Four Moms, One Mission: New School Board Slate Rises in Jersey City

By the time the school board meeting wrapped up last Tuesday night, Jessica Taube had already spent two hours on the phone with a mom from the Heights. The mom was worried about her daughter’s special education plan. Taube listened, took notes, promised to follow up. It’s the kind of thing she’s done for years as a parent-advocate — unpaid, unsung, unglamorous. But this time, she’s taking it to the ballot.

Taube, a social worker and longtime parent advocate, announced her run for the Jersey City Board of Education last month. Now she’s got company. On Thursday, three other women — a youth development leader, a city government employee, and a former school board trustee — announced they are joining her to form a slate called “For Stronger Schools.”

The group says their goal is straightforward: bring transparency, accountability, and real community voice back to a board that many parents feel has lost touch.

Who’s on the slate?

The four candidates come from different corners of the city, but they share a few things in common. Each is a mother. Each works directly with families or young people. And each says they’ve seen the system fail kids up close.

Jessica Taube is the one who started it all. A clinical social worker by training, she’s spent years helping parents navigate special education plans, IEPs, and school placements. It’s painstaking work — often frustrating — and she’s done it for free.

Patricia D’Souza spent more than a decade running youth programs in Jersey City. She knows the rec centers, the after-school programs, the kids who fall through the cracks. Her background gives her a ground-level view of what families actually need when school lets out.

Danielle C. Thomas works for the City of Jersey City. She knows how municipal government works — and how often it doesn’t talk to the school district. She’s hoping to bridge that gap.

Carmen M. Tanis is the only one who’s served on the board before. She was elected in 2020 and served on various committees, including the one overseeing curriculum. She left after a single term, but she knows the board’s rhythms, its frustrations, and its missed opportunities.

Together, they’re calling their platform “transparency, accountability, and community voice.”

Why now?

Jersey City’s school board has been in turmoil for years — budget fights, trustee disagreements, and a revolving door of superintendents. Parents show up to meetings frustrated, only to leave feeling unheard. The pandemic made everything worse. Learning loss, mental health crises, and a persistent achievement gap between white students and students of color have only deepened.

The board has also faced questions about how it spends taxpayer money. Last year, the district came under fire for a no-bid contract. Critics say there’s not enough oversight.

The new slate is betting that voters are tired of it — and ready for a change.

What this means for your family

If you have a kid in Jersey City public schools, this election matters. The board decides everything from curriculum to school closures to how your tax dollars are spent. It hires the superintendent. It sets policy on discipline, special education, and equity.

If your child has an IEP, you’ve probably felt the frustration of trying to get services that should have been automatic. If you’ve ever emailed a board member and gotten no reply, you know the feeling this slate is running against.

“We want parents to know their voice isn’t just heard,” Taube says. “It’s expected.”

What the candidates are saying

In their announcement, the four women framed their campaign around trust. “For too long, our school board has been disconnected from the families it serves,” they wrote in a joint statement. “We’re running to change that — to make sure every decision starts with what’s best for our children.”

No one from the current board has publicly responded to the slate yet. But some community members — including the Jersey City Parent Alliance — have quietly signaled support.

“It’s a strong group,” says one parent who asked not to be named because her child is still in the district. “They’re not politicians. They’re moms who stayed up late worrying about the same stuff we do.”

What’s next

The school board election is in November. Candidates must file petitions by the end of August. That gives the “For Stronger Schools” slate the summer to knock on doors, attend community events, and explain why they should get your vote.

If you want to meet them in person, they’re planning a series of town halls starting in July. Dates and locations will be posted on a new website set to launch next week.

In the meantime, Taube is still taking calls. The mom in the Heights? She got her answer. That’s the kind of campaign they’re running.