Seven candidates are vying for three seats on the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education in the Nov. 5, 2024 election. Village Green invites voters to submit Letters to the Editors in support of candidates. See guidelines below.
Dear Neighbors,
My name is Allison Posner and I am writing to express my support for Dr. Qawi Telesford, Arun Vadlamani, and Bethany Joseph for the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education. I have been a Maplewood resident for 9 years and I have two children at Tuscan Elementary, a 1st grader and 5th grader. I’m one of the many theater folks who call SOMA home and I’m honored to serve on the board of SOMA Action, a local grassroots organization focused on driving progressive change. I’m also a proud member of the Maplewood Democratic Committee, serving as a District Leader for District 15. [Editor’s Note: Posner is submitting this endorsement as an individual and not a representative of any group.]
Our school district has been through a lot over these past few years, which is something I know all of us can agree on. I’ve been grateful to Qawi and Arun for steering our board of education on a path of stability and collaboration through these difficult seas. Now is the time to keep the ship steady and cultivate thoughtful policy that will benefit the incredible student body here in SOMSD. Bethany has extensive leadership experience serving on the board of the South Mountain YMCA and I’m confident in her ability to leverage that experience in supporting the BOE as not only a leader, but a true team player. There has been such a high rate of turnover in district personnel, giving only shaky ground on which to build the best possible school experience for our students and families. We need members that cultivate relationships and momentum. Qawi, Arun and Bethany have spent their respective careers doing just that. We need board members that can meaningfully support our new superintendent so that SOMSD can be successful in all the ways we know it can, from funding the arts and athletics, to providing the highest quality education for all students.
While my children are still near the beginning of their school careers, my older son will be entering middle school next year and it is incredibly important to me that our board of education is set up for success so that they can set our students up for success. Qawi and Arun have shown empathy and tenacity in their roles on the board and a willingness to engage even through the most tense moments.
I hope you will join me on election day (November 5th!) and vote for Qawi, Arun and Bethany for the Board of Education.
Sincerely,
Allison Posner
Letters to the Editors guidelines: Village Green publishes Letters to the Editors in support of candidates. Publishing these letters is at the discretion of the editors. We do not publish letters attacking competing candidates or any person. We aim to publish as many letters as we receive; however, if there is a large volume of letters and they are received late in the race, we cannot guarantee that they will be posted. Letters to the Editors can be submitted to villagegreennj@gmail.com. Please send as a Word or Google document, not as a PDF. Letter writers should provide their name and place of residence (town and state). The deadline for submitting a Letter to the Editor for the Fall 2024 election is Tuesday, October 29, at 5 p.m.
