On Monday, August 10, South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education member Shannon Cuttle was elected by Board of Education members from districts across Essex County to serve as delegate to the New Jersey School Board Association (NJSBA) Board of Directors representing Essex County. Cuttle was elected at the summer Essex County Board of Education meeting.
The NJSBA Board of Directors is composed of two representatives from each New Jersey county. Cuttle joins Board Member Shane Berger from Bloomfield as an Essex County rep.
South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education President Annemarie Maini also attended the meeting in support of Cuttle, who was elected unanimously by all members of the Essex County BOE.
According to Maini, this is the first time South Orange-Maplewood has had representation on the NJSBA Board. Cuttle may also be the first openly LGBTQ person to serve in this role, although that fact has not been confirmed. Cuttle recently made history with their selection as a Biden/Harris delegate at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Said Cuttle, “I’m really excited to help move NJSBA forward and represent SOMSD and Essex County.” Cuttle’s term is 2020 – 2023.
NJSBA Board of Directors oversees the organization, policy, bylaws, actions and has important oversight and work that impacts the state level and county level along with our executive committee and President.
Annemarie Maini called Cuttle’s election “great news.”
“I believe Shannon’s election was due to their commitment to creating great, inclusive learning environments for all students, but also to their genuine effort to nurture relationships across our state’s schools boards,” said Maini. “Whenever you go to a training or meeting with Shannon there is always someone new who comes up to greet us. We are fortunate on our board to not only have Shannon as a state level advocate, but also to have Elizabeth Baker serving on the NJSBA Delegate Committee. For several years, Elizabeth has been one of our representatives on this committee driving NJSBA to advocate for better healthcare options for our teachers, as well as fighting for actual school board representation on the NJ School Employees Health Benefits committee that oversees plan development and fee schedules.”
