13 candidates have filed for the non-partisan November 3rd Jersey City Board of Education (BOE) race where four seats are up for grabs, with the field including three different slates and three trustees seeking re-election.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The first slate, “For Stronger Schools,” had already been announced earlier this month, with Jessica Taube, Chloe Williams, and Danielle Walker running for the three-year terms, while former Trustee Gina Verdibello is running for the one-year seat, as HCV first reported.
“Jersey City is not short on talent, commitment or resources,” the four candidates said in a joint statement on July 16th.
“What families need is follow-through: a clear result for every dollar, a deadline for every repair, and a proactive answer when a student is not receiving the support they deserve. That is the standard we are running together to bring to the Board.”
The incumbents, Dejon Morris, the board vice president, Alpa Patel, and Dr. George Blount are running with newcomer Vanessa Rodriguez, who is seeking the one-year term.
They are running under the “Education Matters” slogan, as they did in 2023 and that is typically the name of the slate endorsed by the Jersey City Education Association (JCEA), but they haven’t shown their hand just yet for this one.
“I enjoy the job and am looking to do more the scholars and continue some unfinished business across the district including special education,” Morris said in a phone interview Monday.
When asked about parents upset about the circumstances surrounding the special education audit, which hasn’t been released publicly since it is being investigated by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the May arrest of Emily Pecot, Morris said he didn’t think either would be a major campaign issue.
“The audit pretty much said there was corruption, which we knew from the beginning. I started the audit when I was board president and the public should be happy that the findings came out and we can soon take action to remedy things,” he expressed.
“I always stood by the original facts [of the Pecot arrest]: When you’re disruptive, we have a preamble, she didn’t follow it, and she was placed under arrest. I’m sympathetic that she now has to deal with a legal matter, but I’m not sympathetic to the fact there are consequences to her actions, where she was warned multiple times.”
Morris also said that Rodriguez is “passionate about what was best for the scholars and employees” and that he’s happy to have her on his team before again opining about the electoral implications of the audit.
“People fed into the propaganda of this parent group from downtown and they’ve been running since the audit started, but if you really think about it, the audit really has nothing to do with the three incumbents, because the corruption precedes our term and we actually made it a point to send it to the prosecutor’s office,” he declared.
The third and final slate is running under the banner “Leadership that Listens,” which consists of Julietta Vogt, Videsh Bahadur, Fernando Garcia, and Zebedayo Masongo – who is seeking the one-year term.
Vogt is a former deputy chief of staff to Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, as well as an ex-executive director of the Hudson County Democratic Organization (HCDO).
She also previously served on the volunteer Hudson County Schools of Technology (HCST) board and currently works for the Hudson County Improvement Authority (HCIA).
Garcia ran for the Jersey City Council at-Large on Mussab Ali’s ticket last year, and while he lost decisively, he found a way onto Mayor James Solomon’s Housing and Economic Development Committee, a part of his transition into City Hall.
Further, he founded the Human Capital Management Group and is an adjunct professor at several New Jersey colleges.
Bahadur co-founded and served as the director for New Jersey City University’s (NJCU, now Kean Jersey City) Center for Workforce & Community Development, while Masongo is an associate attorney at Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP.
The latter is also the founder and editor of the Malindi Press, a former deputy attorney general for the state Attorney General’s Office, and a former teacher.
“Our campaign is built on a simple belief: leadership begins with listening. When we listen to parents, teachers, students, school staff, and the community, we make better decisions. Leadership That Listens isn’t just our campaign slogan, it’s our commitment to the people of Jersey City and the promise we will bring to every decision we make,” they said in a joint statement.
“Our goal is simple: We want every parent to know their concerns will be heard. Every educator to know their expertise is valued. Every student to know they matter. Because when leaders listen first, they make better decisions for everyone. That’s the kind of leadership Jersey City deserves.”
One independent has also filed, Yasmine Clark, who is seeking a three-year term under the banner “Education to Employment.”
While the Jersey City school board races typically has three, three-year seats on the line, the additional one, one-year term is necessary following the resignation of Trustee Dr. Matthew Schneider at the end of last month.
Melany Cruz Burgos was appointed to his seat in a 6-2 vote at a July 16th special meeting, as HCV first reported, and she decided not to run for the remainder of his term.
