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.
As we ponder our choices for South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education, I’d like to impress upon my neighbors the importance that Qawi Telesford was serving as Board President this past year, when Frank Sanchez’s job was saved just days before his contract as Principal of Columbia High School would’ve ended on June 30. I am confident that had Qawi not been Board President, the work to bring him back would not have gotten done before June 30, Frank would not have been renewed, and would’ve lost his job, his pension, and his career. And our community would have suffered deeply as well. Qawi Telesford became Board President and Arun Vadlamani became 1st Vice President in January 2023. This was pivotal, as Qawi and Arun worked closely with Dr Gilbert (interim Superintendent at the time) to quickly proceed to a vote at the crucial time to reinstate Frank Sanchez, grant him tenure, and restore him to his rightful place as CHS Principal.
We are still reeling from the chaos caused by not having Frank Sanchez sidelined for over a year, while interim principals tried their best to manage in his absence. It’s impossible to calculate what that cost us in lost time, energy, good will and of course, funds. What we need now is calm, experienced, thoughtful leadership who can help support our very green senior leadership team in rebuilding and moving forward. Most of them have fewer than 2 years’ time in their positions. Some positions remain empty. We can move forward and serve our kids better if the infighting and chaos stops.
The slate of Qawi Telesford, Arun Vadlamani and Bethany Joseph are the best choice to lead us forward.
Thanks,
Lou Smith, South Orange
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 We do not publish letters attacking competing candidates or any person.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.
