To the Editor:
We are writing to voice our support for Chris Sabin, a long-time friend and fellow Clinton School parent. We’ve known Chris for over ten years and have spent a lot of time talking to him about his children and ours, in particular their experiences in our public schools. We moved here in part for the schools, but many years later find ourselves concerned about whether they will live up to their original promise for our children.
As parents of color, we remain anxious about whether our sons will be reduced to another set of achievement gap statistics. We work hard to ensure that doesn’t happen. We wish we had more confidence that the district was working just as hard — and effectively — to see that all children achieve at their full potential.
The achievement gap issue is of course very personal for us, but it is only a symptom of a wider and deeper problem. At bottom, our district is not consistently effective at engaging and challenging all its students, whoever they may be. Students of color, students with special needs, economically disadvantaged students and English Language Learners are particularly at risk, but so is every other student in the district.
We want to see Chris Sabin on our Board of Education because he really gets it. He understands children and their needs. He understands what happens when the relationship between a teacher and a student sours, when a teacher gives up on a student. He also understands how to engage with others, especially children. He models the behavior we need to see in all adults in our school system.
We support Chris Sabin because what happens really matters to him. He won’t just sit at the Board table and wring his hands over the lack of progress. He will dig in and make sure that something starts to happen. He will inspire more adults to work even harder to engage more children, whatever the challenges they face in doing so. Chris is a leader who can make a difference.
Please join us in electing Chris Sabin to the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education. Be sure to vote on November 3.
Mauri Myers-Solages
Ralph Solages
Maplewood
