Seven candidates have filed this year to run for three seats on the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education. Village Green has invited each candidate to submit a profile. The following profile is from Deirdre Brown. Read more Village Green election coverage here.
Deirdre Brown
Why am I running for South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education?
The short answer is because I love our community and believe our school district can do so much better for current and future students and families.
My husband, Dean, and I moved to Maplewood when my son was in kindergarten and my daughter was in 4th grade. They are now in 8th and 12th grades. My daughter, Gwyneth, sat on the BOE as a student representative in 2023-2024.
As my children have gone through our public school system, I have witnessed and experienced many positive aspects of our district and its potential. My children have had some incredibly talented and devoted teachers. They have been exposed to the arts in a manner that I think is unique to our district. My 12th grader has received a well-rounded education that has taught her to think critically and become a global citizen. The high school course offerings have continued to improve, and I am excited to see us beginning to make the necessary investments in our facilities. The students have learned to become advocates for themselves, and we have devoted parents and community members with many talents to offer. I could go on.
At the same time, I have experienced frustration, confusion, and worry. I have watched as highly talented teachers have left our district, because they feel unsupported and undervalued. I have watched as new policies, such as bussing and Freshman Academy, have been implemented without adequate thought and planning. I have watched as some BOE members have voted for an agenda of deleveling our district.
Because of these concerns and others, it feels like a pivotal moment for our district. It requires leadership that will use data to make decisions; capitalize on and engage our diverse community of teachers, parents, students, and local businesses and educational institutions; and work together to solve problems and create a truly equitable district that puts students and families first.
It is a hopeful moment for our district as we have a new superintendent, Mr. Bing, who has joined us this summer. I want to be a part of supporting him and his administration as we create a new vision and expectation for what this district can become: a district that fulfills the diverse needs of its students–from special education support to opportunities for gifted learners, expansion of Career and Technical Education at CHS, and support of the artistic and athletic talents of our children.
In addition to raising my children in the district, my professional and educational background positions me well to serve, and create an effective environment on the BOE. I work in policy. I am an Assistant Director at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, a non-partisan Congressional agency that makes fact-based policy recommendations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of federal agencies and programs. I lead multiple project teams to design and implement research studies. This includes designing surveys. It also includes analyzing laws, regulations, budgets, and guidance. In my work, I audit and make recommendations to federal agencies in a number of areas that are directly relevant to the management of the SOMSD. These include strategic planning and program design, including use of milestones, timelines, and performance measures to monitor progress; program and policy evaluation processes; collaboration practices; risk management; and internal controls. My work requires extensive teamwork and the engagement of a variety of stakeholders, another important aspect of working on the BOE.
I have an undergraduate degree in economics and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Go Illini!) and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. My two children have attended South Mountain, SOMS, and Columbia High School. In my spare time, I enjoy gardening; walking my dog, Ozzy, in the reservation; and spending time with my family. This often involves attending dance or musical theater events within the district and broader community, my children’s passions.
