Charles Epps 
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Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 05:29:12 AM EDT
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Prince Charlie says that $242,000 a year isn't enough. So the Jersey City School Board is giving him a raise:
Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. is expected to ink a new three-year deal this week that will pay him $252,000 a year starting July 1, bump him up to $260,000 next year, and pay $275,000 the third year, according to persons familiar with the negotiations.
It's unbelievable. The average pay for a school superintendent is only $74,733. Earning $91,949 would put the Prince of Underachievement in the 75th percentile. We should be getting at least two people for this salary and probably three or four.
But he deserves it. Uh-huh. Me, too. I guess it all depends on how one defines "deserving".
The district has received national recognition for closing the achievement gap at the elementary school level, but test scores at the high school level have remained stubbornly low.
Roughly half the district's high school graduates last year - 667 out of 1,479 - had to go through an alternative process to graduate as opposed to passing the normal high school proficiency test.
Please, Prince Charlie, we can't afford any more success like this.
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Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 11:08:37 AM EDT
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The State Education Commissioner has announced that Jersey City schools are doing just fine - sort of. After almost twenty years of being run by state appointed leadership, the Jersey City school system is passing in two out of five areas. Only here could a sixty percent failure rate be seen as praise-worthy. Incredibly, "instruction and programming" - translated as "actually educating your kids" - not only received a failing mark, but the lowest mark of all areas
How do Jersey City's public officials react to this? Prince Charlie Epps says he is "ecstatic" about this "historic moment". Court Jester Jerry Healy practically broke his arm patting Prince Charlie on the back. What the hell am I missing out on? Since when does a 40% success rate call for such celebration? The schools exist to educate kids, not to provide jobs for Prince Charlie and his Court.
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Tue Oct 03, 2006 at 10:23:22 AM EDT
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I have to say, I'm not a fan of Jersey City Superintendant Charlie Epps. In fact, I think he should be run out of town on a rail. Why?
Well, first, he gets paid almost a quarter of a million dollars a year and he ignores the Jersey City schools. 27 of 33 schools in Jersey City received failing grades this year. Two of the schools have failed for so long that they were closed. Now the students from those two failing schools are crammed into already over-crowded schools to help bring their test scores down.
This is what passes for educational leadership in Jersey City.
And the School Board?
Some of them seem to have a slight clue
Dr. Epps' ability to lead has eroded greatly," one board member wrote. "His absence from the district and late starts in his office have diminished his credibility. His integrity becomes questionable when he is focused on things beyond the scope of the district."
Another comment read: "The superintendent was called to several meetings by political leaders in which his representation as an assemblyman or superintendent was unclear.
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Thu Aug 24, 2006 at 01:35:31 PM EDT
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The Jersey Journal's Ken Thorbourne writes:
Lumping Jersey City's state-appointed schools chief, Charles T. Epps Jr., with Newark's free-spending ex-mayor, Sharpe James, Assemblyman Richard Merkt, R-Randolph, called this week for "someone" to hold them accountable.
Citing Monday's Jersey Journal story that revealed Epps, also an assemblyman, has placed four school district employees on his Assembly payroll, Merkt stated in a press release:
"Clearly this raises questions about what jobs these individuals are doing and on whose time they are doing these jobs.
"There is legitimate concern that these employees are getting paid to do legislative work on school district time or vice versa," Merkt added.
Two separate investigations - one state, one federal - has been launched into James' use of two city-issued credit cards, which he used to rack up nearly $160,000 worth of expenses over the past four years, including trips to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Brazil.
"New Jersey citizens are fed up with government officials using tax dollars as their own personal expense accounts and double dipping on the taxpayer dime," Merkt said.
I never heard of Mr. Merkt before I read this article, but I agree that "someone" should hold Epps accountable. Both Epps and James are prime examples of everything that's wrong with New Jersey politics. Both men have operated in their own fifedoms for far too long without any realistic accountability. Both have enriched themselves at the expense of the public.
If nothing they have done is illegal or unethical, then they should have nothing to fear from an independent investigation into their financial backgrounds. Despite its abuses at the federal level, an office of Independent Counsel operating under the supervision of the State Supreme Court and having full investigative authority for all levels of government in New Jersey would be a welcomed action. I won't say that the level of public corruption today is worse than in prior years, but I will say that the level of confidence the public has in its government is as low as it has ever been. This would be a step towards reversing that.
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Tue Jun 27, 2006 at 01:46:58 PM EDT
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According to the Jersey Journal's Ken Thorbourne, the Crown Prince of Jersey City is thinking about stepping down:
Jersey City's beleaguered state-appointed schools chief, Charles T. Epps Jr., told The Jersey Journal yesterday he's contemplating retirement.
"At my age, it's always on your mind," said Epps, who's 62. "I think about it every day."
