Consultant Selected to Address Busing Debate Tensions

Community "dialogue session" planned.

The Township Council has opted to hire a New Brunswick-based organization to bring together diverse groups after tensions flared during the debate over school bus stops. Teaneck’s Community Relations Advisory Board approached the town council in response to concerns about the tone of the busing debate. Board members proposed hiring either New Brunswick-based American Conference on Diversity or the Public Conversations Project, in Watertown, Mass. According to the resolution approved Tuesday, the New Brunswick group was awarded a $500 contract, and the total contract cost must not exceeded 15 percent of the $36,000 bid threshold.  The consultants will help organize a “dialogue session” with a diverse group of community members. “It is not …

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Question of the Week

Does Teaneck Need Help Easing Tensions After Busing Debate?

What do you think about a proposal to bring in experts to hold dialogue sessions over community tensions?

The Community Relations Advisory Board has requested that the Township Council hire an outside firm to help bring different groups together after a debate over school bus routes sparked tensions in the community. The Community Relations Board is seeking to hire either the American Conference on Diversity or Public Conversations Project to hold a "dialogue session.” The purpose of the sessions is “to increase understanding of attributes needed within a diverse community, build cohesiveness among the groups (and) build capacity for a better understanding to help repair the community to avoid future incidents," said Community Relations Board Chairwoman Patricia White. The outside experts will facilitate the sessions, White said. The sessions …

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