New 2011 edition of PEF's Voters' Guide!

2011 Paterson School Board Commissioner

Congratulations to newly elected Commissioner Chrystal Cleaves and to re-elected

Commissioners Guzman and Hodges

Chrystal Cleaves, 812 East 24^th Street. Home phone: 973-742-0744.Email: chrystal4paterson@gmail.com.

Employment: Length of residence in Paterson: 46 years. Education: B.S. Business Administration from Voorhees College, Denmark, S.C. Family: Theresa and Laymon Cleaves (parents). Rhonda Cleaves–Thompson, Penny and Laymon Cleaves (siblings), Ivy Cleaves-Clarke (daughter), Kenadie Clarke (granddaughter), Chandelle J. Clarke (son-in-law). Past and Current Involvement in the Paterson Public Schools: ONTRACK tutorial program hld at public school #6. Ivy Reading AKAdemy held at Paterson Urban School for Leadership. Literacy for Lads reading program for boys 3^rd thru 8^th grades. Elementary education from Public School #6 , School #24 Graduate class of 1979. Civic Involvements: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (PiXi Omega Chapter-Passaic County-Past President).Number of Board meetings attended in the last 6 months: 3(three). Three major issues: 1. Student Achievement: Our children have what it takes to be great academic achievers. Preparing our students through the use of differentiated instruction and assessing their performance, can address their individual needs of learning. We need to provide afterschool programs that are accountable and can show results. 2. Creating a Safe Environment for learning and teaching: Everyone that walks into our school buildings ought to feel safe and secure. Old out-dated buildings and over crowded schools and classrooms, give off negative energy. It is difficult for anyone to teach or be taught in this type of atmosphere. 3. Community and School involvement: All members of the community need to come together in support of educating and encouraging our students. It is crucial that the parents and the community engage together in making this academic journey successful for our students.

Wendy Guzman, 11 Pennington Street. Home phone: 973-851-0766. Email: wendy@wendyguzman.com Employment: Senior Bilingual Clerk of the Training Division at Paterson Fire Department. Length of residence in Paterson: Born and Raised in Paterson; 29 years. Education: Public Schools #21 & #15;Passaic County Technical Institute; Bergen Community College and Ramapo College.. Family: Married with 1 (one) daughter . Past and Current Involvement in the Paterson Public Schools: My daughter is enrolled in pre-school & I make sure I attend all of the events & meetings held at her school; Commissioner on the Paterson Board of Education for the past 3 years; currently the Vice-President on the board. Served as part of Superintendent Search Committee,2008; served on multiple sub-committees of the board of education: NJQSAC Committee, Parental Involvement Committee, Legal Committee, Policy Committee, Fiscal Committee and Personnel Committee. Civic Involvements: Sociedad Pro-Desarollo de Ranchete, DOPOR (Dominican Political Representation), NALEO (National American Latino Elected Officials), DAEOCNJ (Dominican-American Elected Officials Caucus of NJ), Silk City Women’s Club, and Paterson Scholarship Fund. Number of Board meeting attended in the last six months: I have attended every workshop and regular meeting. Three major issues: (1) Increase Graduation Rates. This district is graduating less than 60% of the students that enter high school their freshman year and that is unacceptable. Our children are our future. They are talented and we need to help and guide them towards the right direction and not loose them to the streets. (2) We need to increase academic standards on Early Childhood Education. Our children graduating from 8^th grade are reading 3 and 4 years BEHIND their grade level. The way to change that is to place more academic rigor on early childhood since it’s the age and grade level where our children absorb most of their learning. (3) Increase Parental Involvement is a KEY factor needed in our district. Education begins at home and parents need to get more involved with what is happening in our children’s schools in order to be able to assist their children with the help they need.

Jonathan Hodges, 32 Overlook Avenue. Home phone: 973-333-5182. Employment: Emergency Room Physician (11) years: semi-retired. Length of residence in Paterson: 23 years. Education: High School graduate, bachelors degree in biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Doctor of Medicine: Wake Forest University, Residency in the Specialty of Family Practice: St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. Past and Current Involvement in the Paterson Public schools: Guest lecturer, Community member of school Management Team, Long Range Facilities committee, School Board member (9 years), School Board President twice, Chair of Facilities committee (currently) Editor of initial Board Newsletter (The Graduate). Civic Involvements: YMCA Board Member; St. Paul’s CDC Board Member; Former PEF Board Member; Former member of the Editorial Board of the Herald News; Former Herald News’ Cityscape’s Blogger; Former Columnist for Urban News; Columnist for the Passaic County Pulse; Producer and creator of the Urban Blackboard TV program; Democratic County Committee (current).Number of Board meeting attended in the last six months: ALL of them. Three major issues: 1. Declining academic performance: The most important issue facing the school board as it struggles to throw off the yoke of state control, is the academic performance of Paterson’s children. More rigor must be imparted to the curriculum and greater attention must be direct to making our children more effective students. 2. Restructuring of our schools: A new philosophical approach needs to be defined and implemented. Our elementary schools, especially the more challenged ones, need to institute a different educational system, one that supports academic success and challenges students early and ensures that they do not progress in grade without the requisite skills. 3. Upgrading Facilities: The district has to develop a comprehensive plan that addresses the very significant facility issues we face, irrespective of what the SDA is prepared to do. That means crafting innovative approaches that may stretch the bounds of what is currently deemed permissible.