NEWS

Good evening. My name is Tessie Thomas and I am the President of the Montclair Council of PTAs (PTAC) an elected body that represents and supports the whole community.

 

I hope everyone managed well through the toxic smoke last week and are now making the most of the clean air around us.

 

As the year draws to a close, I can’t help but be reflective. It is just amazing how quickly this year has gone by. It was an eventful year but somehow seems to have gone through even faster than other years. For that matter, the last 2 years have gone quick. The last 2 years – following Covid have by definition been unprecedented as none of us have had the playbook for how to recover from a pandemic. I would like to share a few observations of our post recovery period and some of PTAC’s accomplishments tonight.

 

2 years back as President of PTAC, we decided to do things somewhat differently. We wanted to be more efficient with meetings, we wanted to be more impactful, we wanted to ensure that we leaned on lessons learned from the past, we wanted to sharply focus on powerful advocacy and learn from each other. In keeping with these thoughts, we adopted 6 themes that most of you have heard before–

 

1. Diversity of faces and diversity of voices
2. Connecting with all
3. Proactive
4. Encouraging volunteers
5. Efficiency
6. PTAC Brand

 

I must say that we adhered very closely to all of the above. The last one – PTAC Brand was one which is likely to be misinterpreted. So I would like to read from what I said in the first PTAC meeting 2 years back when we adopted these themes, I quote –

 

“… – we want to make sure that when PTAC acts, makes a statement, makes a point to the district, or to anyone – it is one that is thoughtful, impactful, relevant, unbiased, timely, and actionable. It is very easy to be in our situation and react to everything that happens around us. I am going to be strong on vetoing issues that don’t fit this structure. We are going to make sure that we do not make any statement for the sake of public posturing alone. I want to ensure that PTAC is influential that we are given a seat at every table for no other reason than being seen as a valuable contributor. I will watch out meticulously to not dilute the PTAC brand. Our focus will be on better outcomes for our children and if something doesn’t quite fit, let’s make sure we don’t overstep our scope as when we lose focus or try to get too many things done we may end up not doing much at all.

In terms of our focus, I want to ensure that we don’t start assuming that it is our mission to run the district. We need to leave that to the district professionals, and the BOE. But it is our mission to bubble up issues and get commitments to fix the problems we highlighted. Let’s hold their feet to the fire. There is a fine line between that mission and actually running the district. Let’s not cross it…”

 

Given this initial outlook, I must say we carried it out to a tee. How we at PTAC decided to conduct ourselves makes a lot of sense under any scenario, but it was especially well suited for where we were 2 years back, coming out of the pandemic. We were in an acrimonious environment coupled with the instability of having seen a number of superintendents go in and out of the district in the last few years. It was a time when it seemed like the stakeholders had concluded that the way to get anything done in the district was to be shrill at the BOE meetings and take shots. It also seemed like when that failed the solution was to be even more pointed and louder. Additionally, the revolving door in the superintendent’s office was conducive to kicking the can down the road. Even under the best of intentions, given the significant and deep-rooted problems, kicking the can down the door was many a times the expedient outcome. Systemic problems festered.

 

In this environment, we decided to hit “reset”. We decided to try something new – “collaboration”. We decided that we will start by trusting every stakeholder’s intent – we believed and still do that every stakeholder in this is trying to do right thing. When we adopted this approach, we were surprised with the reception and I think to some extent, the stakeholders were also surprised that we trusted their intent and were willing to talk about ways to make progress. I have to say that this approach has enabled all of us together to actually get things done.

 

We are not naïve to think that acrimony is dead, or that everyone buys into collaboration – but it is clear that there is consensus that collaboration has been more effective and impactful over the last 2 years.

 

One of the proudest moments for us was on May 16^th this year when the BOE, MEA and PTAC together went to the town council meeting to raise the issues of overall operating funding proportion allocated to the schools and the issue of no Payment in Lieu of Taxes money flowing through to school funding. This was a follow up to the joint letter that the BOE, the District, and PTAC sent to the town council raising these issues. This is collaboration in action – it is no longer just talk – let’s keep at it, our children deserve it.

