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 Qawi Telesford. Read more Village Green election coverage here.
Qawi Telesford
As a CHS graduate, when I left South Orange to attend Rutgers University, I carried a strong sense of possibility shaped by my education in the South Orange-Maplewood school district; the idea of “two towns, one community” was central to my experience growing up in this community. Diversity, tolerance, and openness weren’t things I had to search for, they were simply my reality. Some might call it a bubble, but to me, it is the community I love, so after living in different parts of the country, when I had a job opportunity to continue my scientific research in NJ, I was drawn back here to raise my family. The unique sense of diversity and openness that defines this community is hard to find elsewhere, and I’m deeply grateful my children will grow up in this environment.
When I moved back, I strongly desired to give back to the community that had given me so much. This sense of responsibility motivated me to run for the Board of Education in 2021. When I joined the board in January 2022, my primary goal was to collaborate with others to improve the lives of our students.
As I near the end of my first term, I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for the hard work and dedication of our educators. I’ve also seen firsthand how collaboration can drive positive changes in our district. Working with the administration, I helped establish the Data and Technology Committee, which transformed how the district measures and discusses student success. By prioritizing data-driven decision-making, the committee identifies root causes and uses evidence-based solutions to enhance student outcomes. Collaboration was also key in our superintendent search, where we, as a Board, engaged the community and various stakeholders before unanimously selecting our new superintendent. Since I became Board president in January of 2024, we have begun to cultivate this spirit of teamwork and aligned the Board and superintendent with district goals, all centered on improving student outcomes.
Beyond collaboration, we must cultivate a culture of excellence through long-term strategic planning and stability in leadership. Over the past decade, our district has experienced frequent leadership changes, creating uncertainty for staff and students. This “administrative churn” is not new—I had five different principals during my four years at Columbia High School. That’s why it’s significant that our high school recently achieved its first tenured principal in over a decade. This milestone should become the norm throughout the district, as stable leadership and a unified strategic vision are essential for fostering an environment that supports student success. The change we need is a turn to stability and productivity.
I’m running alongside Arun Vadlamani and Bethany Joseph because we share a commitment to improving student outcomes and ensuring all students thrive. Together, we have deep ties to the school district spanning every decade from the 1970s to today and moving into the future. As a parent of young kids, I will be with this school district until 2042! Our collective understanding of this community and our collaborative approach will provide the stability needed for our school system to succeed and for students to excel.
