mikevago

mikevago t1_ivg3o0n wrote

Simplest version: a billionaire developer bankrolls the Change For Children ticket every two years, on a platform of cutting school funding so there's more money to give taxx cuts to billionaire developers.

Education Matters is a ticket actually supported by educators, and the main arguments against them are Union Bad and How Dare They Spend Tax Money On Paying Teachers.

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mikevago t1_iuxsqyp wrote

Both! I tend to spread the love around between these two and Little Boho in Bayonne.

One emotional argument for Word is that they just had to move into a smaller space, so I do favor them a bit as I feel like they need the support right now.

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mikevago t1_iujnkfh wrote

I moved out of the Heights about five years ago, after living there for 12. It's a perfectly nice residential neighborhood — a few good restaurants, several nice parks, two good grocery stores that are three blocks apart on the far side of the neighborhood.

And transportation's not terrible — there are shuttle vans every few minutes on JFK and Palisade that go to the PATH, plus the elevator to the light rail (which also goes to the PATH), and lots of city buses going every which way.

But is it worth LUXURY prices? Not really. You've got overpriced modern apartments wedged in between saltbox houses, a few nice places to eat in between fast food and dollar stores. And there's nothing wrong with fast food and dollar stores! But don't expect it to be Brooklyn Heights. Or Prospect Heights. Gentrification has laid its claim, but it still hasn't moved that far from the working-class neighborhood it was 20 years ago.

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mikevago t1_iuiu8w7 wrote

A lot of that abysmal reputation comes from two things: A) people haven't revised their opinion since 20 years ago, when JC was the poorest city in America. B) people like to complain.

This isn't exactly scientific, but Niche gives the JC school district a B-. Like anywhere, the richer neighborhoods have better schools, so it's generally As downtown, Bs in the Heights, Cs in Greenville, with a few exceptions. And besides the elite high schools, we have a few elite middle schools — Infinity and Academy One. Conti, McAuliffe, and Zampella are all pretty highly rated.

And, of course, there's a lot of school choice. We have some very good community-run charters — LCCS, TECCS, Golden Door, and Explore Middle are all good (and those are just the ones I know well); small class sizes, specialized curriculum that doesn't just teach to the test. And there are a few good private options if you want to go that route. Primary Prep is well-regarded and relatively affordable. (Don't get suckered in by an overpriced school like Stevens!)

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mikevago t1_iuigr30 wrote

We have plenty of good public elementary/middle schools, it just depends on your neighorhood (or whether you win a charter school lottery). And we have four of the top 15 high schools in the state (McNair, High Tech*, County Prep, Liberty) — yes, it's difficult to get into those, but it's far easier than the insane competition for Stuy/Bkn Tech/Bx Science.

Also, venue-wise, we have White Eagle Hall, and the Lowe's had music pre-pandemic and will likely have more post-renovation. And venues have been getting priced out of Brooklyn lately.

* Yes, I know High Tech is in Secaucus, but every Jersey City kid can apply there, before the pedants come out of the woodwork.

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mikevago t1_it95bh0 wrote

I ran down the list of native sons/daughters to see if there was anyone worth renaming a street after. Martha Stewart's probably the most famous, although Kool & the Gang Avenue would get my vote.

But one more name jumped out at me — how does this city not have an alleyway named Nathan Lane?

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mikevago t1_it7k7t1 wrote

You can, but are you sure you want to? It's an insane amount of work and stress compared to the other elite high schools. Two of the smartest teenagers I know transferred out after freshman year because the school was making them miserable. (Although that does mean spots open up for sophomore year, if you're determined)

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