 

Continuing down the path of summarizing some of the accomplishments of the last 2 years. I would like to highlight a few “concrete deliverables”.  Since we emphasized “concrete deliverables” from all it is only appropriate that we hold ourselves to those standards. Here we go –

 

1. Getting the community investment plan passed. We worked hard, we worked together, and we all went above and beyond. In the process we got the bond referendum passed and won the national PTA award. But the true award is that we now have the much needed $188M investment going into schools that will be transformational and will last several decades for the current and future Montclair community. We all should be very proud of this.
2. Reflections, a national competition – we were able to put Montclair on the map. We went from “what is it; how do we participate in it” to having two national winners this year. To anyone who is looking for an answer to the question – why do we do this – one look at the kids beaming at the award celebrations where their work was displayed – you will have your answer. We created a lasting memory and who knows, we may even have reinforced their confidence in themselves and added to their resume.
3. When coming out of Covid there was confusion on how to get back in schools and the “mask-mandate” – we conducted a highly effective and timely survey of the families that provided clarity for decisions.
4. We conducted a survey around effective communications that has resulted in several changes that the district adopted. I know we have ways to go, but our survey got it started.
5. We engaged with the district on scheduling, start times, and busing discussions.
6. We jumped up and supported the B&G crew in the recovery efforts from hurricane Ida. We got Montclair restaurants to donate food and our great community did what great communities do – we helped each other out.
7. We ran several town halls and discussion panels covering pre-schools, budgeting 101, transition to middle school, transition to high school, and entering the Elementary Schools.

 

The list of what we have accomplished is much longer, but I wanted to highlight a few to remind ourselves that what we do together has real and lasting impacts.

 

Speaking of impact – we asked each of the school PTAs to provide us with some overall dollar numbers on the PTA support for our teachers and the students. We have consolidated these numbers across our schools and here is what the overall impact looks like –

 

Our PTAs collectively raise, on an average, about $600,000 across the schools every year. About $120,000 of this money is directly contributed to the teachers in the form of grants, teacher appreciation, and special projects. About $350,000 of this money is directly contributed to the students and the community in the form of events, scholarships, and special projects. Remember – all of this is done by volunteers – a truly herculean task that speaks volumes about the volunteers and our community. The dollar amounts represent just one of the ways in which PTAs have an impact. The advocacy and the other efforts that don’t necessarily involve dollars are even more valuable and can’t be measured in dollar terms.

 

As the end of the year approaches, the transition to new PTA Boards also gets underway. The PTAC Board for 2023-25 elected in by all the PTAs is:

 

• Gretchen Devinsky, President
• Linda Kow, VP
• Stacy Ann Greene, VP
• Obie Miranda Woodley, Treasurer
• Shameah Kinch, Secretary

 

Congratulations and thank you for raising your hands and taking this on.

 

July 1 is when this new Board will get started. I am thrilled to be passing the baton to this capable group.

 

It has been a great run and I want to thank a few folks who have been instrumental in making our efforts a success over the last 2 years.

 

I want to thank the BOE, Dr. Ponds, and the central office team. You have always been responsive to us and have attended all our meetings and addressed concerns live during the meetings and after that. We know you have been dealt with a tough hand. So thank you. A special shout out to Nina De Rosa without whom none of this can get done.

 

I want to thank Cathy Kondreck and her team for attending our meetings, working collaboratively with us, and lifting us up by the “above and beyond” contributions to the Reflections program. I know this must not have been easy and we are grateful to you for your responsiveness to us and support.

 

I would also like to thank each and every member of the current and the past PTAC Board – Courtney, Reggie, Yvette, Gretchen, Diane, and of course, Brain who moved on to the BOE but continued with his valuable insights. This is the team that has always engaged in open, honest, respectful, and many a tough discussion. Those discussions and the work together made us a better PTAC.

 

Likewise, I would like to thank each of the PTA Presidents and volunteers with our endless text messages and constant communications. I know each PTA President and volunteer puts in countless thankless hours while managing all other demands on their time while keeping a sane head on their shoulders. They are the frontline where the rubber meets the road. Thank you.

 

Over the last 2 years, working together with all – BOE, District, MEA, and all the other stakeholders in town, has been a stark reminder – we are all in this together. Our individual success is completely tied to our collective success and the only way we can have a real and lasting impact on the lives of the young ones graduating from the Montclair School system is by working together. Future generations will remember not only what we did, but also how we did it.

 

Thank you.

 

 

Good evening. My name is Tessie Thomas and I am the President of the Montclair Council of PTAs (PTAC) an elected body that represents and supports the whole community.

 

Although there is a lot going on, we would like to focus our comments on the budget and where we are today. Much like last year, we are also going to highlight some systemic issues that create our current quandary and are unlikely to go away in the years to come.