The statement by Epps, who doubles as a state assemblyman for parts of Jersey City and all of Bayonne, follows weeks of bad publicity about a costly trip to England two years ago.
He made his comments yesterday just hours after the Journal held an editorial board meeting with four of the city school board's nine members.
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Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 07:30:14 AM EDT
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Poor Prince Charlie! He's so busy bending backwards to avoid the appearance of wrongdoing in his little embezzlement scheme trip to London that he forgot to pay his taxes:
Maybe Charles T. Epps Jr. needs to get a third job.
Epps, who receives a $225,038 annual salary plus a $1,000-a-month housing allowance as Jersey City's state-appointed superintendent and another $49,000 as an assemblyman, is behind on his city taxes.
Epps failed to pay $1,040.74 in property taxes, due May 1, on a three-family home on Bramhall Avenue. He was up to date on his taxes for his other Jersey City home on Holly Street, according to city records.
Yeah, no big deal. Except - what the hell is he getting a "housing allowance" for when he's acting as a slum lord a property owner? Isn't that kind of like giving a fish a water allowance?
Plus, this is a three family home. If he isn't living there, that's three families times at least a thousand a month - and that's a fairly low price in most of Jersey City these days. I'm willing to bet, double or nothing, that he didn't forget to collect rent from his tennants.
The school chief also was late on his taxes for the last two quarters of 2005 on the same property, but paid up in March, records show.
"I guess I need someone to take care of them for me," said Epps, who admitted that, as an elected official, he really ought to take better care of his civic responsibilities.
Well, "better" would imply that he had taken any kind of care of them in the first place.
That leaves me with the nagging question: Is there anything so simple that Prince Charlie couldn't screw it up?
Thanks to Jarrett Renshaw of the Jersey Journal for the orginal reporting on the issue. Cross-posted for hybrid vigor from NJ Tammany
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Tue Jun 06, 2006 at 02:31:12 PM EDT
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The Star-Ledger is reporting that Gov. Jon Corzine is living up to his pledge to end "business as usual". First target: Camden Board of Education.
Gov. Jon S. Corzine has used his broad power over the Camden Board of Education to strike down an incentive-laden contract for the school district superintendent, after previous reports raised questions about the amount of bonuses she's already received.
Why is Gov. Corzine picking on this district?
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Fri Jun 02, 2006 at 07:07:52 AM EDT
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"I don't understand. Why all of this coverage?" Epps continued. "Why are you attacking me? Don't you think it's overkill?"
NO!
It is not overkill! It won't be overkill until you resign in disgrace and face prosecution for stealing public funds. Don't you get that? What you did (stealing) was wrong. Grudgingly paying part of that money back doesn't change that.
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Thu Jun 01, 2006 at 09:35:37 AM EDT
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A fish, it has been said, rots from the head. Apparently, Prince Charlie is a fish. And his rot is spreading.
From the Jersey Journal:
Epps pledged last week to return the $5,179 he submitted as expenses following the trip, but Adele Macula said she was "reviewing" her records before she made any decision regarding the $5,456.03 in reimbursements she received.
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Tue May 30, 2006 at 06:46:16 PM EDT
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Did you hear the one about the state official who used public funds to pay for his vacation? No, wait! It gets better! When he was caught, his buddies decided that he had not been wrong in doing so!
No, it isn't a Walt Disney story.
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Tue May 30, 2006 at 08:26:50 AM EDT
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From the Jersey Journal:
By JARRETT RENSHAWJOURNAL STAFF WRITER
He spent the public's money in England - but the public will be shut out of today's special school board meeting with state-appointed Schools Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr.
Epps will likely be asked to explain his lavish spending and four-day side-trip to London while attending a 2004 education conference at Oxford University.
So why can't Prince Charlie face the public and answer questions in an open session? Why can't he look at the voters he's supposed to represent and explain why he ripped them blind as soon as they weren't looking?
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Sun May 28, 2006 at 02:32:14 AM EDT
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I am not sure, because I didn't read Crashing the Gate nor do I have any intention to read it, because in the grand scheme of things, I don't really care that much about the blogosphere. But it has been my sense since blogging became hip that the blogosphere is viewed by many both inside and outside of it as the next step in the evolution of journalism. I think that the jury is still out on that, but if I had to guess, it probably won't be anything more than a temporary phenomenon.
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Sat May 27, 2006 at 10:25:00 PM EDT
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I can't tell you how I found this first draft of Prince Charlie's statement, but I swear to McGreevey that every word is true:
Ok, you got me. I ripped you people off. So what? I've been doing it for years. You cretins think you can stop me? You're idiots. I've stolen so much money that I now actually use twenty dollar bills for toilet paper.
You little people need to understand that I am orders of magnitude of greatness above your petty level. You should bow on your knees and kiss my godly ass for putting up with your little drool-slobbering kids. Not that I actually see any of the booger-eaters, but theoretically that's why I'm here.
