We, the undersigned families and community members of Jersey City, are calling on Jersey City Public School leadership to take immediate and meaningful action to address overcrowding at PS16—with both long-term planning and short-term solutions that truly center the needs of our youngest learners and the broader community.

Currently, children as young as 3 and 4 years old are being bused from PS16 in Paulus Hook to Danforth Avenue Early Childhood Center in Greenville. This is developmentally inappropriate and places an unnecessary physical and emotional burden on very young children. Winter pickups and drop-offs further compound these challenges, creating stressful, and exhausting days for families and students.

Our concern has deepened with the decision to also move Kindergarten—now a mandatory grade in New Jersey—out of the PS16 community and to Danforth. Kindergarten is foundational. Removing it from the neighborhood disrupts families, undermines educators, and negatively impacts children at a critical stage of development.

Our Ask to Jersey City Public School Leadership:

First, we demand a long-term solution that serves our neighborhood and reflects the reality of continued growth. This solution must:
 • Accommodate the full PS16 student body—from preschool through eighth grade
 • Be rooted within the community
 • Include a clear plan, timeline, and accountability for delivering adequate and permanent school capacity

Second, we require a short-term solution for the upcoming school year that keeps Kindergarten at the heart and start of the PS16 community. Kindergarten belongs in the neighborhood it serves. We are willing to consider alternative locations only if they are within walking distance of the PS16 annex or main building. Busing Kindergarten students out of the community is not an acceptable option.

These are reasonable, child-centered expectations. Our youngest learners deserve stability, proximity, and a school experience that supports their well-being—not long commutes and temporary fixes.

We urge Jersey City Public Schools, in partnership with families and city leadership, to act now. Our children cannot wait for planning that never materializes. By signing this petition, we are asking decision-makers to listen to families, prioritize children, and commit to sustainable solutions that strengthen—not fragment—our community.