In an editorial, Hoboken resident Michele Daily touts the experience the “Leadership that Listens” team has as the reason voting for them in the November 8th non-partisan race is an easy choice.
Hi, my name is Michele Daly. I’m a Hoboken resident and my children are proud to be two of around 3,000 pre-K -12th grade students within Hoboken Public School District (HPSD).
It is the responsibility of the Board of Education (BOE) to best serve the needs and interests of these children. That’s the job.
My vote confidently goes to the slate who has proven deep dedication, experience, responsibility and service to these students. Rather than the slate who has none of that – and is only this year showing any interest whatsoever.
I wouldn’t choose a doctor, with no medical background or experience, to treat my family. And I won’t choose BOE candidates, with no HPSD educational backgrounds or experience, to serve 3,000 HPSD students.
My vote is based on what’s best for these students. That’s what matters.
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One slate has 15+ years of volunteer service directly supporting HPSD.
(Board, Hoboken Public Ed Foundation; Officer, Connors and HMS Parent-Teacher Org; Trustee, Board of Education) The other slate has none.
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One slate has a million accomplishments served on behalf of the students of HPSD. (Seriously, like a million. See below for details)
The other slate has none.
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One slate has a collective 40 valuable years of experience from within HPSD PreK-12. The other slate has… two.
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Leadership That Listens is the one slate who have earned my vote.
Norwood – Grana – De la Torre (2-3-4). I hope they’ll have your vote, too.
Our students deserve representation by those who have proven experience, commitment, and caring.
Sincerely,
Michele Daly
PS: Details supporting the above:
Prior volunteer service to, and accomplishments for, Hoboken Public School District (HPSD):
Leadership That Listens:
Leslie Norwood: Board Member, Hoboken Public Education Foundation, 5 years: Helping to secure over 1 MM in private donations for HPSD.
To date, these funds have been used for important initiatives such as 1:1 Chromebook for all K-12 students, field trips, classroom smart boards, teacher trainings, and much more. Leslie is also a parent of, and champion for, students with learning differences.
She successfully advocated to train teachers in the Orton-Gillingham approach as a teaching tool to help students read.
Antonio Grana: PTO Officer Connors Elementary and Hoboken Middle School, 6 years: Helping to build an active parent-teacher organization focused on connecting parents with one another and administration, creating community events, raising money for activities, fostering school pride, and much more.
Alex De La Torre: Trustee, Hoboken Board of Education, 4 years: Helping to increase high school graduation rate to over 94%, expanding Passport to Learning offerings, bringing Pre-AP level classes to HMS, extending theater program to HMS, supporting Hudson Riverkeepers initiative at HMS & HHS, sponsoring Wee Passport program for toddlers, and much more.
Kids First:
Service to HDPS: None. Demonstrated results for HDPS: None.
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History of Involvement, Learning and Understanding of HPSD PreK-12:
Leadership That Listens:
Having firsthand experience of and from within HPSD is hugely beneficial for BOE members. Teacher/admin engagement, attending school events, understanding of school curriculum and coursework, awareness of school policies, dynamics, etc.
Together, this slate has the experience parenting 5 HDPS students who have completed 40 years, PreK-10, across all HPSD.
Leslie Norwood’s experience as parent within HPSD: Children completed 10 years at Brandt.
Antonio Grana’s experience as parent within HPSD: Child completed 2 years at St Francis and 6 years at Connors.
Alex De La Torre’s experience as parent within HPSD: Children completed 22 years across Brandt, Wallace, HMS, HHS.
Kids First:
Nope. This slate does not have the firsthand experience of and from within HPSD. Being a parent is certainly not a pre-requisite.
BOE candidates could still have gained some crucial learning, understanding and involvement through years of volunteering, attending, and caring in a variety of ways. But candidates within this slate have not shown effort nor interest prior to the HHS
referendum and this campaign.
Pavel Sokolov: No experience within HPSD, and no prior demonstrated interest (campaigning against school expansion to avoid having to pay for it, notwithstanding!)
Cindy Wiegand: No experience within HPSD, and no prior demonstrated interest. (Children attend a charter school, which has its own BOE).
Donna Magen: Parent to child who has completed two years of HPSD Pre-K at Brandt. (No K-12 HPSD experience.)
