Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Dr. Norma Fernandez and Board of Education President Dejon Morris discussed hiring a new business administrator, criticisms of low test scores, fixing the payroll tax, and much more during a sit down interview.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“That contract covers time from September, he [Dr. Dennis Frohnapfel] was working, he had been approved by the [state] commissioner of education, he had been given permission to work a year, but we needed the contract to pay him, retroactive,” Fernandez said.
She continued that Frohnapfel has been “fabulous” during his tenure with the district which has spanned five decades, coming out of retirement to serve as acting business administrator.
However, his last day will be November 15th: A data point that had some people confused given that the school board just approved a $216,000 contract for him that runs through June on Thursday.
After clarifying that will be retroactive, she said that his successor will be named in the coming weeks at a salary to be determined, with Assistant Business Administrator Dr. Francine Luce succeeding Frohnapfel in the interim (she has also already applied for the job).
When asked about criticisms about low test scores from the likes of former Gov. Jim McGreevey, now a mayoral candidate, both Morris and Fernandez had a lot to say.
“Specifically with Governor McGreevey, I think that’s just political jargon because I have not received any phone call from him to get facts, basically all he’s speaking about is speculation,” Morris began.
“And I did tell one of his campaign advisors that when he was governor, he had a commissioner of education. If he gets the pleasure of being the mayor of the second largest city in the State of New Jersey, he doesn’t have an education commissioner, there’s two different entities, the board of education has a governing body … We work with the city, not for the city. There’s a difference.”
Fernandez noted that urban school districts were fully funded during McGreevey’s tenure as governor, but that is no longer the case which has an impact, particularly since at-risk students achieve at lower levels.
Case in point, in the Jersey City Public Schools, 78 percent of students are at-risk and qualify for free or reduced meals. She also noted that standardized tests have gotten more complicated in recent years.
“You’re comparing oranges and apples when you say ‘oh, now we’re doing worse.’ Well, the standards are more rigorous – rightfully so, I do not have an issue with the standards, I think it’s so important – so we’ve been working with our parents in our community on literacy issues. And really sharing, with our community, the importance of reading on grade level.”
On the subject of Fernandez’s new three-year contract that tops out at $341,200, which was approved in August, Morris said he doesn’t regret how things transpired despite some electeds and residents expressing outrage over a lack of transparency.
“It was a personnel issue: we can’t give specifics when we’re dealing with any employee within the board of education and just because we’re talking about the top employee doesn’t make it any different, she’s extended the same rights as any other employee of the district is,” he began.
“At that particular time, that could not be discussed publicly. The board members were informed, were part of the process, we had several meetings leading up to the decision … I have no regrets and I don’t think any of my trustees have regrets either.”
Fernandez noted that in the past two years, despite claims to the contrary, the district hasn’t raised taxes and has fully funded all of their schools, which include the charters. She also said she takes calls and is accessible 24/7/365 for any and all district matters.
Morris added that candidates like McGreevey and Ward E Councilman James Solomon, another mayoral hopeful who slammed the board after the vote, have a lot of pressing issues related to city business and shouldn’t be wasting time and energy taking potshots at the BOE.
Speaking of electoral politics, Morris was asked if he will run for a state Assembly seat in the 31st Legislative District, to which he said conversations are ongoing and he is still considering.
However, he admitted that he indeed has aspirations for higher office because being on the school board has shown him a lot of disparities in urban communities that aren’t being addressed and he’d like to be a part of the solutions implemented on a grander scale.
Additionally, on the topic of the recently dismissed ethics complaint Trustee Natalia Ioffe filed against him, Morris said the board has certainly had tumult, but the governing body is certainly not dysfunctional, as a matter of fact, he said they’re working together as well as they ever have.
Finally, on the payroll tax, Fernandez and Morris both commended Mayor Steven Fulop, state Senators Angela McKnight (D-31), and Raj Mukherji (D-33), as well as Assembly members Barbara McCann Stamato (D-31), John Allen, and Jessica Ramirez (both D-32), as well as the city council – particularly Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey – for working towards a common goal here.
“I have to say that 280 Grove St. has been very compliant, they have been open, the relationship has been rebuilt, the bridge has been bridged together, we’ve bridged that gap … We’re coming to some type of resolve,” exclaimed Morris.
Fernandez noted that the Jersey City Public Schools have lost approximately $278 million since the new school funding formula, often referred to as S2, was implemented and the payroll tax was supposed to help offset that.
While they’re have been growing pains, she remains optimistic that a solution is coming soon.
“As with any regulation, any program that’s started: It’s all in the implementation, and as you implement it, you learn what works, what could be better. And that’s where we are, where it could be better. How do we follow up with the collection? … I think we all have the same goal and we’ll be able to continue to move forward.”
