What's Wrong With This Picture?
editorial by Jim Gerrish

03/10/18 - If you work for the city of East Orange, there is nothing wrong with this picture. If you work in the East Orange school system, there is nothing wrong with this picture. But if you pay taxes to East Orange, including taxes that pay for the schools that the city likes to pretend are separate from property taxes, but aren't, then this little celebration, that was held in the city of Orange (because East Orange never celebrates in the city of East Orange) on February 21st, without advance notice and with no fan-fare (notice the small number of people that showed up for it) and which was just announced on March 10th by the fake news media "The Alternative Press" or TAP, which only publishes good news and rarely tells the truth, then you ought to be able to see what is wrong here.

In case you missed the story (which was intended by both the City and the School system who have not mentioned it) you can read it at the source and see more photos of this embarrassing event.

The bare facts are: The East Orange Educational Association FAST Committee held an Annual "Keepers of the Dream" awards dinner at Bella Italia Restaurant in Orange, February 21, 2018. This year’s honorees were the East Orange Public Library, Dr. Kenneth King, the Family of Priscilla “Penny” Burke and the Men of Essex organization. Each was selected for a contribution toward educational excellence to the students, faculty and families that attend and populate the East Orange School District.

Let's examine that educational "excellence" that you pay for and that is being celebrated in the above photo.

School Year 2012-13

Complete Report: http://www.nj.gov/education/pr/1213/13/131210035.pdf

School Year 2013-14

Complete Report: http://www.nj.gov/education/pr/1314/13/131210035.pdf

School Year 2014-15

Complete Report: http://www.nj.gov/education/pr/1415/13/131210035.pdf

School Year 2015-16

Complete Report: 2015-16

Now the State Report gets tricky- They change the format of reporting so it is more difficult to compare results from year to year.

School Year 2016-17

Complete Report: 2016-17

Yet another change of format so it is more difficult to compare results from year to year.

Just as a "benchmark" I went back to 2012 because recently elected Third Ward Councilman Bergson Leneus was appointed to the School Board in that year. He ran on a campaign promise of "Increasing overall academic achievement" even though all those years spent on the Board of Education seemed to have accomplished nothing.

When the East Orange Educational Association Half-FAST Committee was planning their annual awards ceremony, you would think they would have been able to find ONE person in East Orange who actually deserved the award.

I propose that unless and until every school in East Orange can demonstrate REAL and GENUINE "educational excellence" that these foolish self-serving awards givers stop calling attention to the incompetence of every member of the School Board, every Teacher and Administrator in the East Orange School System, and every member of the East Orange Educational Association.

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