Union City Schools in Crisis: Patronage Over Students

Union City, NJ — The Union City School District is at a breaking point. Despite receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in state and federal funding every year, the district has laid off teachers, gutted afterschool programs, eliminated bus service, and cut critical ABA and early education support. Families and staff are furious: with this level of funding, how is it possible that students are left with less?

The answer, critics charge, lies in Mayor and State Senator Brian Stack’s political machine. The mayor, who wields outsized influence over the district through his power to appoint the Board of Education, has turned Union City schools into a patronage system that prioritizes jobs for his allies over classrooms for students.

Massive Funding, Minimal Services

Union City has been described by state and local leaders as one of the most heavily funded school districts in New Jersey:

In 2023–24, the district reported nearly $389 million in operating revenue, with about $242 million in state aid alone. On a per-student basis, Union City receives more than double the aid of many neighboring districts, including Jersey City and North Bergen.

Yet even with this money, the district has slashed services. Teachers have lost their jobs, afterschool programs have disappeared, and special education supports have been reduced to bare minimums. Parents are left to wonder where the money is actually going.

Excuses vs. Reality

District officials have tried to justify these reductions by pointing to “budget cuts” from outside forces — blaming COVID-19, inflation, and even federal spending policies. But critics argue these explanations don’t hold up.

Yes, at the national level, there has been a push to rein in wasteful spending. But that is exactly the point: if Union City’s funds were being used responsibly, there would be no need for panic. The only reason the district feels the impact of any reduction is because of how it has chosen to spend its money.

Instead of directing resources to the classroom, Union City has ballooned its payroll with unnecessary, politically created jobs. The salaries of these positions — often six figures — eat away at the district’s budget, leaving less for the very students the system exists to serve.

As one frustrated teacher put it: “If they actually put the money on the kids first, we wouldn’t be in this situation. The only cuts they feel are the ones that threaten their patronage system.”

A $93.7 Million Building Amid Shortages

Even as staff and students are squeezed, Union City is spending nearly $94 million on a new middle school, the Esther Salas Academy, scheduled to open in 2025. The six-story, 900-student facility is funded by the state Schools Development Authority.

While officials tout the project as a sign of growth, many see it as an empty symbol. “What good is a new building,” one parent asked, “if there aren’t enough teachers, programs, or services inside it?”

The Board of Education: Puppets of the Mayor

Unlike most districts in New Jersey, Union City’s Board of Education is not elected by the public. It is a Type I district, meaning its seven board members are appointed directly by the mayor.

This structure gives Brian Stack enormous leverage over a system he should have no direct role in. By law, the mayor of Union City has no authority to run the schools. But by controlling the appointments, Stack ensures that the board serves him, not the students.

The result is a district where loyalty to the mayor matters more than professional qualifications. Teachers and staff report a culture where political pressure is constant, and promotions are linked to political contributions or campaign work.

Patronage Positions: Politics Over Education

Among the most glaring examples of political hiring is the appointment of Mercedes Joaquin, Stack’s girlfriend, as the district’s Director of Community Relations. Critics call this a textbook patronage job: high salary, vague responsibilities, and no direct connection to classroom improvement.

Other allies of Stack hold similar positions, many of them created out of thin air, soaking up funds that could otherwise pay for teachers, aides, or student programs.

Meanwhile, staff describe an atmosphere of intimidation. Board Secretary Justin Mercado has been accused of harassing employees, pressuring them for political contributions, and silencing dissent. Teachers say they are forced to “play politics” just to keep their jobs, in direct violation of the principle that schools should be neutral spaces of learning.

Students Pay the Price

The losers in this equation are the children of Union City. While insiders collect salaries and political loyalty is rewarded, students are left without buses, without afterschool programs, and without sufficient special education support.

Parents and taxpayers are demanding answers. With nearly $400 million at its disposal, why does Union City still claim poverty? Why are staff and families told there is “no money” when salaries for political appointees are never on the chopping block?

Conclusion: Accountability Needed Now

Union City schools should be a success story — proof of what can be achieved when a community receives significant state support. Instead, they have become a cautionary tale of what happens when politics replaces professionalism.

Mayor Brian Stack and his handpicked Board of Education have created a system where patronage comes first, students come last. The district cannot continue to hide behind excuses about COVID or federal policy. The truth is simpler, and more damning: Union City’s crisis is self-inflicted, the product of mismanagement and political corruption.

Until the district is reformed and the mayor’s grip over education is broken, Union City’s children will continue to pay the highest price — their future.