Paterson Education Organizing Committee (PEOC)
451 Van Houten St.
Paterson, NJ 07501
Phone: (973) 278-7900 Ext 32
Fax: (973) 684-0532
peoc.info@seocnj.org
Leaders:
Martha Amarante, President
Graciela Rodriguez, Vice-president
Daniel Andre, Treasurer
Mayra Piereschi, Secretary
Margaret Padilla, Co-Secretary
Jacqueline McAnuff, Coordinator
Joseph Alloway, Coordinator
Linda Reid, Coordinator
Andrea Gomez, Coordinator
Jesus Castro, Coordinator
Staff:
Fernando Martinez
Español
Cell: (205) 960-3498
f.martinez@seocnj.org
Lakshmi Silva
Cell: (973) 460-8776
l.silva@seocnj.org
Accomplishments
*Our newest chapter already has succeeded in bringing several positive changes to the Paterson school district. First, the parents in one school successful organized to get the district to fix the school sound/announcement system, which had been broken for years. They also got the district to prioritize that school’s extreme construction needs for when state construction money becomes available, as well as involve parents more in school decision-making in general.
*Paterson SEOC parents successfully petitioned to get the district fix up and better maintain a pre-school playground in terrible and unsafe condition.
*Our Paterson chapter is currently working on a campaign to create a fairer system for admitting students into the district’s several high school academies – schools with smaller classroom environments and specialized themes. Special needs and bilingual students are rarely admitted despite making up 35% of the school population. PEOC leaders are reaching out to parents about this issue, developing relationships with allies in the community, and building a campaign to question the confusing application and the criteria by which students are admitted.
