Several Jersey City community groups are teaming up to host a board of education forum in the Heights on Tuesday where all seven candidates on the ballot will be participating.
The event will take place on Tuesday, October 8th from 7:00 p.m. until 9 p.m. on October 8, 2024 at Franklin L. Williams School – MS 7, 222 Laidlaw Avenue.
“This forum is a critical opportunity for residents to engage with the candidates and learn about their vision for our public schools. We encourage everyone to attend and participate in this important discussion,” Katie Brennan, of the Journal Square Community Association, said in a statement.
Moderators will guide a discussion covering a range of topics, including the budget, school development, and community engagement.
Brigid D’Souza, who is a licensed CPA and formerly worked as an assistant professor at Saint Peter’s University while also writing the Civic Parent blog, will give an overview of the board, including its roles and responsibilities.
The event is open to the public and will be live-streamed on Facebook. Pre-forum survey questions are available online at this survey to allow attendees to submit questions ahead of the event.
The non-partisan November 5th race features the “Education Matters” team of Trustee Natalia Ioffe, Ahmed Kheir, and Melany Cruz Burgos as the only three-person slate.
Additionally, Tia Rezabala and Matthew Schneider running under the “For Stronger Schools” banner, Sumit “Sam” Salia running under the slogan “Parents for Education,” and Miriam Tawfiles running as an independent with no slogan.
The coalition of community groups sponsoring the event includes the Heights Community Coalition, Riverview Neighborhood Association, Washington Park Association of Hudson County, The Knitty Gritty JC Social Club, the Journal Square Community Association, the Leonard Gordon Park Conservancy, the Pershing Field Neighborhood Association, the JC Heights Parent, the Sgt. Anthony Park Neighborhood Association, the P.S. 28 PTA Board, and the JC Policy Circle.