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3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes
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Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET
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By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 24, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET
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A three-faction race next week could dramatically reshape Jersey City’s long-troubled school board as the city faces eye-popping tax hikes from a school system beset by shrinking state aid, low test scores and questionable spending practices.
The three slates of candidates are competing for four seats on the nine-member board. If any single slate sweeps the election, it will likely become the dominant voting bloc for a governing body that is responsible for a $1 billion budget and roughly 26,000 students in a district still settling into full independence after 33 years of state control ended in 2022.
School board elections in Jersey City have been dominated in recent years by slates of candidates backed by the local teacher’s union, the Jersey City Education Association. But the “Education Matters” slate the union backed last time has drawn intense criticism from parents, local leaders and students around the arrest of a parent who spoke at a public meeting — and concerns the incumbents are not acting as a serious check on district leadership. The union backed a different team this time: “Leadership That Listens,” which promises to more closely scrutinize school spending.
And long-simmering dissatisfaction with the union and its leadership among parents and city leaders has given rise to an outsider slate called “For Stronger Schools.” It includes outspoken community advocates and a former board member. The group has garnered support from progressives in Jersey City who are becoming an increasingly influential voting bloc in local elections. Members of For Stronger Schools say they'll push for accountability in a district that made criminal referrals over its special education program, and just approved a five-year contract that makes its superintendent the highest-paid in the state.
There are three seats open on the board this year with full, three-year terms. There’s also a race for a one-year term seat to fill the vacancy left by former board member Matt Schneider’s resignation earlier this year.
The incumbents: Education Matters
The three incumbents seeking re-election this year — board Vice President Dejon Morris and members Alpa Patel and George Blount — are running on the Education Matters slate. They’re joined by Vanessa Rodriguez, who is seeking the one-year term.
Morris, Patel and Blount are each finishing their first terms after having been elected in 2023. Morris has become an influential member of the board, serving as its president in his first year and continuing as vice president since. This year the board approved a $1.1 billion budget that included a roughly 14% tax hike, and extended Superintendent Norma Fernandez’s contract, which made her the highest paid superintendent in the state.
Morris said re-electing the incumbents would ensure continuity in district operations and continue its momentum. He touted the district’s ban on cellphones in class, which the board approved a year before New Jersey law created a statewide ban, and facility upgrades in school buildings as major accomplishments during his first term.
But Morris has also been among the most polarizing leaders of the board since the district came out from under state control.
Ron Greco, president of the Jersey City Education Association, said the union dropped its support of Morris and the incumbent slate over issues including bickering among board members, and meetings he likened to “a kangaroo court.” He cited Morris’ behavior in particular as “disgraceful.”
Greco said the final straw for the union came in May, when Emily Pecot, the mother of a special needs student, was arrested at a board meeting. Pecot had spoken out against the board’s treatment of parents, but reportedly followed the public comment time limit. Body camera footage obtained first by Hudson County View shows Pecot later sitting quietly in the audience as police and district staff ask her to leave. Morris is heard saying that Pecot could be charged if she refused to leave. Pecot was handcuffed, arrested and charged with defiant trespass, but the charges against her were later dropped.
Morris defended his conduct at meetings: “ We were basically trying to make sure that the crowd understood that while you're allowed to voice your opinion based on your freedom of speech constitutional right, that we also have rules and regulations on how a meeting is conducted.”
If he is re-elected, Morris said his top priority would be working with city leaders and the Hudson County delegation in the State House to secure more state funding for the district.
Patel, who works in the Medicaid office of the Hudson County Department of Family Services and Reintegration, said she’s been proud of the district’s dual-enrollment program, which allows high school students to earn college credits or even associate degrees. She said she’d push to expand that program in a second term. She argued that the board during her first term navigated financial challenges while avoiding closing schools and still managing to fill important teacher and staff roles. She said she hopes voters recognize that effort.
“ Despite all these personality differences among people, the board came through very challenging times,” Patel said. “And that has to be given a big credit.”
Patel said she and Blount tend to keep their thoughts to themselves at meetings. But “just because we're not vocal doesn't mean that we're not doing anything,” she said.
But Greco said Blount and Patel’s reserved personalities have disappointed the union.
“You have to speak up at these meetings,” Greco said. “You have to question authority, you have to question the superintendent, you have to press the business administrator for answers.”
Rodriguez, the only non-incumbent on the Education Matters slate, works in the city’s construction code enforcement office and serves on the board of Team Wilderness, a nonprofit that offers outdoor and wilderness educational programs for Hudson County students. She said she is running for a seat on the board to hold district leadership accountable, and to help advocate for more state aid for Jersey City schools.
