North Bergen mayoral hopeful Larry Wainstein is endorsing three candidates for the April 21 Board of Education election: Mary Luz Munoz, Jeanne Wesley and Jose Canonico. 
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
In a written statement, Wainstein endorsed the three candidates running under the “Save Our School” banner.
“There shouldn’t be any politics in the school system. Teachers should not be hired to ring door bells and work politically. The Board of Education should not be controlled by a corrupt political machine.”
“This is why I am officially endorsing the Save Our Schools Candidates for the upcoming School Board election in April. Politics has caused our school system to be in the bottom five percent in the state. Teachers must teach our children and not be forced to work political campaigns and be made to purchase political tickets.â€
Wainstein, through attorney Mario Blanch, submitted a complaint to the state Department of Education on March 24 alleging that Mayor Nick Sacco, also the director of secondary and elementary education, used his political influence to get family members jobs at the BOE.
A spokesman for Sacco said the allegations put forth in the complaint had “no merit whatsoever,” while an attorney the North Bergen Board of Education said they are considering filing an ethics complaint in response.
Nevertheless, the women on the slate are calling for less political patronage in the school system and for paying more attention to students’ needs and safety.
“Our school system is plagued by political patronage. While other towns have built new schools, North Bergen has not seen a new school built in over 50 years,†Luz Munoz said in a statement. ”
“Recent numbers released by the NJ Department of Education show that North Bergen schools are extremely overcrowded and in disrepair.”
Additionally, Wesley called for better supplies and heightened security in the schools.
â€How can our children learn when teachers are forced to use photocopies instead of actual textbooks? The students do not have enough supplies and copy paper, access to enough chrome books, and proper safety and security for our children,” she said in a prepared statement.
“One teacher advised me that security in our school system is an absolute joke. Doors are not locked and camera systems are rarely functional.â€
On March 20, Sacco endorsed Ruth Shaw, Sam Jafaar and Claudia Rodriguez for the BOE election.
