Cheap Shots Fired Against Private Education
Westwood and Township of Washington Board President Gasps in Self Promotion
As the abject insanity of the last 4 years unravels at the Federal level, many are cheering as the nation is being “unburdened by what has been.” However, in our home of New Jersey, (the dogmatic blue state that is a “Me Too” of the broken policies of California,) the democrat controlled government continues to double down on their condemnation of anything that threatens their narrative. Particularly when it comes to public (government) education.
Recently, a new target of NJs left-wing controlled Boards of Education has emerged and first shots are fired by The Westwood and Township of Washington BOE. First, it was their bastardization of the curriculum, then the hijacking of authority from parents to gain inappropriate access to children and now it is discrediting the competition to slow the growing exodus of students leaving the district to private and charter schools.
On, January 23rd, the Westwood and Township of Washington’s Regional School District's Board President decided to take aim at private schools and the parents who have withdrawn their children from public education to enroll them in private. The Board President is Jason Garcia and his tenure to date is often as controversial as it is turbulent (see footnote 1). An apparent vassal for the teachers union, he has consistently demonstrated rigid support for the chokehold the progressive left has on public education in Westwood and Township of Washington. (See footnote 2 for Garcia’s voting record in the district.)
In the last board meeting, Mr. Garcia subversively rebuked private education while attempting to elevate the tarnished image of the Westwood and Township of Washington district. The full transcript from Mr. Garcia’s President’s report can be found in the footnotes however it is best observed firsthand by watching the actual report.
Here is the link. The report begins at 7 minutes 29 seconds.
In his President’s Report, Mr. Garcia said
“....As individuals, we have we all have ideas about what an ideal school system looks like, …[..]sometimes by the lens of a charter or parochial school experience. In private education, the focus is tailored to specific values, beliefs or approaches. That's why those schools were created and continue to serve specific communities today. They operate with a targeted mission, designed to meet the needs of a particular audience.”
“... Public Schools are built on the idea that every student deserves an excellent education, regardless of where they come from, where they're headed, or what their family looks like. We do not turn any child within our community away, and that means our decisions must reflect a collective good, not a particular ideology or narrow vision…”
“...we aim to ensure that every student in this district has access to safe, inclusive and challenging educational environment…”
“...Our priority is serving the greater good by creating conditions where every student can thrive. Sometimes this means making decisions that don't align perfectly with what we might choose for our own families, but that's the essence of public service. It's about serving our community, not ourselves, and recognizing that while our personal ideals may shape our perspectives, they cannot drive our decisions…”
“...We're not here to create a system that reflects individual preferences. We're here to build one that reflects the best of who we are as a community, our diversity, shared values and commitment to every child's success…”
Why comment about this at all? And why now?
Because private schools are thriving in New Jersey and it’s not because of the reasons given by the Westwood and Township BOE, it’s because they remain steadfast in educating children in an environment promoting excellence, rejecting political ideologies, maintaining high standards and demanding strong character; values that seem to have vanished in public school.
Many parents have observed that New Jersey’s public schools—including Westwood and the Township of Washington—by and large have lost their way from upholding their most fundamental responsibilities. Concerns continue to mount that students are not being equipped with the essential skills they need to succeed:
The ability to read and write proficiently
A solid foundation in mathematics
Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
A drive for excellence
The character and discipline necessary for adulthood, employment, and relationships
A safe and supportive learning environment, for everyone. Not just the victim class or indoctrinated liberal students.
Instead, government education has strayed from its core mission by prioritizing other initiatives over academics. This shift has led to a slew of misguided and incompetent worst-in-class policies (footnote 4) :
Amid these concerns, President Garcia’s report smugly attempts to elevate public schools as morally superior and champions of education while turning a blind eye to its glaring shortfalls. While ignoring the systemic issues plaguing public education, Mr. Garcia’s report promotes “safety and inclusivity” as credible offsets excusing the district’s performance in academics, discipline and character development.
The district’s academic performance continues to struggle despite the state consistently lowering proficiency standards. Reports of bullying, harassment and vandalism remain too high to be acceptable (especially in the middle school) while the district claims ‘progress’. The much-celebrated social-emotional learning (SEL) program has yielded little tangible improvement—evidenced by the HIBs, but also the 2024 graduation brawl that led to 12 people being charged and the Board President's involvement captured on video and broadcast throughout the tristate. And, in even darker issues, a former district teacher was recently arrested on charges of sexual misconduct that happened while in the district. (footnote 4)
Instead of acknowledging these realities and working to regain public trust, the NJ DOE’s (and some BOEs) response has been a shrug. In the case of Westwood and Township of Washington this indifference includes public censure in the President’s Report and self-promotional virtue signaling.
It can be anticipated that the cheap shots lobbed at private institutions (and homeschooling) will continue to spread. As private schooling and school choice in general gain serious traction and slowly weaken the unilateral powerbase of the NJ DOE and teacher’s union, those sore losers will be compelled to excuse their failures by criticizing the competition.
All the while ignoring the perspective that that the exodus of students is not the problem—it is the symptom of a sick system that has lost its way and abandoned its fundamental purpose: A commitment to academic excellence, a focus on the values of discipline and character in an environment free from ideological imposition.
—------------------
Footnotes
Footnote 1: Turbulence
Accused publically on multiple occasions of stealing his opposition’s campaign materials in the November of 2022 election. Upon the accusation, Garcia shut down his Facebook campaign page and withdrew from publicity and local events. He repeatedly refused to answer when questioned at the dias and remained silent when this was raised to him school board meetings.
Received a vote of no confidence in January of 2023 from 8 out of 10 school board members as a result of failing to answer the community.
