Union Endorsements

At the League of Women Voters candidate forum on April 14th, our slate, along with the other candidates, was asked a question about campaign contributions. We in good faith believed that we were being asked whether our campaign was being funded by any political or other organizations. We answered that we had not received contributions from anyone other than our team members and our friends (all of whom are individuals). We have not and do not intend to accept campaign contributions from anyone other than individuals. We are largely funding our campaign ourselves.

Regarding endorsements, our slate member, Christian Estevez, is a proud, lifelong, union organizer. Our team strongly supports the right of all employees to organize. Christian is currently employed by the Communication Workers of America, and was previously employed by the AFL-CIO. Christian (and not the rest of the slate) was endorsed by his employer and the AFL-CIO. Our slate was endorsed by SEIU Local 32BJ United of Service Workers United. That local represents the cafeteria workers in the Plainfield Public Schools. Food service is privatized in our system and is outsourced to Sodexo. The local engages in collective bargaining with Sodexo, not with the Board of Education. We are proud of the hard working men and women of the Service Workers Union, and are happy that they have confidence in our slate.

When a union gives an endorsement, it publicizes the endorsement as it sees fit, and not in consultation with the candidates, consistent with the disclaimer printed on its literature. Our slate was not consulted about the content, timing or the extent of the mailings that were sent. Once again, we strongly support the right of unions, and of any other organizations, to endorse candidates who share their core beliefs and we appreciate our endorsements.

Our slate regrets the controversy that has arisen over this issue in an election that is rife with controversy, and we hope that this explanation will clear the air.

Sincerely,

Mary Burgwinkle
Plainfield Coalition for Better Schools

Coalition for Better Schools invites you to start your Friday Night at our Meet and Greet Event!

Coalition for Better Schools invites you to start your Friday Night at our Meet and Greet Event!

Event: Meet and Greet School Board Candidates Christian Estevez, Martin Cox, Mary Burgwinkle and Carmencita Pile

Date: Friday, April 9, 2010

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Place: Terrace Room, YWCA of Central Jersey, 232 E. Front St.

Details: There is no charge for this event. Enjoy food with a Latino flair and a beverage with us. Candidate presentations will begin at 7:00 and will be brief so that you can get to your other Friday Night activities.

RSVP: Please let us know if you plan to attend! Respond by email to meburgwinkle@comcast.net or call 908-756-4688.

Vote: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 2pm to 9pm

Paid for by Plainfield Coalition for Better Schools

CBS PLATFORM

Coalition for Better Schools

Three years ago, Christian Estevez and Martin Cox ran together for the Plainfield Board of Education because they shared the belief that our schools needed major improvement and they also shared a common vision on how to improve them. While there is still much more work to do, significant progress has been made. Some of the major improvements include:

• Improved Our Schools by converting our elementary schools from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade to K-6 and K-8 Centers. Also created the Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies (7th-12th Grade).

• Established Mandatory School Uniform Policy in all of our schools from Kindergarten to Grade Twelve.

• Increased Family and Community Involvement through town hall meetings, increased support to school-based Parent Teacher Organizations, and bilingual written and phone communications.

• Improved Safety and Security—Our high school was taken off of the state’s list of Persistently Dangerous Schools.

Estevez and Cox have joined with Mary Burgwinkle and Carmencita Pile to form the Coalition for Better Schools because we all share a positive vision of the future for Plainfield’s Public Schools. The Coalition for Better Schools will work together to:

• Focus on the Improvement of our High Schools: We will focus the Board’s attention on developing strategies to improve the learning environments of our high schools. We will ensure that opportunities for rigorous academic experiences are available to all of our students.

• Develop a Comprehensive District Wide Curriculum: We will put our school district on a 5 year cycle for continuous curriculum review. Each year the Board of Education will focus on a different subject area (i.e. math, reading, science, social studies). This approach is practiced by many other school districts throughout New Jersey. It is time for Plainfield to adopt this best practice.

• Develop creative solutions to problems posed by the state’s drastic budget cuts: We will direct the administration to seek out operating efficiencies that do not have a negative impact on direct student services. We will continue to advocate on the state level for sufficient funding for our school district.

For more information call (908) 643-9116 or send an e-mail to: Coalition4BetterSchools@gmail.com.

COALITION FOR BETTER SCHOOLS CANDIDATES FILE PETITIONS TO RUN FOR PLAINFIELD SCHOOL BOARD POSITIONS

COALITION FOR BETTER SCHOOLS CANDIDATES FILE PETITIONS TO RUN FOR PLAINFIELD SCHOOL BOARD POSITIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2010

CONTACT: Christian Estevez – 908-643-9116

Plainfield residents Christian Estevez, Martin Cox, Mary Burgwinkle and Carmencita Pile have filed petitions to run for open school board positions today. Calling their team the “Coalition for Better Schools”, members point to their shared vision for continued improvement in the Plainfield Public Schools.

Incumbent Christian Estevez said, "Despite some setbacks, our schools district has made significant progress over the past few years including the change to K-8 and K-6 grade configurations in our elementary schools and the establishment of the Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies as well as the Barack Obama Academy for Academic & Civic Development".

Martin Cox, also an incumbent school board member added that, "While we know that we still have a lot of work left to do, our community should be proud of the progress that we have made such as getting Plainfield High School removed from the state's list of 'Persistently Dangerous Schools' as well as the implementation of the mandatory school uniform policy. The main high school and the Barack Obama Academy continue to represent areas in need of improvement that our board needs to focus on so that all of our children receive a quality education."

School Board candidates Mary Burgwinkle and Carmencita Pile share the same optimism for what can be accomplished if the Plainfield community were to truly come together to do what is required to improve the city's public schools. Burgwinkle and Pile are both long time residents of Plainfield. Mary Burgwinkle filed to run for a three-year term and Carmencita Pile has filed to run for the one-year unexpired seat which became vacant when School Board President Bridget Rivers resigned from the Board of Education to assume her seat on the Plainfield City Council representing the city's 4th Ward.

School Board members Christian Estevez and Martin Cox are both running for three year terms.


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