 

The last few days have been very upsetting. As the news about 55 staff cuts came through, suddenly the budget process became inexplicable, upsetting, and contentious. While it is true that the budget process forces us to live within our means, and to only approve spending what we have – the real impacts are on the lives of people and their families – at that point it becomes personal and it is no longer about a process or numbers. At that point we are talking about some beloved teachers and paras.

 

This also puts us in a situation where emotions run high and misinformation spreads easily. Battle lines get formed unnecessarily and we forget that we are all in this together. So, I would like to start by reminding everyone what we had asked the Board last year when we were faced with budget cuts –

 

We had made 3 specific recommendations to the Board and the District –

 

1. Principals be involved early and deeply in the process. Early involvement of Principals with guidelines around maintaining confidentiality, given the personnel matters here, would be highly productive.
2. The Montclair Education Association be involved early and have them also be party to the same confidentiality guidelines.
3. The community representatives be involved under the same confidentiality.

 

This year we understand that the first 2 of our recommendations were followed, but the earlier involvement of community representatives didn’t happen – so we are 2 for 3.

 

These recommendations are driven by the desire to come up with better decisions as we believe in transparency and we also believe that no one person or group has a lock on good ideas.

 

I know that there are a lot of upset folks with where we stand today. There are many aspects of the budget and many complexities involved, made worse because there is a deficit, and very upsetting when it is clear that we are dealing with decisions that has significant impacts on people’s lives and their livelihood. The emotions are hard to keep in check and our love for our teachers and the programs for our kids make this very difficult.

 

We would like to provide some context here and highlight the systemic and persistent nature of some of the issues in the budget process. One of the top issues that make the budget structurally very difficult is – the 2% cap on tax levies for schools. The schools, under current state mandates, cannot increase their budget by more than 2% annually. As we know – the contract with Teachers has a 3% raise for teachers in it and before anyone can raise an issue with that – remember we have had one of the worst inflation in recent times that ran almost to double digits in some months. So before we blame anyone – let’s acknowledge the terrible situation we are in – high inflation, teachers who have practically taken a paycut, and revenue ceiling that is mandated. We have a math problem. So in order to bring the budget where we plan to spend only the money we have, it leaves us with no great option. Given that the 2% cap is not going to be breached, costs can be reduced by either reducing number of teachers or programs. This is the terrible reality of our current budget situation.

 

One other thing to point out is that every year the school district is faced with uncertainty on retirements and attrition. I don’t have the exact date, but a teacher can choose to announce their retirement after the budget approval. I can imagine that not every teacher is in a position to make clear plans way ahead of time and may themselves face uncertainty, but this causes the district to go through the disruptive process of RIFs and then rehiring. This is a systemic issue, but one we urge to be an area of focus and solve through some creativity and incentives.

 

So given the points we just covered, it is clear that we have limited dollars and competing demands on how those dollars are spent. It is clear that we want all the amazing programs, we want none of our teachers to lose their jobs, we want our teachers to be well paid given the outsized impact they have on our children, we want it all. The citizens of Montclair will also clearly tell us that we are overburdened by property taxes and that we want lower taxes. So we all want it all, but it is clear for now – we can’t have it all.

 

We understand that budgets are complicated – made even more complicated when we face deficits. Budgets are policy and strategy statements. Budgets show what one values – what our priorities are. Budgets are also the moment of truth as they force us to make decisions and disclose decisions on how to manage plans that need money that we just don’t have. Let’s also acknowledge that Budgets for a Public School are a process of negotiations that plays out in public. We all know how budgets work. Many of us have been involved in budget processes at work or maybe even at home. It plays out typically in patterns that are familiar to us between the budget requester and the budget approver.

 

Budgets also force us to make tradeoffs. We want it all and I know many of us will step up to make the case for our beloved teachers or our beloved programs. I urge us to always do that so that our voices are heard, but I also urge that we take it a step further and highlight what we are willing to give up to have what we want. That would make these comments even more constructive.

