Bill Feinstein's Message to The 4th Ward

Bill Feinstein is a Candidate for the Board of Education in Englewood, NJ. Bill has been diligently attending School Board Meetings for nearly 10 years. He is an independent thinker who knows what a School Board member is supposed to do. He is not a yes man. He takes into consideration all sides of an issue before taking a stand.

He does not go away when the vote does not go his way. His resolve is not affected by the number of votes between him and the person elected. Last Election, there were a mere 12 votes between Bill and the other Candidate. Every time he runs, the space between him and the one he has to beat gets smaller. Between Elections, he is involved and still working for your children. Bill is a winner who possesses the self determination that we should all nurture in our children. Never give up.

Vote Bill Feinstein, column 4 for Englewood Board of Education.

Did you notice anything different about your Ballot?

There are 2 Ballots in the envelope.

One ballot is a Non-Partisan School Board Elections Ballot. 

The other is a Partisan Ballot .

Bill's name was on the Ballot for the School Board in 2016, 2017, 2019 and many of us wrote him in as a Personal Choice in 2018. Why did we write him in? Because he comes with his sleeves rolled up with his own gloves when he is needed in the Community, regardless of the job. Bill Feinstein is part of the Community, not just someone who wants to be on the School Board. In the photos above he is doing his part to prepare the Teaching Garden at the Louie Bacoat Historic Community Garden for the children who will use the beds in the Spring. His family is among the founding members of this Community S.T.E.A.M Education Project.

What is Partisan and Nonpartisan?

Think of it this way: 

Partisan: I will do what my party wants. 

Nonpartisan: I will do what is the right thing, regardless of party. 

Bipartisan: I will get together with the other party to agree what to do. 

Politics and Party Loyalty is not supposed to get involved in the selection of School Board Members. School Board Elections are supposed to be Nonpartisan.

The last time there was any indication, in Englewood, at election time, that School Board Elections are non- partisan was April 16, 2013. Those elected are pictured in the photo to the right. From left to right, Devry Pazant, Carol Feinstein, Jeff Carter.

I was told by my 4th Ward Councilman that the results of that Election were a blip and totally accidental. I was totally disgusted with that comment, because a lot of people did a lot of work to bring about those results. Some of us had been in the streets going house to house and having Campaign events for several months. Calling the results a blip negated all of our hard work. 

We held a People's Town Hall. It was a Survival Summit focusing on Solutions, not complaints. We held a very engaging and wonderfully rewarding event that should be replicated sometime in the future. It was called, "The Woman's Day of Action". We called upon all women in the City to come together and walk with us in the 4th Ward. The objective was to go house to house in Englewood's 4th Ward encouraging Residents to vote and letting them know that we cared about them and their children.

There was a general impression going around that 4th Ward Residents do not ever vote. Little attention was given to the fact that we had/have the lowest number of registered voters in the City. We decided to test the theory of naysayers who claimed that 4th Ward Residents did not care about their kids and therefore felt no need to vote, attend PTO meetings, Back To School Nights, Parent Conferences or any other event that involved their children.  It was a get to know your neighbor day. We wanted to make sure that every family in the 4th Ward was aware of how much they were needed and that they could do something to change their children's educational world. 

We paired off Teachers from all over the County with Parents and other Residents. We gave them addresses of registered voters and sent them off with their assigned streets. I was paired off with the vibrant young lady in the middle of that photo. We covered a lot of ground, rang a lot of doorbells and had conversations with the most unlikely people. I learned a lot about Carol Feinstein and the City of Englewood on that fateful day. Not one door was closed to us. Happy faces greeted us at the doorway wondering why their former teacher, or the former teacher of their mom, dad, or child was standing at their door. There were families cooking out in their yards with no thought to voting who slapped their foreheads and said, "yes, of course", they were going to vote. The general consensus was that the People were left feeling really good that they had gotten a visit that day. It showed on Election Day. Across the 4th Ward Parents, Teachers and other Residents had similar stories."

