Thomas was charged by criminal complaint in January 2020 with embezzling funds from JCETP and was released on a $75,000 unsecured bond. Thomas and the cooperating witness, a tax attorney, had a conversation regarding the cash payments, officials said. Subscribe now. A member of the Jersey City Board of Education is facing calls from both the city’s mayor and New Jersey Gov. Should You Be Worried About Mold This Winter? "Yeah, nobody questions anything... nobody questions all of that stuff," Thomas said. Notice is hereby given by the Board of Education of the City of Gloucester City, Camden County, New Jersey, that the caucus and regular monthly meetings of the Board of Education shall be held at 7:00 o'clock P.M. Mayor Fulop Recommends Jersey City Withdraws Arts Referendum to Minimize Taxpayer Impact . Jersey City School Board President To 'Vigorously' Fight Charges - Jersey City, NJ - Sudhan Thomas said the state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has 'targeted' him and wants to … JERSEY CITY, NJ — Embattled Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas said he is "not guilty" of the charges filed against him and will "vigorously" fight them. Thomas and four people, including two other elected officials, were charged with taking bribes as part of a major investigation of political corruption in Hudson and Morris counties. Jersey City seventh-grader Mujtaba Raja of Academy I, left, and fifth-grader Vansh Sunil Patel of School 27, the Alfred Zampella School, also in Jersey City, won the junior champion title in the 2021 Hudson County Spelling Bee. Jersey City Introduces Local Relief Program . "Yeah, real estate... that's perfect," the witness said. NJ Weather: Chance Of Snow In NJ, Showing Winter's Not Done Yet, NJ Farmers Market Owner Charged In Capitol Riots: Reports, Man Charged In 5 Murders In 2 States Extradited To New Jersey, Jersey City Mutual Aid Society Hosting Toiletry Collection Drive. At Thursday’s Jersey City School Board meeting, trustees discussed a contingency plan for reopening schools in the fall. Embattled Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas, a close ally of Mayor Steven Fulop, lost his bid for re-election on Tuesday. Sudhan Thomas, the board’s president, said state aid cuts–$27 million this year alone–represented a “complete abandonment” of the state’s constitutional responsibility to the children in Jersey City. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Whether you are new to Jersey City or you are a longtime resident considering the public schools, you can find all the registration information for Jersey City public schools here. Thomas was charged with second-degree bribery in official and political matters and second-degree acceptance or receipt of unlawful benefit by a public servant for official behavior, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Thursday. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). In fact, the Jersey City Board President Sudhan Thomas, along with six other board members, appears to function as an arm of the local teacher union, the Jersey City Education Association (JCEA), whose mothership NJEA supplied the bulk of his campaign funding. In 2016, Thomas and Appel entered into an agreement with the company to purportedly expand the company’s business through a debit card program. Jersey City superintendent goes back to school board again seeking raises for administrators Joshua Rosario, nj.com 12/16/2020 FBI raids homes of 2 men who held rally on eve of Capitol attack Thomas resigned from JCEPT in July 2019. But Thomas was also charged with wire fraud for embezzling money from his 2016 Jersey City school board campaign; wire fraud for embezzling money from his 2019 campaign; and bank fraud for stealing checks issued by and to another school board candidate’s campaign in 2018, Carpenito added. By Nikita Biryukov, September 11 2020 12:28 pm. former president of the Jersey City Board of Education. Jersey City is located in Jersey City, NJ. The Jersey City Board of Education held its public budget meeting on Friday where many argued for increased funding in the upcoming budget. Thomas embezzled approximately $6,000 more from the campaign in 2019, Carpenito added. Sudhan Thomas was elected to Jersey City's school board in November 2016.Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal. All rights reserved (About Us). The former school board president who became a lightning rod for controversy also faces mail and wire fraud counts for schemes to defraud two separate Florida companies, Carpenito added. When Mayor Fulop announced that he was presenting a resolution for a Mayor-Appointed School Board, I immediately thought of Mayor Frank Hague’s consolidation of power in Jersey City from 1917-1947. Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas said in an email that he will introduce a resolution at Thursday's meeting censuring Joan … Virtual Board Meeting - August 27, 2020 | Jersey City Board of Education Thank you for joining us! major investigation of political corruption in Hudson and Morris counties, Jersey City School Board Pres., 4 More Charged With Taking Bribes. Shockingly, some have defended her. Lorenzo Richardson, LeKendrick Shaw, and Gina Verdibello ran on the Education Matters slate. Terrell-Paige was elected to the school board in 2018 and previously worked for the New Jersey Division of Law and as an aide to a Jersey City Council … Your Assigned School Find out your home school by calling 201 915 6111 or 201 915 6201. In a move that may be a prelude to her running for mayor of Jersey City in 2021, Amy DeGise announced that she will step down from her position as trustee on the Jersey City Board … Please utilize your portable device or smartphone. The Jersey City school board has not done a performance review of Superintendent Marcia Lyles since 2014. Thomas was also charged with “wire fraud for embezzling money from his 2016 Jersey City school board campaign; wire fraud for embezzling money from his 2019 campaign; and bank fraud for stealing checks issued by and to another school board candidate’s campaign in … Or apply for open enrollment, which is a… Jim McGreevey. Jersey City Board of Education 346 Claremont Ave. Jersey City, NJ 07305 201.915.6000 New Jersey … Thomas was preparing to run for Jersey City Council in 2021 when he allegedly accepted two bribes in the form of campaign contributions from a tax attorney who was secretly cooperating with state authorities. An elected School Board member blamed the attack by two heavily armed gunmen on a kosher market in Jersey City on Jewish "Brutes." Thomas was one of five public officials charged by state authorities last year with accepting tens of thousands in bribes. Thomas and the witness allegedly discussed specific work projects the witness would receive from the board, he said. No matter: the board fired her. Joseph H. Brensinger Elementary School, PS #17 is located in Jersey City, NJ. Thomas and Appel ultimately diverted the company’s funds to their own bank accounts and used them to pay personal expenses — including payments to Thomas' landlord, tuition for his relative, and payments for Appel’s credit and debit card expenses, Carpenito said. The state charges came just over a month after Thomas failed to earn enough votes to remain on the Jersey City Board of Education. (Lyle s is suing the Board, Thomas, board member Marilyn Roman, the JCEA and its president, Ronald Greco. Here’s the lawsuit. ) Jersey City School Board Meeting September 24, 2020 @ 10:00 pm - September 25, 2020 @ 1:00 am Due to the state of emergency, the board meeting may be viewed live via the District website at www.jcboe.org / Facebook live. Thomas and Appel misappropriated the funds without providing any meaningful services or generating any business for the company, Carpenito said. The district had a yearly average of $93,795,524 in outstanding debt.The district retired $5,004,762 of its debt and issued $2,203,571 in new debt each year on average. A member of the Jersey City Board of Education is facing calls from both the city’s mayor and New Jersey Gov. Farook Hossain is fighting allegations that he no longer lives in the city and should not be on the board. ", Thomas also said that, as a volunteer school board member, he has "put the interests of the 30,000 children of Jersey City and our 6,000 employees as paramount over the last several years. That same year Thomas and Appel entered into another agreement with a Florida-based housing company in connection with the purported sale of modular homes to veterans and the homeless. On Monday, federal authorities said Thomas and Appel — his campaign treasurer — embezzled more than $8,000 from Thomas’ 2016 campaign for their own personal use. This page contains the major holiday dates from the 2021 school calendar for Jersey City Public Schools in New Jersey. The new charges are just the latest chapter in the one-time public servant’s fall from grace. COVID-19: Vaccine news and outbreak updates. He pleaded not guilty. Appel’s attorney could not be reached for comment on Monday. Three seats on the Jersey City Public Schools school board in New Jersey were up for general election on November 3, 2020. ", Thomas also said officials "want to make me an example" because he "dared to go after former Democratic Governor [Jim] McGreevey, and expose over $15 million in public funds that McGreevey misappropriated, which have been to evidenced with, but are sitting on sans action. Sudhan Thomas, the board’s president, said state aid cuts–$27 million this year alone–represented a “complete abandonment” of the state’s constitutional responsibility to the children in Jersey City. Thomas, 45, is accused of embezzling $45,000 from JCETP, an organization receiving federal funds, as well as wire fraud and money laundering in connection with the JCETP theft, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said. Jersey City School Board Virtual Meeting Thursday, May 21, 2020. © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. There will be an enrichment program for students and professional development programs for teachers. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "This Attorney General's Office has targeted me because I was the first school board president to sue the state of New Jersey under Democratic Leadership for the over $2.1 billion New Jersey owes the Jersey City, which we undertook against all odds and threats to not undertake. In a move that may be a prelude to her running for mayor of Jersey City in 2021, Amy DeGise announced that she will step down from her position as trustee on the Jersey City Board of Education. The Jersey City school board has sued the state, demanding the Legislature restore at least $27 million funds cut from New Jersey’s second largest school district. Jersey City Board of Education Mr. Lorenzo Richardson, President Ms. Gina Verdibello, Vice-President Mr. Mussab Ali Mr. Alexander Hamilton Mr. Gerald Lyons Ms. Joan Terrell-Paige Ms. Marilyn Roman Mr. Lekendrick Shaw Ms. Noemi Velazquez Educating Greatness Developing a Vision of doing what is best for all students and making them academically competitive in a global society. Jersey City school board finalizes new, four-year teacher contract Updated May 01, 2019; Posted May 01, 2019 Jersey City teachers marching on Newark Avenue in … Thomas allegedly accepted $35,000 in cash bribes, $25,000 one time and $10,000 another time, Grewal said. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The housing company made five $2,000 payments to Thomas and Appel between November 2016 and March 2017. Paul H. Appel, 78, of Point Pleasant, was charged as Thomas’ accomplice in five of the federal indictment’s 26 counts. Deputy Superintendent of Schools Dr. Norma Fernandez announced that teachers would return to school on September 8 and students on September 10. ALL BOARD MEETINGS WILL BE PAPERLESS. Jersey City students, parents call on board of education to reopen schools; Sources: Jersey City BOE Trustee Ali poised to be youngest school board president in history; Jersey City Board of Education approves all remote learning plan through September; Jersey City Board of Education gives initial approval for $736 million budget Mayor Fulop and City Council Ask Voters for Opportunity to Fix Jersey City Public Schools with Change to Appointed Board . Two incumbents endorsed a slate of challengers seeking seats on Jersey City’s School Board Friday. Schools will not be open in the summer, Superintendent Walker said. The FairerNJ PAC released its first digital ad today for the Jersey City Board of Education election this November.The ad, entitled “Storm” focuses on the financial crisis in Jersey City’s schools and calls out the current Board of Education for what it describes as “lack of sustainable long-term solutions and its effect on the education of our children.” School Board. In 2018-2019, we launched a campaign to press for leadership around school funding & a set of concrete investments by the Jersey City School Board. Sudhan Thomas, the former president of the Jersey City Board of Education and the ex-head of the city’s Employment and Training Program, was indicted Monday on charges of embezzlement, money laundering, and fraud, federal authorities announced. Former Jersey City school board president and head of re-entry organization indicted by feds Updated Nov 24, 2020; Posted Nov 02, 2020 Sudhan Thomas was elected to Jersey City's school board … New Jersey's governor and the Jersey City mayor are calling on Jersey City school board member Joan Terrell-Paige to resign after her comments about the city's Hasidic community. Meetings of the Board of Education will be held in the Community Room in the Ocean City High School, 501 Atlantic Avenue, Ocean City, New Jersey, unless otherwise noted. 