 

We highlighted last year some macro factors at play and I will run through them as important context for the current discussion –

 

1. Lower enrollment – we have lower enrollment than in previous years. The audit report shows us that we had 6,659 students in 2019 and that number is 6,048 in 2022 – a loss of 611 students. With the passage of the bond referendum and investing in schools this may get reversed soon, but for now this is the reality.
   1. This leads to not only lower overall needs, but also to…
   2. Disruption in utilization of certificated teachers – some may be left with fewer hours of need in their buildings and may get utilized in ways that doesn’t comport with their qualifications – leads to inefficiencies
2. Inflation has caused costs to go up, so we have a bigger hole in our budget
3. State or federal aid is not going up any time soon and property tax increases impact everyone in the community especially the most vulnerable in the community
4. Fiscal discipline is no longer a buzz word or a matter of choice, but the only way to conduct ourselves
5. On the other hand – we have fantastic educators. Our teachers work hard, go out of their way, and are dedicated to the students. They have their own families and like everyone else, they expect some certainty in their jobs – this is their livelihood!

 

These factors create a high stakes situation ripe for everyone to get riled up.

 

Turning our attention to the tax levies that support our school district. We sent a letter to the town council urging them to revisit both the percentage of overall town budget spent on education as well as the decisions on PILOT generated funds to increase funding for schools. There are likely to be creative paths such as allocation of shared services, or provision of certain services by the town for the schools that could alleviate the spend by schools while meeting the standards of the 2% cap on operating budget. The letter was from Dr. Ponds, BOE President Allison Silverstein, and me. We understand that the MEA is also on board with this request. Together, we plan make these points at the Town Council meeting tomorrow May 16^th at 6 PM. We hope to see many of you there as we are at the “no stone unturned” moment. It is also an opportunity for the Town Council, Board of Education, District Administration, MEA, and PTAC to work together for our children and their future.

 

As pointed out last year, it’s worth repeating – budget outcomes are never close to our worst fears or our most optimistic hopes. Typically, the outcomes land in the middle – we don’t get everything we want, nor do we lose everything that we feared.

 

We are hoping that despite the fiscal limitations summarized in the budget, and the intense on-going discussions between stakeholders, we are able to see through next year viably and without material impacts. It is our expectation that the education programs and offerings don’t get cut and the RIF impacts get reversed materially.

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

Good evening. My name is Tessie Thomas and I am the President of the Montclair Council of PTAs (PTAC) an elected body that represents and supports the whole community.

Congratulations on the $75,000 award for playground upgrades – great to hear that it alleviates some of the taxpayer burden by offsetting the costs associated with the capital spend.

Our first update today is about Reflections – we are working on the celebration slated for 6 PM on May 4 at the Women’s Club. Our fingers are crossed for our state level winners to potentially win at the national level. I would like to acknowledge all the support and contributions from the district and the MEA for Reflections. I keep getting calls from Central Office saying another box showed up. Thanks to the MEA we now have the display hardware we need and fund contributions for the celebration.

On another district wide initiative, as you are aware, Elementary School PTAs are collectively hosting the STEM Fair on April 30th. This Fair is being targeted for all elementary students. The event is slated for April 30 from 3 to 5 PM. Middle and high school students will be volunteering and earning community service awards.

NJPTA LeadCon is coming up this weekend. I am on a panel focused on advocacy where I will be covering the PTAC work on the bond referendum.

As always, we have some updates on the the amazing programs that the PTAs are conducting for the community.

 

CHBullock had a very successful in-person Green Ball fundraiser. They have STEM Fair, CHB Eco Fair, Teacher Appreciation Week, and the Scholastic Book Fair coming up.

 

Edgemont had a successful Talent Show where over 70 students performed. Afterschool enrichment and play practice are ongoing. STEAMPOP, their biggest fundraiser is coming up on April 29.

 

At Nishuane the PTA funded culturally responsive library books, STEAM recess programming as well as art and music for preK classes. They hosted a successful schoolwide playdate and continued after school enrichment programs. Mayfair is slated for May 13.

 

Northeast hosted Soccerthon an All-school, inclusive soccer tournament. They also conducted Liberty Science Center workshops, and talent show. Northeast’s BlueHawks Band performing at the May In Montclair Opening Ceremony at Watchung Plaza. Geography Bee, Dance, and Spring Concerts are coming up.

 

Buzz Aldrin has wrapped up their ASE programs for the year.

 

Glenfield – Congrats to Glenfield for being nominated for 7 Montclair State University Foxy Awards. This award recognizes excellence in Middle School Musicals. The Spring 2022 production of ’13 the Musical’ is what earned the nominations. The Black History Month event, Greenwood at Glenfield, was a huge success. Glenfield held a staff health and wellness day. Spring concert, Talent Show, and 8^th grade graduation are coming up.