It did surprise everyone in town that we got all three Candidates elected. It was not a good time for Education in Englewood. Over 100 support staff, many who lived in the 4th Ward, had been laid off in 2012 when the positions of Secretary and Paraprofessional (Teacher's Aide) had been abolished. We learned a lot about how that "job action" of Outsourcing these positions had impacted the 4th Ward and low income families. The impact has not gone away and the District has still not shown that any money was saved.

In April 2013, the "Pro Outsourcing" Board Members still outnumbered our grass roots Candidates. It took only 5 School Board Members to move the School Board Elections to November where they have been lost in Partisanship ever since. The Pro Outsourcing Board even took a vote in the very first meeting to block 2 of our newly elected Board Members from voting on Personnel issues. This happened in April of 2013, before the end of the month in which the so called blip occurred. Very much the same way Mitch McConnell handcuffed Barak Obama, the Pro Outsourcing Members handcuffed 2 of the newly elected Board Members on the issue of Personnel. There have been no more blips since then. Did the General Election's Partisan atmosphere do what many projected it would? 

Did 528 School Districts save money and increase the number of voters participating in School Board Elections or did they immerse Public Education into a Political and Partisan mire in which there is no chance to recover?

This Grandmother was very glad to see 2 Ballots when I opened that envelope and learned that the Partisan Election had been separated on paper, at least. 

Vote Column 4, Because you Deserve More

Englewood Students, Parents and Administrators need Board Members who will never give up the fight for Educational Excellence for all students regardless of race, class, where they live or the economic status of their parents. I am confident that Bill Feinstein is the man for the job.

We need Board members with the intestinal fortitude to stand their ground for the sake of the children.

We need Board Members who will turn the Narrative back to the subject of the children and what is best for them.

We need Board Members who think of the whole child and do not spend the entire meeting speaking on subjects that do not impact the Education of children.

We need Board Members who will insure that school buildings are maintained in a way that makes a safe and clean environment to learn.

We need Board Members who are willing to get the training necessary to create policy and who understand that they do not run the District.

We need Board Members who do not hesitate to involve students, teachers, administrators and Community in the Goal setting that become the District Goals on which the Superintendent bases his Goals for the District.

We need Board Members who are not afraid to say no to the Superintendent and can recognize when the School Leader is micromanaging the District are willing to ask questions about process.

We need Board Members who understand that the Superintendent manages the District and trusts the teachers and Administrators to impart the information that nurtures a safe environment that encourages students, parents, teachers, staff and administrators to do their very best.

We need School Board Members who hold 

"high expectations of achievement" 

for ALL students 

and not just one group.

What is the Zone?

My open letter to EPSD about The Zone. 

Please share.

I am writing to urge you to take decisive action, to lead--and find a way to support The Zone for the 2020-2021 school year. Now is not a time to reduce the mental health and community supports for students and faculty.

I understand that Trenton is in crisis and has no good choices to make. However, Trenton does not know what we know, which is that Englewood Public Schools were in crisis before the pandemic. I know this because through the leadership of Mariam Gerges and Liz Corsini, along with Sanetta Ponton, I helped lead hours of workshops for DMHS faculty and administrators last year.

We heard first hand how difficult the conditions in the school were, their struggles in reaching students, and their desire to lead their colleagues in creating a better climate in which students, regardless of their traumas, could learn and thrive. We were having these conversations and workshops in August, September, January and February. What will those discussions sound like over Zoom this year?

I can assure you that the kind of professional development and coaching that your faculty and administrators received last year through these workshops would have cost EPSD thousands of dollars--but you got it "free" from Bergen Family Center, The Zone and the community members like Sanetta, Flat Rock Brook and me--who will do almost anything for Englewood's children. Most importantly, EPSD got all this expertise for "free" because the community knows the value that Bergen Family Center brings--and when called upon by them, we show up.

Now it is time for EPSD to show up for The Zone. I assure you that your students and faculty cannot survive, let alone thrive, without the support that The Zone and its committed staff provide. They pivoted seamlessly to the virtual world, and connected with students in a matter of days. In fact, there were moments on the weekly community calls that Sanetta organized, when it became obvious that Bergen Family Center knew more about some of EPSD students than the district did itself. You need The Zone, we all know you do.

