The following is from the Community Coalition on Race:
The Schools Committee of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race is hosting its 10th Annual Forum for Candidates for the Board of Education on Tuesday evening, October 27th, 7:00 PM at Marshall Elementary School in South Orange. The committee will present a series of questions to the candidates that challenge them to consider the relationship between school policies and integration in our community.
The Schools Committee’s goal–an integral part of the Coalition’s broader pro-integrative mission—is to investigate best practices in achieving stably integrated schools in which students of all races are expected and encouraged to excel in a community that is proud and supportive of its students. A candid dialogue on issues around race in our school district is an imperative step toward integration and inclusiveness in our community.
The Coalition continues to focus on the minority achievement gap, fully integrated schools and a school system that supports rigor, demands excellence, and provides an environment in which each student can succeed. We look forward to a day when the school district is stably integrated overall– within academic levels and schools–and to a time when students of all races are expected and encouraged to excel in a community that joins together in pride and support of its schools.
The candidates will be asked to respond to questions about the relationship between integration and cultural competency; student academic placement; the minority achievement gap; and a racially and culturally diverse staff. Following those responses, audience members will be given an index card to write down a question and then, if time permits, ask the question of the candidate(s). The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition is strictly a nonpartisan organization that does not endorse individual candidates. The Candidates Forum is open to the public.