 

 

Montclair High School is supporting junior prom, and prepping for the Freshman/Sophomore Dance in May. Teacher appreciation week, a Fun Friday, and the annual Freshman/Sophomore Dance are coming up.

 

These are just a few highlights of the activities across the schools, the actual list is much longer. Hopefully this provides us all a sense of all that is going on in our community and how active and engaged the community is. Also, as always – a big thank you to all the volunteers who put is so much time making this happen – a lot of them behind the scenes. Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Tessie Thomas and I am the President of the Montclair Council of PTAs (PTAC) an elected body that represents and supports the whole community.

Let’s start with some good news tonight. The National PTA has selected the Montclair PTA Council as the winner of the 2023 Local PTA Outstanding Advocacy Award. There are 22,000 PTAs in the US and the Outstanding Local PTA Advocacy of the Year Award is awarded annually to one local, district, council or regional pta. This award is based on the work we did for the Community Investment Bond Referendum. Needless to say this is a direct outcome of the outstanding teamwork and the long hours put in by all the volunteers. Thank you. While much-needed capital investments being made in our schools is rewarding by itself, we are honored and feel privileged to win this advocacy award.

In keeping with the theme of acknowledgement and awards, here is an update on Reflections – last year we had 55 entries from 10 schools. I am happy to report that this year we had a total of 170 entries and all 11 schools participated. The total number of entries that made it from the schools to the Council were 56. And we forwarded 38 entries to the State. Thank you to Gretchen Devinsky, Yvette Frazier, Colleen Dougherty, Allison Task, Stacy Ann Greene, and Diane Tehranian for helping make this happen. A big thank you also to all the teachers, staff and parents who helped make Reflections happen this year. Our fingers are crossed for the submissions and their potential selection at the national level. Now we are working on the Reflections Celebration scheduled for Thursday, May 4.

Continuing with the theme of Awards – Josh Weston has brought back the teacher awards in memory of his wife Judy Weston. We are thrilled that the outstanding teachers will be recognized once again. As many of you know these are cash awards given to teachers as nominated and supported by parents and caregivers. MFEE is administering the awards and the Award Ceremony is being planned for Thursday, June 1.

Moving on to School Tours – Thank you to everyone who helped with the School Tours. Our estimate is more than 600 families attended the tours and more than 100 tour guides showed incoming families around the schools. As you know, in parallel every year we organize an MPS 101 Transition series for incoming families. This year the Transition to Middle School is scheduled for 7 pm (tomorrow), February 23 at Glenfield. The panel discussion by students, staff and parents from each middle school will be followed by Q&A. The MPS 101 – Transition to Elementary Schools is being planned for Thursday, March 9. That would be over Zoom and so far we have PTA Presidents and Dr. Ponds on the panel.

Next, I would like to highlight a few of the outstanding work PTAs are doing at the various schools.

 CHBullock is getting ready for their Green Ball. In addition they also have the Talent Show, Family Fun Dance, a poet artist in residence, ZuZu African Dancers and a family ice skating event coming up.

 Edgemont celebrated MLK Day, by leading an intergenerational storytelling experience with Montclair Gateway where students heard stories from seniors about the civil rights movement. They had a family night where parents got to experience Restorative Justice. Their ongoing work includes a number of Black History Month activities, talent show, launching enrichment registration and more.

 Hillside had a successful Winter session enrollment in their ASE program. Their Spring events include – Science Day, Talent show, International Night, 5th grade picnic and 5th grade yearbook.

 Nishuane successfully hosted a Caregivers Night Out to celebrate current volunteers and recruit new ones – with about 50 attendees. The Family Dance was a success and the PTA gave Valentine’s treats to the staff. Now they are preparing for Mayfair.

 Upcoming events at Northeast include – In-school Digital Citizenship seminar, Read Across America, Soccerthon, Talent Show, Geography Bee, School Dance, School Picnic, and Field Day.

 Watchung successfully conducted their Winter Concerts which were well attended. Their Black History Month celebration includes an assembly by the Pushcart Players. Other upcoming events  include ASE, Read-A-Thon, and Casino Night PTA Fundraiser.

 Buzz Aldrin held an all-school assembly/presentation of “Joe’s Violin” with a Q&A with the filmmakers and discussions in homerooms. They also held their Casino Night fundraiser. Upcoming events include ice skating party, Trivia Night and CPR classes.