4.1K likes. Students who are New to the United States: If you are registering a child who speaks a language other than English or who has moved to the US from another country, you must first go to the Multilingual Intake Center (even if the child is an English speaker), so that your child can be appropriately placed in their home school. The Jersey City school board has sued the state, demanding the Legislature restore at least $27 million funds cut from New Jersey’s second largest school district. Board Of … Budget. Thomas stepped down from his post as head of the Jersey City Employment Training Program amidst allegations that he set up a shadowy checking account and then wrote $16,600 worth of checks made out to cash and then cashed them himself. Thank you for your support and continued dedication to the students and teachers of the Jersey City Public Schools Actually, it fired her s ix times because Thomas kept getting the process wrong. Alexander Hamilton, Noemi Velázquez back “Change for Children” ticket, which they ran on last year. ", Related: Jersey City School Board Pres., 4 More Charged With Taking Bribes. Between October 2016 and April 2017, authorities say the two men made false representations regarding work they would undertake pursuant to the agreement in order to collect monthly $2,000 payments from the housing company. An Atlantic City school board member whose residency is being questioned has the right to have his vote counted, a judge ruled Thursday. Jersey City Public School Teachers, Jersey City, New Jersey. Three seats on the Jersey City Public Schools school board in New Jersey were up for general election on November 3, 2020. Jersey City school board sues Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield . From 1993 to 2013, the Jersey City school district had an average of $530,236,190 in revenue and $525,486,381 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. In the 2017-2018 school year, we pressed for and won a $5.3 million investment in Jersey City Public Schools by asking the Board of Education to use its "banked cap" for that year. Horizon disputes assertions it attempted to end coverage for 14,000 people As Mayor of Jersey City, Mayor Hague created a system of political patronage and cronyism, turning Jersey City into a “Nefarious Political Machine.” To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com. The filing deadline for this election was July 27, 2020. (A slate of three candidates– Mussab Ali, Marilyn Roman and Joan Terrell-Paige — swept school board elections in November. Two Jersey City School Board incumbents endorse challenger slate. The Jersey City Board of Education may again attempt to give the district’s highest-paid senior administrators a raise after putting the brakes on the pay increases earlier this year. Lorenzo Richardson , LeKendrick Shaw , and Gina Verdibello ran on the Education Matters slate. Jersey City Board of Education approves all remote learning plan through September; Jersey City Board of Education hosts special meeting to discuss upcoming budget; Jersey City BOE names Ali youngest school board president, Shaw takes over as VP; Jersey City BOE votes to extend virtual learning through at least February 2nd Four others, including former State Assemblyman Jason O'Donnell, were also charged as a result of the investigation. Thomas did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. New Jersey's attorney general on Thursday charged five public officials and former candidates, including the president of Jersey City's school board, with political corruption. Jersey City School Board Pres., 4 More Charged With Taking Bribes - Jersey City, NJ - Sudhan Thomas and 4 others were charged with taking thousands of dollars in … The New Jersey School Boards Association counsels boards, in the interest of maintaining district solvency, to “carefully consider the long term implications of moving away from the cost structure dictated by Chapter 78.” The Jersey City School Board moved away … The filing deadline for this election was July 27, 2020 . Federal authorities also alleged the two men defrauded a Florida-based technology company of $48,500. Jersey City Public Schools - 346 Claremont Avenue | Jersey City, NJ 07305 | Phone: 201-915-6000 If Governor Phil Murphy orders schools to reopen in September, School Superintendent Franklin Walker and members of the board agreed that now’s the time to create a Covid-19 task force to oversee the details. Jersey City is located in Jersey City, NJ. The witness said to Thomas, "Make me special counsel for..." "Real estate," Thomas said. Mayor Fulop and City Council Ask Voters for Opportunity to Fix Jersey City Public Schools with Change to Appointed Board January 3, 2020 Mayor Fulop Recommends Jersey City Withdraws Arts Referendum to Minimize Taxpayer Impact He previously served as executive director of JCEPT, where he publicly clashed with his predecessor, former Gov. New Jersey's governor and the Jersey City mayor are calling on Jersey City school board member Joan Terrell-Paige to resign after her comments about the city's Hasidic community. January 3, 2020. In return for the cash, Thomas allegedly agreed to arrange for the Board of Education to hire a cooperating witness to be hired as a special counsel, Grewal said.