The Jersey City Education Association has taken a unanimous vote of no confidence against Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marcia Lyles, asking for her to resign immediately just minutes after her federal lawsuit alleging a hostile work environment came to light.Â
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Our members have repeatedly voiced their concerns to this superintendent about serious issues that are doing real harm to students – academically, psychologically, emotionally and physically,” JCEA President Ron Greco said in a statement.
“Sadly, they have all been ignored or covered up by this administration. Pretty bar graphs, education reform buzzwords and misleading data are merely a distraction to the division and inequities created by Marcia V. Lyles. Our students deserve better.”
The JCEA represents four distinct groups employed by the Jersey City Public Schools consisting of teachers, teacher aides, teacher assistants, educational support personnel, educational secretaries and the non-certified supervisors.
The leadership, executive boards and directors representing the four groups, as well as each of the district’s 40 plus worksites, have met to discuss and debate Lyles
merits, or lack thereof, and have cast a unanimous vote of no confidence in the superintendent and her leadership team, Greco said.
Through their leadership, the JCEA, which consists of around 4,000 members, have been at odds with Lyles for many years and at least a dozen educators applauded the notion of Lyles leaving the district at last week’s board of education meeting.
The superintendent’s lawsuit came in response to the BOE voting not to renew Lyles contract, which isn’t up until June 30th, 2020, at their January 2nd reorganization meeting – as well as the majority of the public comment at the January 24th special meeting.
The JCEA announced their vote of no confidence, citing “irreparable harm done to the district,” less than an hour after Lyles lawsuit had been reported.
Lyles’ office did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
The Jersey City BOE has a regularly scheduled meeting set for 6 p.m. this evening at Public School No. 26, located at 164 Laidlaw Ave., a venue that now all but guarantees fireworks.
