to teach your children critical thinking or about the differences they see around the world every year?” Grana said.
Their answer to a national problem came before campaign flyers were sent by their slate attacking the “Kids First” slate for having to do with Republican and conservative issues.
All three said they have no plans to use the school board as a platform for senior officials.
For updates on this and other articles, check hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Mark Koosau can be reached at mkoosau@hudsonreporter.com or on his Twitter @snivyTsutarja.
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