Cogelja, Powell & Velez Announce Campaign for Hackensack Board of Education

‘Putting Our Kids First’ Team Aims to

Take Politics Out of City Schools

HACKENSACK, N.J. — The “Putting Our Kids First” Board of Education slate of Frances Cogelja, Lance Powell and Carlos Velez are announcing their campaign in the city’s upcoming April 17 school board election. Comprised of longtime city residents who are committed to improving public education in Hackensack, the team’s primary goal is to take politics out of local schools so that the district will better reflect the needs of students, parents and the community, not of the Zisa family political machine that has dominated the school district for decades.

“As a former PTA president and active public school parent, I cannot sit by and watch our schools continue to be led by the same group that has continually put politics ahead of the needs of our children,” said Frances Cogelja. “The Putting Kids First team is running to bring the change we need to our local schools and help them better serve all of our children.”

Frances Cogelja is a proud, dedicated and committed mother of two children. Her oldest son graduated from Hackensack High School in 2015 and daughter is a sixth grader at Hackensack Middle School. She was PTA President at Hillers School and an active PTA member at Fairmount School and she understands that when parents get involved kids do better in school. A first generation American and a Hackensack resident for 22 years, Cogelja earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Psychology from Rutgers University. She is an active parishioner, faith formation teacher and Lector at St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church.

“Our students deserve a Board of Education that prioritizes their education above everything else, and sadly that has not been the case under the current Board,” said Lance Powell. “All children deserve a pathway to being successful and as a Board trustee I will make it my only focus to make sure our schools are living up to that promise.”

A native of Jamaica, Lance Powell is a strong advocate for quality education and has been an educator of excellence for 23 years in elementary and proprietary schools. He has worked on developing curriculum and spear heading new programs for Proprietary Education, as a Medical Instructor and Patient Care Technician. Powell understands the important role that a board member plays in overseeing the proper functioning of schools while setting policies that will ultimately affect the well-being of children. His love for all types of sports will help in supporting sportsmanship as a key factor to teamwork building and leadership.

“As an educator myself, I can see exactly what our schools need in order to succeed and it’s clear that the current leadership of the Board of Education is unwilling or unable to provide it,” said Carlos Velez. “Our team is running to change the direction of our schools, support our teachers, improve our test scores and make sure our students are prepared for college and careers.”

Carlos Velez is the Elementary Principal at School 291 in Bronx, New York. He has spent 20 years of his professional life assisting and supporting students, parents and academic staff to develop a professional learning community. He has earned masters degrees in Science, Supervision and Administration and in Arts, Government and Politics. A Hackensack resident for the last 15 years, Velez’s deep understanding of pubic education will be an asset to the Board of Education.

The “Putting Our Kids First” team will be filing nominating petitions on Monday in order to officially qualify for ballot placement, and they are already working to meet parents and other city residents and discuss their plans for Hackensack schools.

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