Glenfield students volunteered their time to assist Hillside School coordinate the Blessing Bags collection initiative on MLK Day. The new ASE Explorers program is launched. The PTA had Valentine’s Day Cookie Party event for the staff. Upcoming events include – Ice Skating Fundraiser and Talent Show.

Renaissance PTA sponsored an author visit with NYC author Willie Mae Brown who read from her YA book based on her experiences growing up in Selma, AL, during the Civil Rights movement. Upcoming events include – Book Fair, Read Across America Day and Restorative Justice Family Night.

MHS held a Restorative Justice circle for parents to experience the practice, hosted a Chipotle fundraiser, and supported a school pep rally. For Black History Month, MHS spotlighted prominent or little-known African-Americans who have influenced MHS. The annual African-American Achievement Dinner is tomorrow February 23^rd and the entire community is invited.

I am filled with gratitude with this list of all the work that the PTA volunteers are conducting. Many a thankless hours go into making all this possible. So, it is only appropriate to celebrate this work and offer a big thank you to all.

Thank you!

Happy New Year! My name is Tessie Thomas and I am the President of the Montclair Council of PTAs (PTAC) an elected body that represents and supports the whole community.

 

We are going to hold off on comments and updates till the next meeting. In the meantime though, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our 3 newly elected BOE members – Yvonne Booknight, Brian Fleischer, and Monk Inyang. Thank you for taking this on. Also, Congratulations to our newly elected Board President Ms. Alison Silverstein and Board Vice President Ms. Crystal Hopkins!

 

We ended 2022 with a bang and look forward to a promising 2023!

 

Good evening. My name is Tessie Thomas and I am the President of the Montclair Council of PTAs (PTAC) an elected body that represents and supports the whole community.

 

What a year it has been – 2022 has its ups and downs and I am glad to observe that we have had more ups than downs! At the last BOE meeting, the official results of the elections had not been announced. I would like to congratulate and welcome the three newly elected BOE members – Yvonne Bouknight, Brian Fleischer, and Monk Inyang. You raised your hands, went through the elections, and are going to be on the Board now. You did this knowing fully well that these are unpaid volunteer positions with long hours. You did it because you care about this community deeply, you care about our children, you care about education…..and for that we are grateful as well as thrilled at the storied resumes that you bring to the Board to continue addressing issues that have an outsized impact on the future of our community and the world at large.

 

As we heard, tonight also marks the end of the term for Board President Latifah Jannah and Vice President Priscilla Church.

 

As I said a couple of months back, in this role, I have worked very closely with the Board and have learnt that the Board members are driven to do right by us. These fellow Montclair citizens put in long unseen hours, go through pages and pages of documents and ask incisive questions. This is a group that is often called to stick their necks out and make decisions that are not necessarily popular. Ms. Jannah and Ms. Church – you both, in your own way, exemplify this leadership. You have put in the hours and have shown mettle in tough times.

 

Ms. Jannah – you have been a true leader who has consistently remained unfazed at so many difficult issues that were thrown at the Board. In keeping with the public nature of the work here, some of these difficult issues happened live and you, Ms. Jannah, would step in with your calm demeanor and lay out an even keeled approach that would allow progress in a fair manner. That sounds easy as I say it, it is the highest form of leadership when one practices it and Ms. Jannah – you practiced and guided us all, through true leadership. Your years of experience in the school district and your stewardship will be missed. Also, we are convinced that you must have a few clones in Montclair. How else is it possible for you to be seen at every community event. You made sure that the Board was represented. Staying closely connected with the community was clearly a priority for you. Thank you for giving back to the community – we are so grateful! We wish you the best with all your free time now…

 

Ms. Church – your decades of experience as an educator and a leader provided invaluable contributions to the Bond Referendum effort among other things. Your evaluations and insights were straight from the perspective of a child’s education and development – and it served as a constant reminder of why we do any of this. Ms. Church – you are the strongest representation of the “Cause” – the reason we all put in the time and effort. You care deeply about the children and preparing them well for the 21^st century. That unrelenting focus inspired us all. Whenever there was scope creep or any diffusion of focus, you brought us back and reminded us what was important. You personify the Board member driven by the singular focus to do what is right and communicate it even when it is not the popular thing to do. Thank you for all that you have done for the community and we wish you also the best with all your free time!

