Meet Gerry Lyons, Running For Secaucus School Board

SECAUCUS, NJ — Seven people are running for Secaucus school board this fall; voters will be asked to choose three.

Patch asked all seven candidates the same set of questions, and all seven responded.

Can you give a brief bio on who you are: How long you've lived in Secaucus, your career experience, where you currently work, your age.

I am a 65-year-old educator who has been teaching for 38 years in Hudson County. I have seven teaching certifications and two master’s in education. I currently teach ESL to adults at Hudson County Schools of Technology and a master’s class in education administration at Saint Peter’s University.

Most of career has been with Hudson County Schools of Technology. Our students are from all over Hudson County and many have been from Secaucus. We moved to Secaucus in 2023 and are very happy with our decision.

I was on the school board with the Jersey City Board of Education for around nine years, and president of the board for my final year. It was an extremely educational experience with each year served allowing me to become better in my role. I received the status of “Certified School Board Trustee” from the New Jersey School Board Association.

Do you have kids or had kids in the Secaucus school system? Have you served on any prior school boards, or worked in education?

I have no children but have taught somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 students over my career and I am pleased to still be in contact with many of my former students, some from the 1980s. I thank God for this wonderful opportunity.

What do you think have been the biggest mistakes or failures made in the past four years on the Secaucus school board/in the district? How would you have done things differently?

One thing that I learned from my time as a board trustee is that communication and transparency are extremely important. I also know that the board is often aware of private information that cannot be disclosed while cases are active. It would be unfair for me to state that the board had made any mistakes or failed without having additional background information.

One issue that I might have had a different vote on would be putting someone out on administrative leave. Having fought against that while on the Jersey City Board of Education, I have watched my concerns about resolving the issue as opposed to a paid leave come true. I don’t know all the details, as they are private, but I would use an administrative leave as a final option. Possibly the board did this.

I would make transparency and communication priorities. I would ensure that meetings were held to get feedback from the community. Before any major decisions are made (i.e., rezoning, Pre-K programs), the community needs to be able to have their say.

If redistricting is again brought up — a proposal last year to put K-2 in Clarendon, and 3-5 in Huber — how would you vote for it? Yay or nay?

Regarding redistricting, comments from the community have been both in support of and against this move. Concerns about traffic across the Paterson Plank Road bridge, having students in two schools, moving kids farther away from home versus perks related to allowing subject and grade teams to work together, having students grouped with similarly-aged classes and consolidating resources have been voiced.

Before any decisions are made, a survey needs to be sent out to every family. The district needs to weigh in to identify any facility issues that might arise. Data needs to be presented on the size of the classes and available space. Concerns about how this decision would affect special-needs or ESL students must be presented. This is a major undertaking and decisions need to be made based on community input, logistics, data on how the move would impact the district facilities, and most importantly, common sense. Stating this, I can not say how I would vote without having an abundance of information.

Where are Secaucus schools doing well? Where can they be improved?

All the data I see on Secaucus schools present a highly successful school district. Areas of concern that have been brought to my attention are services for special-needs students, problems with bullying (HIB issues) and overcrowding in the upper school cafeterias. Having started and administered the LEAP Program (college classes while in high school), I am interested in learning more about Secaucus’ college course offerings and expanding the programs.

While on the Jersey City school board, we pushed for grants and were recipients of numerous different ones. I’m interested in reviewing the current grant programs of the district, as I do not know how proactive the district currently is regarding getting them.

Retention of staff has been an issue of concern so addressing that would be a priority. This issue does not have an easy fix due to a shortage of teachers, especially in areas like special education and ESL.

What do you see are the biggest issues facing the Secaucus school district in the next 2-5 years How are you going to prepare for them?

As mentioned above, special education, rezoning and early child education programs are three important topics. As the former policy chair for Jersey City, I am very interested in being a member of a policy committee. The primary function of a school board is to oversee the safe and successful operations of the district and the policies are the driving force behind this. From attending Secaucus school board meetings, I was pleased to learn that our district has employed a company whose primary function is to ensure our policies are current. The board has options related to policies and these should be discussed during open session, to ensure transparency, to determine if any changes to current policies should be made.

As there is a limited amount of items that can be addressed during the monthly meetings, Board "retreats," held right in our own schools, are a great way of discussing and developing short and long-term goals. These meetings should encourage participation from the community and should provide a detailed report on issues discussed.

Regarding how to prepare for the issues facing the school district, I believe the approach should be the team of trustees working together with the district, our elected officials, and our community to ensure that everyone makes the success of our schools a priority.

I am very thankful that the Mayor has offered his endorsement to Tatiana, Melissa and myself and am glad to be working with them. I am very impressed by their knowledge of, and commitment to the district.

That being said, I have spoken to the other four candidates and believe they have no agenda other than doing what is best for our schools. I think the community is fortunate to have such a great group of candidates to choose from.

Tatiana and I are educators and Melissa has a strong finance background. All the candidates bring something to the table. I’m hopeful that people take this vote seriously and make a decision based on who they believe can best represent our community.

Editor's note: Mayor Mike Gonnelli endorsed Lyons, his running mate Tatiana Geller and Melissa Howard for school board this year.

Who's running for Secaucus school board this year: Seven candidates for three seats:

• Melissa Howard - "Advocate for Education." Currently on the Board, seeks re-election.
• Audry Yule - "Community Winning Resolutions"
• Valerie Giraldo - "Community Winning Resolutions"
• Tatiana Geller - "Excellence in Education"
• Gerald Lyons - "Excellence in Education"
• Jamie Fisher - "The People's Voice"
• Monica Berckes - "A Winning District"

Meet Melissa Howard, Running For Secaucus School Board

Meet Jamie Fisher, Running For Secaucus School Board

Meet Valerie Giraldo, Running For Secaucus School Board

Meet Audry Yule, Running For Secaucus School Board (running mates with Giraldo)

Meet Tatiana Geller, Running For Secaucus School Board (running mate with Lyons)

Meet Monica Berckes, Running For Secaucus School Board

The election will be Nov. 5, but you can vote early in person at the Secaucus Rec Center from Oct. 26 - Nov. 3. Hours will be Monday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary. And there is also mail-in voting.

There is a candidates' forum scheduled for Oct. 24 at the high school PAC, moderated by Secaucus Spectator publisher Don Evanson. Evanson says it will be recorded so people can watch later. Patch will be there covering it and attempting to livestream it. Nearly every candidate said they will be there on Oct. 24.