Embroiled in a lawsuit brought by the previous superintendent of the district. Although not personally named, mentioned throughout the complaint here: https://portal.njcourts.gov/CIVILCaseJacketWeb/pages/civilCaseSummary.faces?cid=2 Docket BER-L-3393-24
In an awkward display, when one of the minor student school board representatives decided to declare her sexual preferences for other girls during a school board public meeting, offered an ovation and cheer. This peculiar act of a grown man excited about a young girl's sexuality did not go unnoticed by the audience and viewers.
An intermittant congregant at Parkside Community Church. See the story about this organization HERE
Footnote 2. Voting record
Voted twice against the Parental Notification Policy 9244 which ensured parents would be made aware of all material circumstances relating to their children in 2023.
Later voted to rescind Parental Rights Policy 9244 in 2024.
Vote twice against the recision of the fiercely contested Policy 5756 (Transgender Policy) which allows schools to hide a student's transgender status from their parents, allows the school to change a student's name without notifying the parents and a secret file to be kept about it, allows boys (XY Chromosome) into girls (XX Chromosome) bathrooms and lockerrooms among many other gross moral violations.
Later voted twice to reinstate Policy 5756 in 2024
Interestingly, under the previous board, in 2023 Westwood was the 2nd district in the state to rescind the policy. Now in 2025, more than 18 districts have followed suit.
Voted twice against an update to the controversial issues Policy 2240 which prevented teachers from expressing their personal opinions in the classroom to prevent bias and inappropriate influence.
Later voted in an adulterated controversial issues policy that expressly permits teachers to offer their personal opinions while teaching in 2024, allowing the corruption of objectivity
Voted twice against Flag Policy 8830.01 for the district that ensured that only the United States Flag and the Flag of the State of NJ would fly above the school or on school grounds in May 2023
Footnote 3: Board President’s Speech
Good Evening, everyone. In line with School Board recognition tonight, I want to speak candidly about an important distinction that defines our work as public education trustees, the difference between private schools' personal ideology, and public service.
As individuals, we have we all have ideas about what an ideal school system looks like, ideas shaped by our experiences and values,and sometimes by the lens of a charter or parochial school experience. In private education, the focus is tailored to specific values, beliefs or approaches. That's why those schools were created and continue to serve specific communities today. They operate with a targeted mission designed to meet the needs of a particular audience.
But public education is entirely different. It's bigger, broader and about serving every child and family, regardless of background, belief system or circumstance. Public Schools are built on the idea that every student deserves an excellent education, regardless of where they come from, where they're headed, or what their family looks like. We do not turn any child within our community away, and that means our decisions must reflect a collective good, not a particular ideology or narrow vision. The work we do with the superintendent and our administrators drive this district towards a shared mission. Together, we aim to ensure that every student in this district has access to safe, inclusive and challenging educational environment
As your WWRST, trustees we must remind ourselves that personal beliefs are not the priority of this role. Our priority is serving the greater good by creating conditions where every student can thrive. Sometimes this means making decisions that don't align perfectly with what we might choose for our own families, but that's the essence of public service. It's about serving our community, not ourselves, and recognizing that while our personal ideals may shape our perspectives, they cannot drive our decisions. Our Administrators and Superintendent are critical partners for this work. They bring professionalism, expertise, data and deep understanding of our district's diverse needs, helping to inform the decisions we make as trustees. Together, we're committed to ensuring that these needs, that the needs of the majority, are met, while striving to provide the best opportunities for those in the numerical minority. This balance is challenging, but it's essential to what makes public education indispensable.
We're not here to create a system that reflects individual preferences. We're here to build one that reflects the best of who we are as a community, our diversity shared, values and commitment to every child's success, and we do that through collaboration with our administrators, families, staff and one another.
So, as we move forward, I ask for your continued engagement and perspective. Let's work together to ensure that our Westwood schools remain places where every student can thrive regardless of the desired path. It's an honor for US to serve this community together. We can keep focus where it belongs and ensuring that a westward Regional School District Public education is an excellent foundation for every child's future that walks through our doors.
Thank you.
Footnote 4: Concerning actions of the NJDOE and radical left NJ BOEs
Classrooms and curricula increasingly shaped by far-left progressive ideology
Policies that sideline parental authority and position the school as the ultimate arbiter of a child’s well-being
The introduction of sexually explicit materials in school libraries under the guise of education
The promotion of gender ideology in elementary and middle schools
A focus on DEI and CRT at the expense of educational excellence and constitutional principles
A disturbing rise in cases of teacher misconduct, including sexual predation, without meaningful district intervention
The erosion of academic standards, with test scores plummeting while benchmarks are lowered to obscure the decline
A culture of political bias that marginalizes students and families with moderate or conservative values
Footnote 5: Teacher Arrest for Sexual Misconduct
Garcia and his cronies are following the radical agenda. They drove this district into the ground. Westwood is failing Westwood is failing and the scores are lower than neighboring towns. But it’s over for them. And all is being exposed. Their hands are tied with trumps EO’s. Trump is saving children all over the country and I can’t wait to watch it all unfold for the radicals. 🍿🍿
Excellent essay. The entrenched radicals of the Dept of Ed, Boards of Ed, teachers unions, and librarians — as well as their wimpy and corrupt government lapdogs — continue to give irrefutable evidence that the time for school choice has arrived. Kicking and screaming, these out-of-touch and self-serving whiners are being overwhelmed by the common sense of newly-emboldened parents, administrators, and legislators nationwide no longer afraid of being called racists, homophobes, transphobes, and the like. Even NJ is waking up from the nightmare of forced attendance at leftist government monopoly schools that has screwed a generation of kids.