Why does LTL carry themselves like they’re losing?
All they ever write about is the other slate
Meanwhile Norwood is married and lives with her husband an election denier
The arrogant people underwriting the “Liars that Lie” ticket are feeling the pressure.
People are not responding well to their condescending attitude they will spend $330 million (now more like $400 million with rising interest rates), whether you like it or not.
The LTL controllers are fully invested into shoving their $400 million boondoggle down Hoboken’s throats.
Expect more shrill political lies and attacks by them. Vote Kids First: 6, 7, 8.
Once again, this is about the STUDENTS. Not about YOU.
It’s about the entire city who pays for it mam
Not just about your kids
Your letter is condescending and you are obnoxious, entitled and sel-absorbed
Perhaps you want to ban people without kids from voting.
Wow, no wonder you’re “freelancing” now… Maurice and Charles must regret you
this one made me smile – are you in advertising? Fret not, they were long gone by then. #OneTeamOneDream #NothingIsImpossible
If it’s about students then we refit need to vote kids first, all ltl is concerned about is handing out contracts to develop an ice skating complex, while minority children are left behind. Like Pat said we need change and new board members. Ltl is more of the same group of year after year failure.
It’s about the results
What did all their experience mean, when they all got the Referendum so very wrong. You would think with all this “experience” they would know that basics of a functioning democracy. Everyone can do without “their experience” if it means thinking robbing the town blind during the middle of winter is what they learned from their experience. The town sent this clowns a resounding NO THANK YOU 2-1.
Once again, this is about the STUDENTS. Not about YOU.
It’s about the candidates! The ones you support! The ones who lie! – all of them The ones who are misogynists – Grana, the ones who support election denying and Maga – Leslie and Paul Blanos. We can’t have our kids schools run by these people, they don’t have any morals! How can you support a literal misogynist, we all saw Mary’s testimony and Chris Clark’s insanity against Tiffanie while Grana claps and cheers.
Michele, who is the you?
You meaning the people of Hoboken who you want to foot the bill for your kids to have a pretty building ?
If the state allowed it, and the OG team shadow run by Minutillo and Sobolov would cut charter schools if they could
Every chance she gets Norwood and Grana bash Hola!and the rest
Yet they went to their event last night
They’re Allie’s – and bosses in their angry minutillo/Sobolov cult sued to block Hola!
The present Hoboken School Board is just a rubber stamp for Christine Johnson and has never been allowed to have any dissenting opinion. That kind of non representation is why a secret $330,000,000 sports club with a school was dumped on the residents of Hoboken in January with zero input. Thankfully the voters of Hoboken expressed their input and rejected the referendum by a two to one. There will be another referendum.
Hoboken needs to have all the facts and hear all the opinions and electing independent Board members to make sure that happens.
There is no comparison in talent, experience, dedication and commitment between the two slates.
Discontent and grievances have no benefit for the 3,000+ kids in the Hoboken district.
Leadership That Listens neither led nor listened. They worked for years and spent millions on a facilities plan that hinged on a plan for a high school that would have been the most expensive in US history. Of course, their plan failed miserably because it was a bad idea, poorly executed.
Judge LTL by their performance. They failed because they didn’t lead. They failed because they didn’t listen to our community. They haven’t addressed overcrowding. They haven’t addressed test scores. Why would anyone vote for them? Vote for anyone else, but don’t vote for Leadership That Listens. Don’t reward incompetence and failure.
I could forgive them for the bond debacle if they’d listened and learned. But if anything their elitest cabal has grown even more self righteous and self absorbed. They seem incapable of either listening or learning and that not only makes them unqualified to serve – it makes them abysmal role models for Hoboken’s children.
This is so nice, lets go for a skinny latte too!
No foam/ half caff / 1 boost! / add Hockey rink / an 340 million in fat
Wonder what that will reveal?
Leadership that Listens is TEAM BHALLA.
And they are TERRIFIED that when Pavel, Donna, and Cindy win, they will expose them to the residents of Hoboken for not only how deeply they were tied to the failed referendum, but also how they tried to sneak it past the residents of Hoboken. Moreover, the racist fliers will be back in the game and Ravi will fall…or my name isn’t Satish Poondi! (Google me).
VOTE 6, 7, 8 and support your children and honest, open, leadership…that listens!