SMART SCHOOLS CANDIDATES AND LABROSSE TEAM BACK SCHOOL BUDGET

AND REALLOCATING FUNDS TO BUY NEW BOILER FOR HILLERS SCHOOL

All three Hackensack Smart Schools candidates running in Tuesday’s Board of Education election say they will be voting Yes on the school budget – but also want $2 million taken from “new construction” funds to pay for a new Boiler for the Fanny Hillers elementary school.

“If we don’t move fast and purchase a new boiler now, it will be another long cold winter for the children and staff at Hillers School,” said Lara Rodriguez, BOE President. Rodriguez is running with Michael Scott James-Vickery and Ira Goodman on the Smart Schools ticket.

“We are supporting the budget but our first order of business when we win on Tuesday will be to take the $2 million intended for new construction and use it to buy that Hillers School Boiler and address other urgent safety needs,” said James-Vickery.

At last night’s City Council Meeting, Deputy Mayor Kathy Canestrino, who chaired the meeting because Mayor John Labrosse was ill, said that she and the rest of the Labrosse Team will also vote Yes on the school budget.  “We really have a lot of confidence in these Smart Schools candidates because they share our determination to renovate our existing schools immediately and conduct a real Needs Assessment before considering any new construction. This is why almost 80% of the voters rejected the $170 million referendum on January 22.”

Acting School Superintendent Rosemary Marks previously said that the Hillers boiler would have to wait until another referendum is passed – a position backed by Board Vice President Timothy Hoffman and his “For Hackensack’s Future” slate.  Hoffman was one of the failed referendum’s strongest supporters earlier and is committed to another referendum with funding for new school construction.

“Hoffman and the Board Majority are effectively holding the Hillers School hostage until they can get their $100 Million new school,” said Goodman.  “This is political extortion and another example of their arrogance and disdain for the taxpayer. We support Smart School spending and renovating and upgrading our current schools immedia