Hoboken School Board Profiles: Pavel Sokolov Q&A

HOBOKEN, NJ — A lot's at stake in this year's Hoboken school board election. More than 3,000 students attend the local public schools.

School board elections across the country are contending with thorny issues, and Hoboken has seen contentious school debates of a different kind this year.

We asked both serious and more offbeat questions — but it's important for readers to notice whether the candidates tend to give answers, or merely reword the question.

Do they have vague ideas, or realistic plans and a willingness to discuss them?

If you have a response to the candidate's profile, you can post a comment below it, or post letters about the election for free, any time, here at Patch using these instructions.

Running for three seats on the board this Nov. 8 are:

• The "Leadership That Listens" slate, consisting of incumbent Alejandro (Alex) De La Torre Jr. along with Leslie Norwood and Antonio Graña;
• "Kids First" consisting of Pavel Sokolov, Donna Magen, and Cindy Wiegand, and
• Independent John Madigan (a former board member) and
• Independent Patricia Waiters (a former candidate).

Here Is How Pavel Sokolov Of "Kids First" Answered Patch's Questions

[See Also: School Board Slates Trade Barbs About 'Extremists' Campaign Mailer]

NAME: Pavel Sokolov

CAMPAIGN WEBSITE (if applicable): facebook.com/HobokensKidsFirst

AGE: 29

FAMILY INFORMATION AND WHERE ATTENDING SCHOOL (be as specific or non-specific as you want) : Engaged

OCCUPATION: Tax CPA

OTHER SOURCES OF INCOME: None

DOES ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY WORK IN GOVT OR POLITICS? WHERE? NO

VOLUNTEER WORK, COMMUNITY POSITIONS: Vote No Referendum Leader, Rutgers Charter Alumni Group Board Member,

OTHER EXPERIENCE AND ELECTED OFFICES: Rutgers University Student Body President, John P Stevens HS, Rutgers Business School (Cum Laude) BS- Accounting, CUNY Baruch - MS Taxation

Questions about your stances in the upcoming Hoboken school board race:

1. What is the best thing about the Hoboken public schools, and what do you believe should be improved?

The best thing about Hoboken public schools are the students themselves. We have kids from all around the world in our community. Children are both students and teachers; they come to school to learn but they also teach, by sharing their diverse backgrounds, experience and ideas with each other. The bonds they create can be an example that we can all follow to create a more welcoming, collaborative and caring school system and community. We also have some really great educators who want to teach and inspire our children. What I want to see improved is the true openness and interest in growing and improving together. All students, regardless of their background or their school choice should receive the best we can offer. We should leverage our individual experiences as educators, administrators and community leaders for the betterment of all the schools and most importantly for all the kids. I think we can be better role models for our children by truly working together with kindness and respect.

2. What makes you uniquely qualified to serve on the board?

I am the only candidate with real world experience in lobbying Trenton and Washington for appropriations for education. As Student President of Rutgers, I routinely met with state and federal legislators to secure funding for higher education. We have a clear need for more capacity at the elementary and middle school levels and we need experienced professionals who can ensure that the School Development Authority allocates funding to Hoboken. Regrettably zero allocations were made for the BoE’s failed 241mil referendum. We have a commitment to our students but also to our entire community. We should advocate for educational resources and funding. There is an upcoming budget crises due to cuts in state aid and the loss of coronavirus grant money. As a Certified Public Accountant, I believe I am uniquely positioned to address the financial uncertainty in the coming years. I can help guide the budget process to ensure prudent and effective allocations of funding with the goal of maximum academic achievement. Jersey City just this year went through an almost 25% school tax increase due to similar issues, and yet when asked about Hoboken our BoE was unable to provide any solutions other than a massive tax increase in the coming years as well.

Massive tax increases for our residents should not be our primary course of action.

3. If you had to vote for 3 candidates out of the current field, NOT counting yourself, which 3 would you choose, and why?

Naturally, I will be voting for Kids First candidates Cindy Wiegand and Donna Magen. They are committed parents and professionals who are seeking to represent all of Hoboken on the Board of Education and believe in fairness, equity and transparency with the community. I would also suggest Patricia Waiters. She is a life-long community advocate and a strong supporter of the students from the Hoboken Housing Authority. She brings experience and perspective that represents many of our Hoboken families whom have been let down by the current BoE administration for far too long.

