At the August South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education meeting, President Dr. Qawi Telesford used his update to explain some changes coming to board goals, operations and committee structure.
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Here are Telesford’s full comments:
This month the Board met for its annual retreat to discuss district goals for the coming school year, review our board self-evaluation, and to set board goals for the next year. In our last meeting, I expressed a desire to change how we operate as a Board because I believe our role should be as a collaborative and productive partner working with district administration.
To that end, the Board has aligned with administration along four key areas that will shape the district’s agenda for the coming year. These areas include enhancing academic and career preparation, fostering global citizenship and social interconnectedness, aligning district operations to create an inclusive environment, and engaging our stakeholders to ensure students thrive. In my discussions with Mr. Bing, I emphasized the importance of focusing on improving student outcomes. But what does that entail?
Improving student outcomes involves a holistic approach—preparing our students not only for academic success and post-graduation readiness, whether in college or a career but also for personal and social development. It means placing a strong emphasis on mental health and well-being, and above all, ensuring equity and inclusion are at the forefront of everything we do. By focusing on these areas, we empower our students succeed in school, but also prepare them with life skills to thrive in the future.
During our retreat we also we also focused on our Board goals. For the coming school year, the Board has committed to quarterly retreats with training in the areas of finance, equity, and restorative practices. As a key component to holding ourselves accountable, we will publish our own annual agenda, which will serve to guide our Board as tool to help us better support administration in achieving the district goals.
Looking ahead to the new school year, we will be changing our committee structure to better prioritize students’ needs. Our policy committee, for example, will place greater emphasis on governance, including how we monitor progress on our goals and ensure that the administration has the necessary regulations in place. Most importantly, in light of the recent audit and the challenges we face in special education, we are elevating the ad hoc special services committee to a standing committee. These changes will improve the Board’s work in its oversight role and continue to ensure that students receive the services they require to thrive.
As we move forward, our commitment remains clear: to operate as a collaborative and productive Board, focused on improving student outcomes and ensuring that every student in our district has the opportunity to succeed. This retreat has laid the groundwork for a year of progress, and I am confident that, together, we can achieve the goals we have set and make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students.