 

 

Switching channels to the exciting program being conducted by the PTAs at every school – Reflections! PTAC conducted this program for the very first time in Montclair last year. This year’s theme is “Show Your Voice” and the entries are coming in fast. There is just one week left for anyone who is planning to send in artwork. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, December 18. Students can drop off work and artist statements to their respective teacher at school in person or via email in any of the six categories – visual arts, photography, music composition, literature, film production and dance choreography – Entries are reviewed at the local PTA level, the PTA council level, the NJ state level and finally at the National PTA level. Just like we did last year, all winners and participants will be celebrated at the Montclair PTA Council’s Reflections Celebrations on May 4, 2023.

 

Lastly, on behalf of PTAC, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful time with your loved ones as you close out the year, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.

 

Onwards and upwards…

 

Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Tessie Thomas and I am the President of the Montclair Council of PTAs (PTAC) an elected body that represents and supports the whole community.

Tonight, I would like to start with the passage of the bond referendum! It is clear that the bond referendum passed with overwhelming support from the Montclair community – 84% of the voters voted yes for the Community Investment Bond referendum. If there ever was a question about Montclair, this vote provided the answer. Our community made it clear with our vote – what we value, what our culture is, and how to make smart decisions. We decided to snap out of the unsustainable thesis that quality of schools doesn’t have an impact on the quality of the town. One of the things of note here is that we are in times of high inflation and at the brink of a recession. Yet the vote was passed with overwhelming support and the community believes that this is important for the future and it’s about time. It is also noteworthy that overwhelming support was across the board – in each ward and within each district. This is not a vote that a certain part of the town supported. This is meaningful as it is a serious decision for many that may be in a position where the tax increases related to this bond referendum are not an easy accommodation. There are many who are managing on fixed income. In the end – our community came through and did right by our children and our town. Our community prioritized our children, our staff, and the future of Montclair!

What the bond passage also means is that the community has entrusted the district and the board to execute this massive project with professionalism and without any waste. We are pleased with the plans that the district is developing where transparency and integrity is at the heart of every decision related to project execution.

I would also like to give a shout out to the many volunteers who stepped up and put in long hours. These dedicated volunteers gave it their all. As many of you have heard, we believed in the community and focused on getting the information out. We went from focusing on summarizing all information, to getting the information out, to getting the vote out. You have heard about the website, the tax calculator, the lawn signs, the stands at the Farmers market and other events, the coffee klatches, the town halls, the video testimonials, the door-to-door volunteers for sharing information and getting the vote out and the Election Day volunteers. There are many instances of volunteers stepping up and going above and beyond. Let me share one anecdote that I feel captures the effort succinctly. In the last two weeks we had volunteers going door to door with voter lists in their hands. There were a lot of folks who took this on. They were sending us feedback from the field on how things were going and if there were unanswered questions and/or any unresolved issue. One afternoon, I got an email from a volunteer who said that she had been at it from the morning and was now planning to stop as she was exhausted as she was very pregnant. Her 14 month old toddler who accompanied her on this door-to-door campaign was also exhausted. We had no idea that she had taken this task on in her very pregnant state. But she did as she saw this referendum as incredibly important for the future. Her commitment and dedication was truly inspirational. There are so many of these stories…these serve as a strong reminder of what was at stake and the incredible community that we live in. There are so many names and tasks that went into getting this information out. The list is long and there are many who fit the “unsung heroes” moniker perfectly. Thank you. We will be listing them on our website shortly. I would also like to thank the district and the board for your leadership in creating this plan and putting it in front of the community. Thank you.

 

Switching channels to an exciting program being conducted by the PTAs at every school – Reflections! PTAC conducted this program for the very first time in Montclair last year. As you may recall, Reflections is our way to give all students an opportunity to express themselves in the medium of their choice. Reflections is a national competition where students in their respective age groups submit their works of art. This year’s theme is “Show Your Voice” and we are opening it up to three more categories of art. We are proud to continue our collaboration on this effort with the Montclair Education Association and the District. In fact, I would like to give a special shout out to the MEA as they stepped up their support this year by including Reflections in one of the grant applications. Thank you, Cathy Kondreck, for this invaluable support.

 

With this extraordinary support and collaboration, Reflections this year is a bigger and better program with deeper reach in each school. There are specific teachers designated in each school to be point for the program in addition to the PTA liaison for each school. This year students are participating in six categories – visual arts, photography, music composition, literature, film production and dance choreography – in their respective age groups.

 

Students can drop off work AND artist statements to their respective teacher at school in person or via email.

