On October 17, the annual Hilton Neighborhood Association South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education Candidates Forum eschewed the more typical format of having candidates answer questions in one or two-minute answers. Instead each candidate was given five minutes to explain their platforms: “what they are doing, what they want to do and why they would be a good Board of Education member.”
Several questions were taken from the audience afterward, yielding some of the more spirited moments of the evening. Intense conversations took place on what the Intentional Integration plan might look like and also on changes to the curriculum addressing the teaching of the history of slavery and incorporation of the state’s Amistad curriculum.
The iussue of equity dominated the discussion and platforms — including everything from data for Access & Equity to hiring more teachers of color. Administration was also a major topic with several candidates discussing how to support and evaluate the new superintendent of schools Dr. Ronald Taylor and ensure the proper implementation of the $160M Long Range Facilities Plan. Improved communications, resolving issues around public speaking at board meetings, and finding ways to shorten/streamline board meetings were also topics of discussion.
Introductions
3:55 Thair Joshua
5:22 Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad
7:07 Erin Siders
9:00 Carey P Smith
11:42 Johanna Wright
PLATFORMS
13:50 Erin Siders (note: video was interrupted at the beginning of her comments) talked about teachers needing to reflect the student population and said that the district needed to perform more outreach to attract those potential teacher hires. She also said that the professional development teachers receive should reflect “our student population.” Siders said she supported the $160M Long Range Facilities Plan — from portables, to asbestos removal, to sports fields, to past issues with lead in water. Lastly Siders spoke about communication, saying that the district had a “bad history of communications,” and asking that the district “hire a media and communication specialist” and adopt a “policy of providing clear concise timely information” to all families.
15:52 Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad said a major focus of hers would be to make sure that new Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ronald Taylor “gets set up for success,” helping him through the Long Range Facilities Plan and the Intentional Integration and Innovation Plan — and to “make sure he stays.” She discussed administrative “churn” but pointed out progress that was made despite the churn, saying that Dr. John Ramos “insisted” on the Access & Equity policy and that “a fair amount of initiatives” from his Strategic Plan have been implemented. Lawson-Muhammad said that interim superintendent Dr. Thomas Ficarra brought in several former superintendents working in lower level positions and also worked on “cranking out curriculum” so that “now we are in a position to be proud.”
21:15 Thair Joshua focused first on data, saying that since Access & Equity was implemented in 2016 with the first data being available in 2017 and “we haven’t seen anything since. … If we don’t have the data to monitor these things we are going to be right back where we were before.” Joshua said that paraprofessionals, custodians and lunch workers should receive anti-bias training. Joshua spoke of making teacher evaluations representative “of the work they are doing” and open because “we should know how teachers are performing.” To make sure the “staff that reflects student population,” Joshua suggested the district’s diverse building leaders reach out for teacher hires. He supported the Integration Plan, but said “if curriculum is still based on white supremacy we haven’t done our job,” noting the work done to integrate Amistad into curriculum.
26:04 Narda Chisholm-Greene said she supported Intentional Integration but had some concerns — “How is it going to impact the students who are most vulnerable? … When you move your children around … how is that going to impact them, how are the parents who work every day going to be able to pick them up?.. I want to work together with our board members to see how that looks.” She also asked, “What are our classrooms going to look like? Have you successfully integrated your classrooms?” Greene talked about using the best practices of “great” teachers. Greene discussed retaining teachers of color and male teachers and said she wanted to build strong relationships with historic Black university and colleges (HBUC). Greene also talked about bringing more outsourced services back into the district.
31:15 Carey P Smith said that he wants to ensure that all children receive a “high quality and safe education that should be expected with our tax dollars. I also want to ensure that all our children and their families have a voice that will be heard” and that the district should meet students’ educational, psychological and social needs. Smith’s goals included improving accountability, improving communication “at all levels,” increasing transparency in district decisions, improving school safety. encouraging community involvement, establishing equity and equality in the schools, supporting teachers, improving the quality of education with modern technologies and approaches and equipment, and encouraging innovative and independent thinking.
34:00 Sharon Tanenbaum Kraus said that her presence is needed on the Board for consistency, communication and accountability. She said that special education brought her into contact with the district’s workings, but what “keeps her going is the potential of the district.” In terms of consistency, Kraus said, “With Dr. Taylor, I’m hoping we’re on our way,” but she noted that the district has a “big hire” coming up with the director of special services. “It is our job to make sure our employee Dr. Taylor makes the best choice.” Regarding communication, she noted that she is a journalist and could bring her professional experience to improving communications. Lastly she said she wanted to bring more accountability for the superintendent, making sure that he not only succeeds but, “if he falters, putting a plan in place so he can course correct.”
37:10 Johanna Wright spoke about the vetting process for choosing the new superintendent, saying that the Board of Education did not do an official site visit to Dr. Taylor’s former district as part of the selection process. Wright also lamented custodians and paraprofessionals being outsourced and noted her consistent support for bringing services in house. Wright noted that she formerly vote “no” on many policies, but said, “lately my votes have been ‘yes’ … because what we have been voting on, my colleagues and I, is to reverse and fix the things that they broke.” Wright extolled her experience as an educator: “Listen to the voice of experience. I’m an educator. …. I know about children. I know what children need. We don’t have an achievement gap. We have an expectations gap and we need to do more.” She ended, “let’s grow together and make this district what it used to be.”
