The M.A.T.H team, who has been endorsed by 2015 mayoral candidate Carlos “Chucky” Betancourt, have released their platform for the upcoming West New York School Board of Education election in November.
By Sarah Introna/Hudson County View
Short for Monica Parra, Ana M. Cerqueira, Thomas M. Leung and Henry Song, the candidates are going door-to-door getting parents’ input on how to improve a school system that has recently seen protests, teacher contract disputes and even an investigation by the FBI.
“With recent events unfolding as they have, politics has no place in our school system. We have seen the slow decline of our, once state best, school system,” Cerqueira said in a written statement.
“Our team of candidates feel that every child from downtown to uptown, from Kennedy Boulevard to the Waterfront, should have every opportunity to reach their goals. We are seeking our respective seats to make sure that our schools in WNY provide those tools and opportunities to every child.â€
West New York town officials and the board of Education are at odds over parents’ demand for a new bus route to transport students to St. Joseph’s of the Palisades Elementary School while Harry L. Bain School is closed for reconstruction.
During a protest last week in front of town hall, parents raised serious safety concerns a some of the children as young as five-years-old have to walk an extra dozen or so blocks to attend school.
The platform calls for more cooperation with parents, interaction with the community and progressive “effort on numerous issues that impact the quality of education our children receive today,†candidate Thomas M. Leung added in a prepared statement.