“Jersey City may look wealthy on paper, but that picture does not reflect the poverty and financial hardship many families experience,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
City Councilmember Frank Gilmore has endorsed Rodriguez, citing her experience as a community activist advocating for local parks. Gilmore said he doesn’t believe in endorsing full slates, and he has withheld support for Morris, Patel and Blount.
Leadership That Listens
The union is instead backing the Leadership That Listens slate, featuring Videsh Bahadur, Fernando Garcia and Julietta Vogt seeking the full-term seats along with Zebedayo Masongo seeking the one-year term.
Vogt is the former chief of staff for Hudson County Executive Craig Guy and a former board member for the Hudson County Schools of Technology. Bahadur was a long-time administrator at Kean Jersey City (formerly New Jersey City University.) Garcia is a community activist in the Heights neighborhood and a former city council candidate. Masongo is an attorney in private practice, who previously worked for the state attorney general’s office.
Leadership That Listens did not make its candidates available to Gothamist, but it is functionally the Hudson County-backed slate. The county party’s influence has diminished significantly from its heyday and was routed in last year’s municipal elections.
In social media posts, the slate said it wants to expand student opportunities, with a focus on career development programs, and family engagement in the district. The slate also wants to boost transparency for spending decisions while holding district leadership accountable.
Greco praised the diversity of candidates, lauding Vogt’s political connections, Bahadur’s administrative and workforce development experience, Garcia’s educational experience and community connections and Masongo’s legal expertise. He said they would collectively bring a robust skill set to the board.
For Stronger Schools
The For Stronger Schools slate features Jessica Taube, Danielle Walker and Chloe Williams seeking full-term seats and Gina Verdibello running for the one-year term and has the backing of local progressives. The slate is emphasizing its desire for more scrutiny of district spending, greater accountability for district leaders and a need to change the district’s current trajectory.
Jersey City Public Schools’ special education program is a major point of concern. Walker, a project manager for the city’s Golden Neighborhoods Homeownership Program, said one of her priorities is ensuring that the district’s special education needs are fully met.
The district recently audited the special education program for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years. The final report of that audit has not been made public, but district officials summarized the findings at a June meeting and said criminal referrals had been made after auditors found evidence of possible malfeasance.
“ I think that there's smoke there” Walker said. “ We haven't had the proper audit. We want to go in and make sure that they are providing services to the students who receive specialized services properly.”
Taube is a social worker who previously served as a community school director in New York City. She said she’s concerned by the district’s test scores and literacy rates, and wants to work with Fernandez, the superintendent, to improve student achievement.
“The district will tell you, ‘Well, we have a lot of kids in poverty. We have a lot of English language learners,’ which is true. However, those children have potential and they can learn,” Taube said. “So if they're not scoring well enough on those tests, we have to zoom out and look at why.”
Williams works in staff development and program management. She said she wanted to improve teacher pay in Jersey City.
“ Our students spend so much time with them during the day. They should be compensated appropriately,” Williams said. “It shouldn't be so top-heavy where they're lacking and then they can't afford to live in the city where they're teaching.”
Verdibello, who is a development director for a nursing facility in Jersey City, previously served on the school board. She said that would mean a smooth transition if elected and she’s focused on improving the district’s physical infrastructure.
“ I started running back then because of facilities, and the lack of facilities, and it's still bad,” Verdibello said. “ When I was there I was pushing hard. But after I left it started kind of going back to the same old same old.”
All four said they would prioritize using their seats on the board to hold district leadership accountable for responsible spending and student success.
Three candidates under the For Stronger Schools banner have been elected to the board in the past two years. Two of them, Tia Rezebala and Lorenzo Richardson, are still serving. so if the slate sweeps the election this year, they’ll control a majority of the board. Taube said that would be an opportunity to collaborate with the public more and to change the climate of the board
Katie Brennan, one of the progressive Democrats representing Jersey City in the state Legislature, has endorsed For Stronger Schools. Brennan said she valued the slate’s independence from the local political establishment.
“These are parents and community advocates who have been to board meeting after board meeting to ask tough questions and demand real transparency,” Brennan said in a statement.
The For Stronger Schools slate is also endorsed by City Councilmember Eleana Little, who described its four candidates as independent and active community members with a track record of advocating for students.
Taube, Walker and Williams have also been endorsed by Gilmore, the councilmember who’s backing Rodriguez of Education Matters for the vacated seat.
Mayor James Solomon told Gothamist he has not yet decided which slate or candidates he might endorse, but said he is concerned that the district appears to be trending toward more expensive operations with worse student outcomes.
He did make it clear he thought the Morris and the Education Matters slate had to go.
“ The incumbent slate will not get my vote,” he said.
Tagged
Politics
education
new jersey
Michael Sol Warren
Michael Sol Warren covers New Jersey for WNYC and Gothamist, and previously reported on issues around the Garden State for NJ Spotlight News and NJ Advance Media. He can be reached at [email protected].
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