Hoboken City Council Approves $1 Million Endowment to the Hoboken Public Education Foundation 

Donation is First-Ever Community Give Back to Hoboken Public Schools

 Hoboken, NJ | November 13, 2018 – The Hoboken city council voted to approve a new waterfront hotel deal in Hoboken, which includes a $1 million endowment to the Hoboken Public Education Foundation (Hoboken PEF). The historic endowment from KMS Development Partners is the first-ever community give back to benefit the Hoboken Public School District.

“The Hoboken Public Education Foundation is continuing to work in partnership with Dr. Christine Johnson to ensure we fund the items that bring the most needed benefits to our students,” said Jackie Dowd Prince, co-founder/secretary of Hoboken PEF. “The district is continuing to make tremendous strides and we are excited to help to further these efforts.”

Public school enrollment has grown by more than a hundred students in the past 10 months alone. Ninety-five percent of Hoboken High School students received college acceptances this past year, and scholarships increased from $4 million to over $13 million. But as the number of students has grown, school funding has declined 5% this year, and is expected to decline further over the next few years. Efforts of organizations like Hoboken PEF help to offset that gap.

“District schools provide services and enrichment that are vital to all our families, including the families of the children who attend that qualify for free and reduced lunch,” said Shirael Pollock, co-founder/president of Hoboken PEF. “Investment in traditional public schools means investment in educational equity and equity of opportunity.”

Since inception in 2015, Hoboken PEF has been able to fund important initiatives in the district schools, including:

·      increasing the size of the district’s Chromebook lending library for children who do not have access;

·      helping elementary- and middle-schoolers learn about the Hudson river ecosystem through new Living Classroom touch and wall tanks;

·      installing a state-of-the-art sound system at Hoboken High for its K-12 musicals and district-wide events.

·      contributing to an outdoor activity park at Hoboken Middle School.

“Hoboken is a unique and diverse community,” said Erica Gavin, co-founder/vice president, HPEF. “Everyone will gain from vibrant and thriving schools, whether it is creating a greater sense of community, elevating our community as a whole, or just good old-fashioned pride.”