 

Entries are reviewed at local level (school), council level (all Montclair schools), state level (NJ State PTA), and National PTA level. Much like last year, all winners and participants will be celebrated at the Montclair Reflections Celebrations in May 2023.

 

Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Tessie Thomas and I am the President of the Montclair Council of PTAs (PTAC) an elected body that represents and supports the whole community.

Tonight, I would like to start with the administrative lapses around the Montclair High School football program resulting in the decision by the NJ State Interscholastic Athletic Association to end the season for our Football team. Needless to say, this is hugely upsetting and unacceptable. Football is core to the Montclair community and the team was having one of its best seasons. They worked hard and the results showed. Most importantly the upset and the disappointment of our young players was heart breaking to see. It was good to hear Dr. Ponds’ report. We strongly urge you to conduct a full investigation of this matter and put in place safeguards that this will never happen again for any sport. Montclair is known for its academics, but also for the amazing extra-curricular programs including high performing sports programs.

One of the big takeaways here is that – “when adults mess up – children suffer and pay for it”. In keeping with that, on November 8, we adults have an opportunity to not mess up for our children and our community. I cannot stress enough how consequential this Community Investment Bond Referendum is for our children, our staff, and our community as a whole. Living in a cool town with a crumbling school infrastructure is in a lot of ways jarring! We can spend time focusing on who to blame or firing the messenger or alternatively we can evaluate and support the plan and ensure that we turn this around to where the crumbling school infrastructure is fixed and brought to safety, compliance, and in keeping with 21^st century needs of education.

We seem to have overwhelming support for the referendum in town – a harmonious consensus in an otherwise frequently testy environment. It seems that there now is a common understanding on the need to do this and do it now. One question that is being raised more recently is on project execution. In response, I would like to share that it is our understanding there are very specific compliance guidelines that have to be followed in procurement and project execution. We also know that you, the BOE made up of our fellow citizens have strong oversight over this process and will hold the district’s feet to the fire. And to highlight an important point – Montclair voted to switch to an elected BOE in November 2021 and this work has nothing to do with the Town Council and is also unrelated to the issues at or the track record of the Town Council.

The other question that is still raised is about the tax impact. Yes, the tax impact is about $732 per year average over 24 years for an average Montclair home assessed at $629K. Assessed value – not market value. So yes, this is a tax increase, but these repairs are not going away. We can pay for it in a planned and predictable manner or pay for it unpredictably without a choice. In a catastrophic situation, it is likely that the costs will be higher and lastly – we may have missed the 31% discount from the state. In fact, the situation doesn’t have to be catastrophic – it could be something as simple as a school not having heat in the winter and having to bus kids to different schools. The cost of such disruptions can climb rapidly. Nobody likes tax increases, but this plan clearly minimizes the tax increase and avoids cost increases or worse accidents that can cause irreparable damage.

There are 4 points at the heart of this effort –

1. Reduce risks and liabilities posed by crumbling infrastructure
2. Preserve and enhance property values – strong schools = strong community
3. Minimize unpredictable tax hikes. Unplanned repairs cost more.
4. Lock in $58M debt service support from New Jersey state.

These are our schools and they have an outsized impact on us as a community. We seem to have become comfortable in the notion that the quality of our schools has no impact on the town. That is not a sustainable thesis. The decision we make here will reflect on who we are as a community, what we value, and what is the culture of our town. It will also reflect on how we think in terms of dollars and cents. Our close evaluation of this plan from every angle has resulted in our strong support to vote yes on the referendum. We hope that you reach the same conclusion.

Finally, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge some of the recent news and updates related to the school system. I want to draw a distinction between these current issues and what the bond referendum represents. The Community Investment Bond referendum is a long-term investment in the Montclair Public Schools and the dollars stay in Montclair. You can see the physical outcomes in the form of new boilers, roofs, windows, and fixes to the infrastructure that will be here for decades. The referendum is not a personality contest and as you go into the voting booth let the noise drown out and remember the children. We have the future Buzz Aldrin, Joe Walsh, Christina Ricci, John C. Whitehead, Aubrey Lewis, Leonard Coleman and the many other high achievers in the Montclair schools right now. These are children who need to be sent into the world prepared for the 21^st century. We, the adults, now have an opportunity to do right by the children.

Let’s go out and vote. Voter apathy is one of the major reasons that explains some of the unreasonable outcomes on election day. So please – Go out and VOTE and ask your Montclair friends and neighbors to do the same.

Thank you.