This fall, four candidates are vying for three seats on the 9-member South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education: Trish Azeez, Liz Callahan, Kevin Diaz, and Will Meyer. Village Green is posting endorsements for candidates from current and former elected officials who hold or held townwide office or higher, as well as endorsements by local organizations. We ask that endorsers coordinate with candidates for full guidelines. Read more election coverage here.
Kevin Diaz
Dear Village Green,
With great joy I share my support for Kevin Diaz, who is running for the South Orange – Maplewood Board of Education.
Kevin and I met shortly after he announced his intention to run for the board – it was a long meeting! When it comes to local issues that impact our community, I love to talk, but it was Kevin who passionately lead our conversation. Kevin has done the work of connecting with a wide range of families in South Orange and Maplewood asking them – what are your essentials for you child’s education? What should the priorities for our school be?
His conclusions:
Continue and strengthen the Board’s commitment to Special Education, Intentional Integration, and a Healthy School Environment.
Ask again what equal opportunity in our schools should look like and how we achieve the best outcome for each student measured by students/families.
Address the school budget head on as what it is – A financial request to the people of South Orange and Maplewood to support an educational mission for our children. It requires the BOE to clearly state their priorities to the administration on behalf of the community.
Focus on facilities. The BOE must prioritize essential capital improvement projects that focus on baseline requirements for all our students -Safety, Access, Comfort. Each capital need identified should be robustly addressed individually by the BOE showing the public clarity on the BOE and BOE member’s priorities.
And so much more – If you have not met Kevin yet I recommend you do – It will be an inspiring conversation.
Please join me in supporting Kevin Diaz on November 3rd. You can learn more about his campaign at https://www.
Thank you for your consideration,
Bill Haskins
South Orange Village Council
The views expressed here represent Bill Haskins and not the South Orange Village Council as a whole.
