Seven candidates are vying for three seats on the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education in the Nov. 5, 2024 election. Village Green invites voters to submit Letters to the Editors in support of candidates. See guidelines below.
Friends and neighbors:
Over my past 13 years living in Maplewood, I have volunteered in SOMA’s schools, helped lead a PTA, and headed the PTA Presidents’ Council. I’ve worked closely with our superintendents, and been enmeshed in the details of the work being done by our board of education.
I am writing today to endorse Qawi Telesford, Arun Vadlamani, and Bethany Joseph for election to the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education this year.
I volunteered for Qawi and Arun’s last campaign in 2021, and when I heard that Bethany had agreed to join their slate this year, I couldn’t have been happier.
When I first met Qawi back in 2021, he impressed me so much that I asked him if he’d consider running for the BOE. Here was a man who had graduated from this district, then had gone on to earn a doctorate, become a successful research scientist, and come back here to raise his own children and give back to the community that molded him. He struck me as an ideal addition to the board.
When he said yes, I was excited, and when he won, I was thrilled.
During his tenure, I’ve seen him dedicate himself to the betterment of all our kids. He’s deeply familiar with both the virtues of this district and its shortcomings, and he’s invested in enhancing the former as we repair the latter. Qawi was instrumental in helping bring Frank Sanchez back to CHS where he belongs, and in doing so, establishing critical stability for the high school’s students. Qawi has a track record of making brave and thoughtful decisions on behalf of this district, and has shown true leadership and community-building spirit as a member of the board.
I’m also proud to reiterate my support for Arun as he seeks reelection. Before he was on the BOE, he was a committed volunteer working with parents in and around SOMA as the Girl Scout cookie coordinator for over 60 troops. Arun brings business and data expertise to the board, but perhaps more importantly, he’s always willing to sit down for difficult conversations with every stakeholder, any parent, any student. He consistently works to explain BOE decisions to the community, and stands up to do what’s right, even when it’s uncomfortable. He, too, worked to bring Frank back to CHS when some BOE members were actively working to ruin this marvelous and caring educator’s career.
Bethany brings incredible passion and knowledge to the slate. I have known her for years as a caring parent in my neighborhood and at my synagogue. If elected, she would be the first openly lesbian member of the SOMA BOE — and representation matters. Bethany is an expert in building relationships and community, as she demonstrates daily in her professional capacity as a social worker, administrator and in her elder-care consultancy. She is also fiercely dedicated to doing the right thing, and her leadership on the YMCA board of directors reflected that commitment.
But at the core, the reason I’m publicly endorsing this slate is not just that they are three thoughtful, compassionate people who bring diverse and useful perspectives to the board. It’s that I trust them to make the best possible choices for this district.
I trust Qawi, Arun, and Bethany to carry out fair contract negotiations with our teachers union, balancing the district’s budget and our tax burden with our collective desire to do the right thing by our incredible educators, and give them as much of a raise and as much support in their work as possible.
I trust that Qawi, Arun, and Bethany will continue to support our Intentional Integration Initiative, which is already making a real difference and benefiting all our kids. Change on this scale is hard, and the road will inevitably be bumpy. But the board is trying to steer this district toward a reality that matches our ideals after decades of imbalanced policies. It’s the most important effort underway in our district, and we cannot afford to let it be eroded.
Ronni Schwartz
Letters to the Editors guidelines: Village Green publishes Letters to the Editors in support of candidates. Publishing these letters is at the discretion of the editors. We do not publish letters attacking competing candidates or any person. We aim to publish as many letters as we receive; however, if there is a large volume of letters and they are received late in the race, we cannot guarantee that they will be posted. Letters to the Editors can be submitted to villagegreennj@gmail.com. Please send as a Word or Google document, not as a PDF. Letter writers should provide their name and place of residence (town and state). The deadline for submitting a Letter to the Editor for the Fall 2024 election is Tuesday, October 29, at 5 p.m.
