Thank you to the PTA of Dr. Michael Conti PS #5 School for this information & advocacy.

Key Facts You Need to Know:

The Jersey City School District currently falls $100 million short of adequately funding our schools. And that number is going to increase over the next seven years due to changes in NJ state aid to schools. The cuts are HERE.

If we don’t start raising more local funding for schools, we will be underfunding our schools by $212 million (in today’s dollars). We need a meaningful plan to ensure that any surplus funds to the city, that any cost savings from City Hall, that any recaptured dollars from breached development deals, should be allocated in full to the schools. We need action, and ideas to generate revenue for our schools.

It is time to for the City to get off of the sidelines and become an active and willing participant in leading this charge. Starting now- as they set this budget cycle!

The Call To Action:

As concerned citizens, parents, teachers, administrators, and residents of Jersey City, we need to take action and ensure that our City Council puts the interests and welfare of our children first in this matter.

We are asking all concerned parents and residents who care about this issue to:

Send an email to the city council representative for your “ward.”

Send a separate email to each of the three at-large council members.

Email Tips:

It's ideal to send individual emails addressed directly to each councilperson. You can copy and paste the letters below.

We realize time is tight, so if you want, you can also send a single email using the form below.

The assistants for the representatives who you are emailing are also provided

When emailing a Council-at-Large representative, also copy your ward representative.

When emailing your Ward representative, copy the council-at-large.

Copy the Mayor and his assistant on all the emails

What Should the Email Say:

Below is a template email you can use - feel free to edit and make it your own!

Letter to Elected City Representatives (City Council & Mayor)

The PTA Advocacy Team at Dr. Michael Conti PS #5 School created this letter that we can share with city officials (the mayor and city council). I am sharing on CivicParent to help spread the word & the advocacy

You can use the automated email below, which will send the note (which you are free to customize) to Mayor Fulop, all the council representatives, and the respective Council aides. If you don't want to send to all of those individuals at once, simply copy/paste the note below into your email and send to a subset of representatives (eg. if you want to only send to the mayor and your ward representative). If you don't know your ward - use the map below to find out!

All the city officials' contact information is provided below for your reference.

Advocate in the manner you feel most comfortable.

Mayor Fulop and Council Representatives: Help Fund Our Schools!
Read or Edit the Petition

Mayor Fulop, Mr. Lavarro, Ms. Watterman, Mr. Rivera, Ms. Ridley, Ms. Prinz-Arey, Mr. Boggiano, Mr. Yun, Mr. Solomon, Mr. Robinson: Thank you for your service to our City. It’s a difficult, and undoubtedly thankless, job much of the time. I’m grateful that you have dedicated your time and energy to making our city even better for all of its residents. As a resident of Jersey City, I am very concerned about the dire state of funding for our Jersey City Public Schools. Our schools are in crisis. The State of New Jersey has cut our adjustment aid, which is coupled with a $100 million local funding shortfall. Our schools can’t escape this crisis unless the City becomes a willing participant in addressing it. Our schools desperately need local funding. They need it now. And you need to act. A major reason our schools are in this disastrous position is because the Jersey City tax base was pilfered through excessive and irresponsible abatements which allowed money to bypass the school tax levy. You have finally corrected this egregious abatement and PILOT problem going forward, but that correction does not fill the funding void that has been left. Therefore, you are responsible for helping secure a better future for our schools, especially through this challenging period. Whether that’s from recaptured abatement taxes, Port Authority revenue, or simple allocation from the general budget, it is time to work toward filling in the funding void that has been left by the city. We are focused on ensuring that the entire city government gets on board with making our schools as important as the pavers you’ll pay for, or the shiny new digital kiosks downtown, or the towering glass edifices that now line the waterfront. As a parent, a resident, a taxpayer, and a voter...I want to see that Jersey City values and invests in its schools. I implore you to put the interests of our children and our community first. Thank you again for your dedicated service to Jersey City. Regards,
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If you check the "opt-in" box above, you'll be kept in the loop on advocacy updates. Otherwise, your email will not be used.

PS #5 PTA School Funding Advocacy Action!

Jersey City is not properly funding its public schools.

Our public schools are $100+ million underfunded and it's about to grow much worse. The time to act is NOW.

How you can help.

Contact your city representatives.

Below is an email campaign, created by the PS #5 PTA, to help you get started.

Jersey City will lose $27 million in state education aid in 2019/20 alone.

The proposed budget includes 700+ staffing cuts, including hundreds of teachers.

Thank you to the PTA of Dr. Michael Conti PS #5 School for this information & advocacy.

Key Facts You Need to Know:

The Call To Action:

Email Tips:

What Should the Email Say:

A community's priorities are reflected in how public dollars are spent.

Tell our elected officials: we value our kids & want to fund their education.

Letter to Elected City Representatives (City Council & Mayor)

Mayor Fulop and Council Representatives: Help Fund Our Schools!

Not sure which City Ward applies to your home and/or school?

No problem, we've got you covered! Find your home or your school on this ward map of Jersey City

City Representatives:

Additional resources about Jersey City's funding crisis

Learn, educate, advocate

Jersey City's Public School Funding Crisis - A Civic Overview from NJ Together

Additional insights & analysis from CivicParent:

Brigid D'Souza

Related Posts

Jersey City is not properly funding its public schools.

Our public schools are $100+ million underfunded and it's about to grow much worse. The time to act is NOW.

How you can help.

Contact your city representatives.

Below is an email campaign, created by the PS #5 PTA, to help you get started.

Jersey City will lose $27 million in state education aid in 2019/20 alone.

The proposed budget includes 700+ staffing cuts, including hundreds of teachers.

Thank you to the PTA of Dr. Michael Conti PS #5 School for this information & advocacy.

Key Facts You Need to Know:

The Call To Action:

Email Tips:

What Should the Email Say:

A community's priorities are reflected in how public dollars are spent.

Tell our elected officials: we value our kids & want to fund their education.

Letter to Elected City Representatives (City Council & Mayor)

Mayor Fulop and Council Representatives: Help Fund Our Schools!

Not sure which City Ward applies to your home and/or school?

No problem, we've got you covered! Find your home or your school on this ward map of Jersey City

City Representatives:

Additional resources about Jersey City's funding crisis

Learn, educate, advocate

Jersey City's Public School Funding Crisis - A Civic Overview from NJ Together

Additional insights & analysis from CivicParent:

Share this:

Brigid D'Souza

Related Posts