Find the money--in the paper clip and toner budget, in the snacks for professional development budget--find the money. 

Step up and lead. The times demand it.

Sincerely,

Lynne Algrant

Former Council at Large and former President of the Englewood City Council

Our Community Needs The Resource!

 For 20+ years community members of Englewood, NJ have been advocating for a community center. 

I have watched other surrounding municipalities build and enhance their community centers while we continue to fight for one in Englewood. One must ask why. What is it that is preventing city leadership from allowing a community center in Englewood?

There have been a plethora of excuses including financing, programming, location, and even blaming the Jews. All bullshit.

Our schools are steadily declining, people are sleeping in our parks, violent crime is increasing but yet all leadership seems to care about is $$$. The bullshit story goes like this-

The city is broke so let’s bring in more ratables by declaring areas in need of redevelopment and offer PILOTs so we can attract big developers who will come in and change the dynamics of neighborhoods ( where most leadership does not live). The city gets PILOT money, developers make money, and the schools get nothing, people living here get nothing and we don’t know if anyone in leadership gets anything. What is wrong with this picture?

These developments change neighborhoods. The Bennett Rd project, for example, not only has destroyed the character of the neighborhood aesthetically, but chances are it will change the demographic of the population. How? By diluting the population. By changing the neighborhood demographic. Keep in mind 1 William is also in this same neighborhood.

(Please don’t try to accuse me of promoting segregation, because that is not what this is. First, it was white people who created these communities of color through redlining. The fact of the matter is we all find comfort in being around others with whom we share a cultural familiarity). These 2 projects will bring in probably a minimum of 400 people, many of whom, if not most, will NOT be people of color. Now, let me be clear, this is significant because people of color have distinct wants and needs from leadership (on all levels) that stem from their experiences in this country. Diluting the neighborhood demographics dilutes the voting power of people of color. People of color were herded into these neighborhoods through redlining and now you want to take them back.

The question is what are you giving us in return? So far....nothing, but that’s not because we haven’t asked. We’ve been asking for a community center for 30 years and yet here we are. What’s ironic is that we aren’t asking for something that would only benefit us but we are asking for something that would enhance Englewood at large.

So now that we’ve established the plan, whether you choose to acknowledge or not, and the ask, where do we go from here?

People are our greatest investment and now is the time for leadership to start investing in the people of Englewood. We have got to take a proactive step towards supporting residents, especially given the uncertain times ahead. We must have a centrally located facility not just for programming but clearly there are socio-economic needs. Every week somebody touts how many meals have been given out by various organizations. Thank God for these organizations because many would not eat without them. I am concerned however that I don’t not hear any leadership acknowledging the fact that, off my rough calculation, close to 2000 meals are being given out each week indicates we have a real problem with poverty in Englewood. Poverty, poor performing school district (based on SLA scores), increase crime, people sleeping in parks and yet our lovely leadership still refuses to invest in the people.

Our entire community needs the resource. A place to promote mental/physical well-being, enhance environmental awareness, develop social awareness, increase efficiency of current services, provide space for schools, essential worker childcare, provide social resources, etc.....

Many refer to the Liberty School as the gateway to our city. Well shouldn’t a gateway be a place that welcomes people with a myriad of offerings and services. Usually upon entering a place you have a welcome center, information center, resources.

It is incumbent upon the city council President Charles Cobb to put on the agenda ASAP the issuing an RFP for a community center at the Liberty School site. Englewood is suffering and the personal agendas must be pushed to the side. We have a unique once in a lifetime opportunity with Metro Community Center and that must be explored. It is deplorable that there is an organization willing to invest more into the people of Englewood than our own city leadership.

Gauging temperatures-we already know we have a fever, it’s called socio-economic crisis

Sustainability- make it happen, hire a grant writer, create foundation, get sponsorship, whatever it takes, that’s why we elected you, figure it out.

#Justdoit
#peopleareourgreatestinvestment
#povertyaliveandkicking
#electedofficials
#workforthepeople
#incaseyouforget
#votethemALLout
#randomthoughts

Author:

Penned by Amy Jones Bulluck

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