Paterson Public Schools is in dire straits this year. The school system in Paterson didn’t arrive at this fork in the road by way of osmosis. This problem began in 2009 when Gov. Chris Christie and the New Jersey Department of Education began to illegally underfund our school district by manipulating the school funding reform act formula prescribed by the NJ Supreme Court.
That illegal underfunding fails to adequately provide a thorough and efficient education which is the constitutional right of every child. We are now in a fiscal crisis. Facing a deficit of which could likely reach and surpass the $188 MILLION mark based on the 2008 formula.
Layoffs of security personnel, nurses, teachers and secretaries will ultimately end up on the chopping block. It is imperative for parents to get involved this year more than ever. Parents cannot afford to sit idly by and allow their children to become pawns on anyone’s political chessboard.
The children are the future. Parents must attend all of the school events, board meetings, workshops and PTA/PTO information gatherings to gain as much insight as possible as to what is occurring in their schools with their children. Paterson public schools are in need of more active parents.
Let this be the year for those active parents to step forward.
Corey Teague
Activist and school board candidate