Khader Abuassab
Khader Abuassab was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Paterson Board of Education in New Jersey, but lost in the general election on November 4, 2014. Abuassab previously ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the board in 1990.[1] Due to an inaccuracy in his voter registration form, he was removed from consideration in the 2014 race on October 22, 2014.
Biography
Khader Abuassab is a resident of Little Falls, New Jersey. Abuassab is employed as part of the Arab American Civic Association. In 2002, he plead guilty to federal charges of fraud regarding $619,852 in credit card debt. In March 2004, he was sentenced to 13 months in prison.[2]
Elections
2014
- See also: Paterson Public Schools elections (2014)
The election in Paterson featured four at-large seats up for general election on November 4, 2014. Incumbents Chrystal Cleaves and Jonathan Hodges ran against challengers Khader Abuassab, Koyes Ahmed, Emanuel D. Capers, Nelly Celi, Lilisa Mimms, and Taj Uddin for the three seats with full three-year terms. Board member Wendy Guzman did not file for re-election.
Although Abuassab still appeared on the ballot, he was removed from consideration by the Passaic County superintendent of elections on October 22, 2014, because he used a non-residential address on his voter registration form. If he had won a seat, he would not have been allowed to join the board.[3]
Incumbent Flavio Rivera ran unopposed for an unexpired two-year term. After Alex Mendez left the board to join the city council, Rivera was appointed to fill the position until the November 2014 election.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Chrystal Cleaves Incumbent |
21.2% | 4,175 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lilisa Mimms |
16.5% | 3,250 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jonathan Hodges Incumbent |
16.5% | 3,249 | |
| Nonpartisan | Nelly Celi | 13% | 2,562 | |
| Nonpartisan | Emanuel Capers | 10.6% | 2,094 | |
| Nonpartisan | Koyes Ahmed | 9.6% | 1,883 | |
| Nonpartisan | Khader Abuassab | 8.3% | 1,629 | |
| Nonpartisan | Taj Uddin | 4% | 789 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 34 | |
| Total Votes | 19,665 | |||
| Source: Passaic County Clerk, "Official Results - 2014 General Elections," accessed November 12, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Abuassab did not report any contributions or expenditures during his campaign, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[4]
Endorsements
Abuassab did not receive any official endorsements for his campaign.
Issues in the election
College readiness drops
In 2014, only 19 of the 594 high school students in Paterson Public Schools were considered college-ready based on SAT scores. This represented just 3.2 percent of the student body, a decline from 4.3 percent in 2013. The district's cumulative mean SAT score was 1,120, and the statewide average was 1,526. To be deemed college-ready, a student had to score at least 1,550 on the exam. Board member Corey Teague, who was not up for re-election in 2014, criticized the administration following the release of the test scores. He claimed that the administration was misleading parents about improved student academic performance and stated, "That’s a sign that they’re hiding something."[5]
Fellow board member Jonathan Hodges, who ran for re-election in 2014, called the low figure a problem and added that, "I don’t think we’ve done the work we need to get to the bottom of the problem." Terry Corallo, a spokesperson for the district, insisted that, "there are many factors that play a part in college readiness" and that the district had "invested heavily in building capacity of our staff, including school leaders, and now our guidance department is being restructured with a focus on preparing students for college and career – starting in elementary grades."[6]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Khader + Abuassab + Paterson + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Paterson Times, "Eleven residents apply for vacant school board post," June 25, 2014
- ↑ Paterson Times, "School board candidate was fined $619,000 for credit card fraud," October 21, 2014
- ↑ Paterson Times, "School board candidate’s voter registration revoked, nullifying his run," October 22, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Standard Search," accessed October 15, 2014
- ↑ NJ.com, "Only 19 Paterson high school students are 'college ready,' report finds," October 15, 2014
- ↑ The Paterson Press, "Latest SAT results: Number of Paterson ‘college-ready’ students drops to 19," October 14, 2014
| 2014 Paterson Public Schools Elections | |
| Passaic County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large (3-year term): • Incumbent, Chrystal Cleaves • Incumbent, Jonathan Hodges • Khader Abuassab • Koyes Ahmed • Emanuel Capers • Nelly Celi • Lilisa Mimms • Taj Uddin At-large (2-year term): • Incumbent, Flavio Rivera |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