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Sat May 27, 2006 at 10:16:35 PM EDT
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The Jersey Journal has the text of Prince Charlie's "mea not-quite culpa":
The children of Jersey City are, have always been, and will continue to be my top priority. When I received the invitation to participate in the Oxford University Roundtable, I looked upon it as an opportunity to share Jersey City's story with highly respected educators from around the world - many of them American Superintendents, and to learn about best practices that might be replicated for the benefit of the children in Jersey City. The trip to the Oxford University Roundtable was a worthwhile and legitimate staff development activity.
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Thu May 25, 2006 at 06:56:50 AM EDT
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(I really looooooove this guy! - promoted by Xpatriated Texan)
From the Jersey Journal
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
The state Department of Education wants Jersey City Superintendent of Schools and Assemblyman Charles T. Epps Jr. to give back the money he charged taxpayers for his ritzy trip to England in 2004.
"We are going to be recommending that the district seek reimbursement for all charges that were outside the trip, specifically the four days he was not attending the convention and the days he spent at the hotel instead of at the university lodging," said Kathryn Forsyth, director of public information for the DOE.
I have a better idea: Fire him and then make him pay it back.
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Wed May 24, 2006 at 06:48:22 AM EDT
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From the Jersey Journal:
By JARRETT RENSHAWJOURNAL STAFF WRITER
An associate superintendent and her husband joined Jersey City Schools Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr. on his expensive trip to England that has become a lightning rod for critics of spending in the state's Abbott districts.
Adele Macula, who heads up the district's curriculum and instruction, and her husband Joe Macula, a vice president with United Water in Jersey City, wined and dined with Epps at two of London's finest restaurants during the 2004 trip.
They went across the pond, at the district's expense, to attend a five-day education conference at prestigious Oxford University.
But Epps and his companions arrived in London four days before the conference began, according to receipts and other documents obtained by The Jersey Journal through state Republicans and interviews with conference organizers, and they spent hundreds of dollars eating $80 entrees and $25 soups and staying at a $481-a-night hotel before trekking the 50 miles to Oxford.
Once at the conference, Epps and the Maculas apparently turned down the campus lodging - included in the cost of attendance - and instead stayed at the nearly $300-a-night Old Parsonage Hotel.
The evidence keeps piling up that Prince Charlie has approached his job as Superintendant as nothing more than a life of luxury on our dime. It's way past time to throw the bum out.
A school board member who has seen receipts submitted by Adele Macula says that she did not charge taxpayers for her husband's meals, though he did stay with his wife in the hotels.
Epps, on the other hand, was apparently reimbursed by taxpayers for Joe Macula's expensive meals when he picked up the tab, despite the fact that the United Water veep was not a district employee.
"The taxpayers did not pay for me," said Joe Macula when reached at his work yesterday. "I did not hand in those receipts."
He would not comment any further on the trip yesterday.
Epps also refused to comment about the trip, but officials said a statement from him is expected today.
Ah, the plot thickens. Prince Charlie played the Big Man and impressed his entourage with his generosity - then crammed the bill down the throat of the taxpayers.
Throw Him Out!
Cross-posted from NJ Tammany
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Tue May 23, 2006 at 08:07:49 AM EDT
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Lou Manzo is proving that it takes more than defeating his Cunningham-era partner, Anthony Chiappone, to make him toe the line in Hudson County politics. The Jersey Journal reports:
Charles T. Epps Jr. should return some or all of the money he received as reimbursement for his expenses during his 2004 trip to England, said fellow 31st District Assemblyman Louis Manzo of Jersey City.
Epps, an Assemblyman as well as the state-appointed superintendent for Jersey City Public Schools, violated the district's policies regarding travel expenses and overnight stays that were in effect when he went to London and Oxford, and therefore should return the money, Manzo said.
"In light of the fact that he broke his own policy, he should do the right thing and give the money back," Manzo said.
Unfortunately, "doing the right thing" is something of a rarity in Hudson County. Kudos to Assymn Manzo for pushing the issue when he so obviously doesn't have to:
Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, Union City Mayor and Assemblyman Brian Stack, West New York Mayor and Assemblyman Albio Sires, state Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco and state Sen. Bernard Kenny of Hoboken all did not return phone calls for comment.
Yeah, that's more like it. Now things feel normal again.
Damnit.
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Wed May 10, 2006 at 06:50:03 PM EDT
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Take a long hard look at the face shown above. He is the poster-child for why your property taxes are so high. And - hold onto your heart, Fred Sanford - he says you owe it to him.
That's right. You own him. So dig deep in your pocket, forget your own kid, and send your money to Charles Epps, Superintendent of Jersey City School District and State Assemblyman. As the JC Super, Mr. Epps steals accepts $225,038 in salary. Here's the kicker - the JC schools are actually run by the state. So why the hell is this guy getting this much pay?
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