Jim McGreevey served as governor of New Jersey from 2002 to 2004 and is running for mayor of Jersey City in the 2025 election. This first appeared in the Jersey Journal.
The Jersey City Board of Education is charged with ensuring that the Jersey City School District provides the best education possible for our children by setting policies, goals and objectives.
But in recent weeks, after JCBOE members ousted the board's chairman, installed new leadership and called for state intervention, the Jersey City School Board has become increasingly concerned about the dysfunction and needs of our teachers and, more importantly, our children. cannot be adequately met.
JCBOE's governance, district leadership, and recent antics have demonstrated a clear divergence from their primary function of educating our children. The actions of recent weeks are unrepresentative of the school board and school system in general and clearly demonstrate that the district is currently dysfunctional.
One of the community's main functions is to educate our children to learn the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic, and now computers. It gives them a sense of belonging to their community and country. And it helps prepare you for life. There can be no greater or nobler purpose for the future than to provide our children with an excellent education.
As someone who works with people involved in the courts every day (individuals harmed by failing schools, health care systems, and often unresponsive correctional systems), the net effect of failing elementary and secondary schooling is too often the criminal justice system.
Today in Jersey City we stand at a crossroads. Whether it's taxes, development, cleanliness or public safety, we as a Jersey City community must decide on a common direction. Our school system is failing. By any reasonable standard, the majority of our children who attend Jersey City public schools are not competitive in college or the workforce.
This must change. Otherwise, I'm worried about the consequences.
Jersey City students have significantly lower proficiency levels in both English and math. The English language proficiency rate for the 2021-2022 school year was 35.9% for third graders and 36% for ninth graders. Nearly two-thirds of our students cannot read at a proficient level.
In math, 32.7% of 3rd graders and 10.6% of 8th graders recorded. The fact that approximately 90% of Jersey City students lack 8th grade math skills is alarming and troubling.
Studies have shown that one in six children who do not read well in third grade will not graduate high school on time, and 23% will drop out or not finish on time. Reading and math skills at a young age are highly correlated with future student success, high school graduation, and the ability to successfully enter the workforce.
The Jersey City School District's current budget is over $1 billion, and the average cost per Jersey City student is currently over $36,000. Among the largest cities, New Jersey has the highest per-student costs. However, Jersey City students' proficiency levels are significantly lower. Additionally, Jersey City Public Schools lags behind the statewide graduation rate, with only a 78% graduation rate for Jersey City students compared to the statewide graduation rate of 90.9%.
The Jersey City School District's budget for the 2023-2024 school year is $1,035,238,9434, an increase of more than $300 million from the 2021-2022 school year.
The district, which has 28,707 students, spends about $36,062 per student. By comparison, the Newark Public School District, with 47,737 students, spent $30,896 per student during the same school year. Additionally, Elizabeth Public Schools, with 24,834 students, spent $28,642 per student, which is significantly less than the similarly sized Jersey City public school system.
Jersey City is arguably one of the most expensive school districts in the country, while also having one of the worst performing school districts in our state. As a mayoral candidate, I will seek to engage responsibly with our school system to support our teachers. Partnerships like Hudson County Community College ensure high-quality academic and career education. Implement “best practices” and benchmarks for progress. We build on the success of other school districts across the country.
To ensure the district adheres to these goals and puts teachers and children first, within my first 100 days in office, I will establish a joint task force on education to review the current practices of JCBOE and the district. It also makes specific recommendations to the JCBOE, Superintendent and City on how to effectively implement “best practices” and ensure that all children, regardless of zip code, receive the highest quality education.