Beth Daugherty says goodbye at Dec. 19 South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education meeting.
After three terms and nine years –nearly four years of that as president — Beth Daugherty is leaving the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education.
The BOE and members of the administration said a fond farewell to Daugherty at the board’s monthly meeting on December 19, and presented her with a plaque.
Here is the full text of Daugherty’s remarks:
It’s been an honor to serve on the Board of Education for almost 10 years. People always comment that it must be a thankless job, and sometimes it feels that way. But it has also been incredibly rewarding to know that I have dedicated myself to making this school district a better place for all of our students.
Every decision I’ve made has been through the lens of trying to close the achievement gap and improve education for ALL of our students. And our District is in a better place today than we were 10 years ago, despite incredibly tight budget constraints. South Orange-Maplewood is a wonderful school district, with many challenges, but also incredible opportunities.
I want to congratulate Dr. Ramos and the 90+ members of the Action Planning teams on the work they’ve done to outline actionable steps we should take as a district to create a learner-centered environment in which all of our students can thrive.
The work ahead will be challenging, but it will dramatically improve our students’ educational experience while in the District and their preparation for life after high school!
I encourage everyone to embrace a CAN DO attitude as one action plan team member told us to do in November. Partner together to move this district forward! Board members, administrators, teachers, parents, students and community members – remember, we are all on the same team – trying to make South Orange-Maplewood a great place for ALL students!
Stay positive and optimistic! When things seem messy – point out the problems and ask questions, but then take a deep breath and give the teachers and administrators space to do their work – they are good at it!
I look forward to watching the District continue to improve and plan to support your work whenever I can, either through Achieve or other volunteer opportunities. Thank you for your confidence that has allowed me to serve on the Board of Education for almost a decade – I have thoroughly enjoyed it – but am ready to move on.
After a long, hearty round of applause from the board and the audience, BOE President Elizabeth Baker thanked Daugherty. “We will miss you.”
