I am proud to offer my endorsement and support for Gina Verdibello (2I) and Lekendrick Shaw (3I) of the Education Matters team. The pandemic has called for strong and compassionate leadership and our schools and our youth need board members that know what works to guide us through these challenging times. In the time that I have known Gina Verdibello, she has been a visible and vocal parent advocate in my ward and throughout Jersey City. I can personally attest to her unwavering commitment to the children of Jersey City, both on and off the board, from working to improve school lunches to implementing a pilot program to re-institute cursive writing classes in our schools. Lekendrick Shaw is a product of our city’s public school system and a young entrepreneur. He works to help our youth and worked tirelessly to recruit our young people for the County’s Summer Youth Employment Program. I believe Gina Verdibello and LeKendrick Shaw will continue to work hard to ensure equity and quality in the education of all our children, and will advocate for students, parents and staff of the Jersey City Public Schools. ”