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.
I endorse Jeffrey Bennett for Board of Education because of his proven dedication to the needs of our educational community and his ability to use data and research to effectively address the complex issues our District is facing as a result of the Intentional Integration Initiative (III), which he fully supports. His experience as a prior member of the Board, his career as a data-driven resource librarian in New Jersey, as well as his personal experience as a resident of South Orange and father of three children in the District, make him uniquely positioned to bring a fact-based approach to District policy and to the integration of the III.
I came to know Jeff after he helped advise me on issues my neighborhood was facing after losing busing as a result of a new, flawed, hazardous routes policy the Board drafted and released earlier this year. I have since discovered that Jeff has so much more to offer our community than his strategies around restructuring busing and transportation under the III. His consistent presence at lengthy Board meetings, his research and deep understanding of the III and its importance to our student and teacher well-being, his willingness to reach out to community members who are struggling with a variety of problems in our schools, and his constant use of data and resources to offer solutions to these problems, has made a lasting impression on me.
Jeff has been vocal about his disapproval of the mismanagement of our District’s transportation and hazardous routes policies, the lack of progress the District has made on implementing the recommendations of Dr. Fergus, the struggle families are experiencing with school placements, and the constant turnover of staff in our District. I see Jeff constantly trying to get to the root of these challenges by identifying their systemic flaws and strategizing solutions to address them. We need this type of thinking on our Board.
He continually pushes our District Administration on the facts and has made it clear that, if elected, he will critically reevaluate Dr. Taylor’s contract. He will work with sitting Board members to ensure our Administration gets an overhaul and brings in a new Superintendent who can properly manage such a complex District undergoing such pivotal changes.
I believe Jeff will help the Board make sense of the complex systems that are required of a successful Integration plan. He will promote a fair process for school transfers, while using evidence-based research on prior integration models to help guide our policy. He will push for immediate action and accountability by the Administration on the overdue commitments we owe our diverse student population. He will promote a culture of respect, accountability, and sympathy for the students and families in our district who have been overlooked and underrepresented. Most importantly, he will bring a level of thoughtfulness to the Board that our community and sitting Board trusts him for.
Sincerely,
Karen Tershana
South Orange
