Dr. Thomas Ficarra

South Orange-Maplewood Board of School Estimate to Hold Informal Workshop on $140M School District Plan Dec 6

The South Orange-Maplewood Board of School Estimate will begin the process of considering a tax levy to pay for a proposed $140 million Long Range…

Lembrich: Support for Long Range Facilities Plan & School Desegregation Is Moral Imperative for SOMA Community

The following is from Greg Lembrich, Maplewood Township Committee member. On Thursday night I will proudly join my colleagues from the Maplewood Township Committee, South…

Ficarra: SOMSD Staff Showed Dedication, Resourcefulness as ‘Extraordinary’ Storm Stranded Students

The following letter was emailed by South Orange-Maplewood Interim Superintendent Dr. Thomas Ficarra to the SOMSD community on Saturday evening: Dear SOMSD Families and Staff,…

Bowing to Community Feedback, Ficarra Offers Scaled-Down School Reconfiguration Plan

After listening to feedback from around 1,000 community members who attended meetings detailing an ambitious $130 million long-range plan to repair, expand and integrate its…

South Orange-Maplewood School District Posts Online Survey, Forum Dates to Guide Superintendent Search

From the South Orange-Maplewood School District (SOMSD): Dear SOMSD Community, In August 2018, the SOMSD Board of Education launched the search for our District’s next…

New Seth Boyden Leadership Team Is Complete With Sheila Murphy Named Assistant Principal

When Sheila Murphy was introduced as the new Vice Principal of Seth Boyden Demonstration School at the September 17, 2018 South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education…

South Orange-Maplewood District Details Impact of $1.4M Preschool Expansion Grant

A $1.422 Million grant obtained by the South Orange-Maplewood School District to expand preschool could ultimately lead to universal pre-K — bringing free preschool education…

After Failing ‘QSAC’ 3 Years Ago, South Orange-Maplewood Gets ‘High Performing’ Designation From NJ Dept. of Education

The New Jersey Dept. of Education has given the South Orange-Maplewood School District a “high performing district” designation following its participation the NJ Quality Single…

PARCC Results Show Achievement Gap Persists; Ficarra Says Gains Will Come Soon

A review of state testing results from the 2017-18 school year at last night’s South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education meeting showed a continued, significant gap…

South Orange-Maplewood Coalition on Race Hosts Realtor Coffee & Conversation with Schools Superintendent

From the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race: The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race’s work with realtors for over 21 years has been critical…