4. Did you support the $241M Hoboken school plan, up for referendum vote in Jan? If/when it's introduced again, what do you think should change, if anything?

No, I was one of the lead organizers of the Vote No movement. I believe that hiding the referendum before the November election, and then attempting to sneak it through in a January vote was unethical and against democratic values. To be clear, we all want a best in class education for our children, but I feel it was disrespectful to work behind closed doors on a plan with such a significant financial burden without community input from the start. The other BoE candidates with the exception of Patricia Waiters were avid supporters of the 241 million dollar referendum. I think any new referendum should be a community and BoE collaborative effort. We should prioritize education outcomes while advocating for improved space and be vigilant about seeking out funding options to ease the tax payer burden.

5. What is your political affiliation? Even though local school board races are non-partisan, do you think political party matters for a Hoboken school board member?

I am a registered Republican. I do not think it is ethical or appropriate to try to insert national politics into local elections. Candidates should be judged by their individual actions and held accountable for them.

I am proud to be a lifelong advocate for human rights, educational accessibility, and inclusive community building. The free expression of all ideas and the acceptance of all people is paramount to a free and democratic society.

I cannot comment or control the division taking place within national politics but I feel strongly that our best path forward in Hoboken is unity and collaboration. I am committed to applying my professional, educational and volunteer experience to making a difference for all the kids of Hoboken. The Kids First team is comprised of 3 members with different political affiliations and backgrounds but we have a shared commitment to provide a more transparent, collaborative, community-wide approach to improving our school system

6. During the referendum period, many brought up the fact that 8 percent of Hoboken High School students were considered proficient in math by the state. While there is often wiggle room and extenuating circumstances with test scores, 8 percent is lower than other area public high schools, such as in Union City and West New York. Do you think this is a matter for concern, and if so, what should be done? https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/new-jersey/districts/hoboken-public-school-district-106754

Public education can be a great equalizer, and we need to accept that there is significant room for improvement, without trying to cast blame on the administration, teachers or students. Rather we should look to see the socio economical or institutional root causes of underperformance in academic areas and serve as partners to help provide the resources students may be lacking. We need to partner with the entire community, city hall, Stevens University, Library Board, HHA, the non-profits and small businesses, to provide children access to learning and education around the clock and throughout the whole year. We also have the benefit of having a variety of school models, each with different resources and expertise. By sharing what we do well at the individual school level, all the schools can thrive together.

We have so many Hoboken residents who can give back to our school district through volunteering, mentorship, and involvement, and I think we can really benefit if we engage the entire town and focus Hoboken around educational excellence for all.

7. The U.S. Census estimates that there are approximately 3,456 kids age 5-14 living in Hoboken but the population of just the three public elementary schools and middle school is under 2,000. Do you think the district should try to draw more students from the local population, and how? Do you think it should find ways to help integrate students from public, public charter, and private schools into activities?

We absolutely need to do a better job of showcasing the wonderful achievements that Hoboken Public Schools have had in the last decade. We need to engage the entire community, young professionals, transplants, empty nesters, so that that the perception around education in Hoboken matches the reality. We need everyone’s buy-in and support to help drive our public education to the next level. Partnership with city hall and community organizations will help spread the message and solidify the message the Hoboken Public Schools welcome everyone. Today, there is an intentional divide created between charter and public schools, this leads to many families opting out of the public school without even investigating all of the great programs. We absolutely need to partner with the charter and independent schools when it comes to athletics, visual arts, theatre arts, music and other extra curriculars to put all of Hoboken’s Kids First.

We also can bring the school PTOs and administrators together for round tables, shared learnings and best practices to create a unified commitment to helping all the students have the best we can offer. As students from different schools learn together, play together, and grow up together, a stronger Hoboken community will form and the walls and barriers put up by the current BoE will crumble as kids from different backgrounds and educational experiences forge stronger bonds with one another, and when it will be time for Hoboken’s Students to attend High School, there will be only one choice for all of Hoboken’s Kids to go to school together with their friends throughout town: Hoboken High School.

8. A more offbeat question: Should the first snow day of the year be a traditional day off, or remote learning?

The kid in me would definitely prefer a day off, but with remote learning, I would advocate for as minimal learning loss as possible. The world, as we learned during the covid pandemic is unpredictable and since we cannot anticipate what will happen, I think it is best to optimize learning for our students.