43:00 QUESTIONS FROM AUDIENCE
Question 1: Meeting students needs in class instead of them having to seek tutoring outside of class (and what if tutoring is not an option). Three candidates responded:
- Johanna Wright talked about a lack of support for kids in classrooms. She said she wanted to bring back a Saturday program. Wright said that money had been spent on consultants “instead of on kids.”
- Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad said that Access & Equity opened up access to honors and AP, but “we didn’t have a flood” of students leveling up. Lawson-Muhammad said the district is still performing communication to encourage to students to “overcome the culture that has told them they could not do the work.” She talked about efforts in place to create labs, library time, and teachers recommending students for support.
- Thair Joshua responded, “We haven’t seen any numbers. … I believe this is the fourth year with Access & Equity in place. … I’d love to see the data.”
48:55 Question 2. The intentional Integration plan was packaged with the facilities plan using a K-5 forced choice option. What is you view?
- Thair Joshua disagreed that the plan was “forced choice. First of all we don’t know. … We shouldn’t be forcing children to do anything. … It’s not that we’re going to be moving your child around. We are going to be creating new community schools.” Joshua compared the controlled choice schools as “like kindergarten all over again. You’ll all go through this together. … Yes, I am strongly in favor of [an integration plan.] But the district needs a very good job of communicating.”
- Johanna Wright said that the burden should not be “on the shoulders of the kids at Seth Boyden. … This must be a district-wide solution that has the children’s best interest at heart. So we can’t make a decision that just gives a racial shift instead of a resource and functional shift.”
- Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad said, “The BOE isn’t figuring out the plan. The community needs to figure out the plan. … There has been a lull in communication and that needs to be fixed. … I fully expect for the committee to be reconvened and that work to be regenerated in order for that plan to be brought before the board.”
52:45 Question 3. It’s been two years since teaching and learning has been at center of debate. What’s you opinion the state of it in our school district
- Johanna said, “It’s horrible,” saying most of the curriculum had been outdated, but credited Dr. Ficarra for coming in and “getting curriculum rewritten” and updated.
- Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad replied, “Did we have curriculum out of date? Absolutely. … But as a mother of three children… I walked into [SM] this year and I was so impressed by what I would say is a complete turnaround … the teachers were able to talk about the curriculum.” She added, that although there have been issues and concerns with curriculum, they have been corrected and some “very impressive” work has been done. “I suggest you read what we’ve done with Amistad.”
- Johanna Wright then asserted that “we had a curriculum in elementary schools where we sold children in slavery.” Thair Joshua and Lawson-Muhammad pushed back. “No it wasn’t,” said Joshua. “That was done by a substitute teacher. That was not in anyone’s curriculum.” Wright then asserted that she was talking about the posters placed on the walls in South Mountain School. Lawson-Muhammad said that the posters were part of a curriculum where students were creating a colonial period newspaper and that students had the choice to create slave posters but that a slave auction was not a part of the curriculum. Regarding the posters, Lawson-Muhammad said, “If this nation is not honest with its history we will never overcome it.” She also noted, “Ms. Wright is correct that the curriculum has been modified according to Amistad” and that it is being rolled out in trial classrooms this year to be instituted across the district next year.
1:00 Have you been attending BOE MEETINGS? What do you think works well at the meetings?
Erin Siders noted that she has been at many meetings over the years. She said, “I’m on the fence with some of the changes on pubic speaks. I do like no longer ceding time. I’m on the fence about the new policy that first public speaks is for agenda items…. I think we need to make a compromise so it’s not punitive to families,” particularly those with young children.
Thair Joshua said that he goes to meetings and to board retreats as well but admitted to missing the June meeting to watch the NBA finals.
Narda Chisholm Greene said that she often watches the meetings on television but finds it difficult to read through the meeting minutes and also finds it challenging how long the meetings go. She said the meetings may need some more organization in place to shorten them. Greene thought there was room for compromise on ceding time.
Carey Smith said he had not attended in person yet because he has a lot of commitments, but if elected to the board, he will free that up (he has been serving on the Short Hills Millburn rescue squad on Monday nights). He said he was concerned about some committee meeting minutes not being published and was concerned about public speaks’ changes penalizing those who need to speak earlier in the meeting.
Sharon Tanenbaum Kraus said that the meetings start late and “I have three little kids that go to bed 30 minutes before the meetings so I ended up watching the meetings on tv or the next day.” She added, “I think that the meetings are very long and I think there is a way to shorten them.” Regarding public speaks she felt that the new policy was discouraging. “Let’s figure out a way where we can hear the public speak.” She also said she would like to see improvement to the Board’s website.
1:08:00 do you support the adoption of an LGBTQ history curriculum mandate?
Everyone said, “Yes, absolutely.” Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad said, “From an equity lens it’s absolutely critical that we understand the history of this country. … The masking of the history of LGBTQ is an issue as well. If we can make sure that we are teaching our students at a young age … The history of that struggle is important and the history of understanding is important.”
Thair Joshua added, “It has to be a very robust and detailed curriculum.”
Erin Siders said, “The policy was passed in NJ … and is also about people with disabilities and changing how we build curriculum for people we used to call marginalized.”
Johanna Wright said, “I basically wrote the curriculum for that in the district back in 1984 85 and started first gay alliance at CHS for our children and worked very very hard for anti-bullying for our kids … to teach our children that we are all people. … We really have to give them a helping hand and be kinder.”
