The South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education election takes place on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Three of nine seats are up for election. Three candidates filed to run by the July deadline and appear on the ballot: Shayna Sackett-Gable, Liz Callahan and Will Meyer. Two candidates, Jeff Bennett and Anthony Mazzocchi, announced a write-in campaign on October 7. Village Green is posting letters of support for all candidates: Deadline for submission is October 31 at 5 p.m. Read our guidelines here. Read all our election coverage here.
My name is Allison Posner and I am writing to express my support for Shayna Sackett-Gable, Liz Callahan, and Will Meyer for the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education. I have been a Maplewood resident since 2015 and I have 2 children at Tuscan Elementary, a Kindergartener and 4th grader. I’m one of the many theater folks who call South Orange and Maplewood home. Perhaps you’ve seen me perform at SOMA Rocks! at the Woodland, or at SOPAC with SOMA Stage, or with my husband, composer Eli Bolin, at Porch Fest. I’m also proud to serve on the board of SOMA Action, a local grassroots organization focused on driving progressive change. I am co-chair of the Democracy Action Committee whose focus is on voting rights and making sure everyone gets a chance to make their voice – their vote – count.
I know Liz Callahan as my neighbor and fellow Tuscan parent. She is always the first to volunteer to support our PTA as well as our block. Her enthusiasm for our neighborhood and school communities is unmatched. I met Will Meyer last year during his initial run for the BOE as I was inspired by his work fighting for students with special needs. In addition to my work in theater, I have my Masters in Early Childhood Education, special and general education, from the Bank Street College of Education. I have spent part of my career as a teacher and teaching artist often working with underrecognized and historically marginalized groups. Liz and Will share this commitment to ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion is the standard, not an add-on to policy. And I am lucky to call both Liz and Will my friends. I have only recently met Shayna Sackett-Gable, but already I have been impressed with her experiences as a Seth Boyden teacher and her work making math education relatable and fun for elementary students. I am not only impressed by each of these candidates individually but as a brilliant, united team, collaborating and building upon each other’s ideas and passion for our community.
Shayna, Liz and Will are good for the BOE because they bring collective decades of experience in the field of education. They understand our school district and are invested not only as professionals, but as parents. They bring diversity of thought and experience when we need it most. The whole team is well versed in advocating for all our students, especially understanding the deep work that still needs to be done for students with IEPs and making sure that special services are given much needed consideration. I am grateful to this team for seeing the full implementation of the III as the top priority that it is – the future of our community depends on it. This team understands that equity and access is the foundation of a strong school district that gives every student the opportunity to achieve their dreams and goals.
I hope you will join me on election day (November 7th!) and vote for Shayna, Liz, and Will for the Board of Education.
Sincerely,
Allison Posner
Maplewood, New Jersey
Note: Allison Posner is speaking as a private citizen and not on behalf of Soma Action.
