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.
TL;DR
As a committed and longtime SOMSD volunteer I have seen what happens when the BOE functions well, and when it does not. After the chaos of last year we finally seem to have members poised to work together collaboratively. Electing Qawi, Arun and Bethany will make it possible to focus on process, prioritize students, families and staff and move the district forward. I hope you will share my optimism and join me in supporting and voting for Qawi, Arun and Bethany.
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My involvement in SOMSD includes PTA President, Presidents Council President, eblast coordinator for over ten years at South Mountain, South Orange Middle School and Columbia High School, chair or member of so many committees and programs than I can remember or list and almost ten years as Achieve Volunteer Tutor Program Coordinator.
We are a complicated district, with amazing wonderful aspects as well as long standing challenges that must be addressed. We also have a new superintendent, a CHS principal trying to get back to his job and life, contract negotiations, Fergus implementations… the list goes on and on.
I commend anyone and everyone who steps up for any volunteer position, especially one so fraught, but I know the jeopardy of a young and inexperienced BOE. It takes time to learn what policy governance actually means. To avoid the pitfalls of listening to only one segment of the community. To be able to withstand the need to be liked, tune out the noise and focus on what is best for all students.
I will never understand what happens to this community, one that I usually love, every year over these volunteer positions. Manufactured outrage is like junk food…so tempting, always a crowd pleaser, almost addictive…but ultimately actually empty and even harmful. Imagine what we could accomplish if we worked together, spending time and energy focused on the issues.
If you haven’t already, I hope you will watch Qawi’s remarks at the last BOE meeting about toning down the rhetoric. His meaningful comments about being a district student and his feelings about community and relationships begin at 2:05 (just to clarify he has a five DAY old daughter not five year, he misspoke likely out of exhaustion as any new parent can understand!) https://www.
I have always believed that one of the most important qualities in a BOE member is the ability to listen and learn and grow. I am now more certain than ever. There are different opinions about the previous superintendent but I don’t think anyone is proud of the November 3 BOE meeting last year.
And then, at that already precarious time, the district was further thrown into chaos. The absence of the CHS Principal had repercussions for the entire community. Not to mention a man’s professional and personal life was almost ruined. I will be forever grateful that Qawi and Arun were in positions of leadership to ensure Principal Sanchez was reinstated as quickly as possible.
Bethany has deep community roots, including successfully serving on a local education board. Her professional and personal experience make her the ideal board member, especially now. She will be able to navigate her new role with sensitivity, her genuine spirit of cooperation and true, nuanced, knowledge of the district.
At this transitional moment we need collaboration, experience and stability. Qawi, Arun and Beth
Amy Forman
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.
