In a letter to the editor, Jersey City activist Mahsiah Imes says that the Education Matters ticket has the best interests of the local students in mind. 
Dear Editor:
No one should have more input in the school board elections than the students. We are the one’s who attend school Monday through Friday, 6-7 hours daily. We are the one’s forced to take standardized test, follow the rules, student code of conduct and the New Jersey state curriculum precisely.
Every time we turn around there are tests, quizzes, exams and that political scandal of a PARCC test.
We need board members who will not be afraid to speak on behalf of the thousands of students in this district and to take a stand against standardized testing and common core instead of standing for it and allowing the students to suffer because of their own greed for political promotions.
It’s time to STOP playing politics with our education. It seems like this board can’t keep the superintendent in check either. I think the students here in Jersey City need to repeat what the Newark students did when they wanted Cami Anderson to resign (as they seemed to have succeeded when she resigned).
As being an student activist here in Jersey City I have went to a number of Board of Education meetings and some candidates were not there fighting for broken bathroom stalls and air conditioning and speaking on behalf of the students like other candidate are doing.
The Education Matters team would be the perfect fit to fill in the 3 seats on the board of education. All three are dedicated, hard working, persistent individuals who will ensure that this district is moving in the right direct.
VOTE 1J (Sudhan Thomas), 3J (Angel Valentin) & 9J (Gina Verdibello)….. Students are the only ones who endure the stress of standardized test taking. Enough is Enough!! Change is need in this district and these 3 candidates are the right one’s to help get it started.
Mahsiah Imes
Jersey City Activist
Sorry, but you are about as wrong as you can be. The taxpayers should have the most say in the elections. Public education exists for one reason – to create adults able to earn their own way in society. It is clearly a case where the value of prevention is better than the cost of the cure. Taxpayers provide public education to prevent lifelong public dependency. They have a right to expect it to do that, and to do so at the most efficient cost, and in a thorough manner. It even says so in our State Constitution. They also have the right to determine a method of measuring those results. There is no more efficient method than standardized testing to determine whether or not knowledge has been gained, and the ability to perform under pressure has been cultivated.
Are you an idiot! You take those tests and sit there for hours and see how it feels. You are worried about your precious money, crook. You sound like a Christy Alley. Maybe you should apply to be a roommate for where he’s going … Prison. Study your constitution more. Your too under educated to realize the negative impacts and stress this brings on students and teachers.