The following is a press release from the South Orange-Maplewood School District:
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. – Officials from the South Orange and Maplewood School District and the Board of Education recognized 32 individuals who have earned tenure at tonight’s Board of Education Meeting.
“We greatly appreciate your dedication to our students and families, and your commitment to our District,” said Dr. Kevin F. Gilbert, Acting Superintendent of the South Orange and Maplewood School District. “It is through your dedication and commitment that you have earned tenure, and we look forward to all that you accomplish as you continue on your professional journeys.”
Board President Kaitlin Wittleder also offered congratulations on behalf of the Board members.
“We congratulate and celebrate all of you, our District’s professionals, who have earned tenure and reached an important milestone in your careers,” said Wittleder. “We thank you for your dedicated service to the District and our community and wish you all the best for all of your future professional endeavors.”
Tenure is earned after regular teaching staff member service for the probationary periods set by statute and meeting specific performance requirements for certain tenure positions outlined in TEACHNJ. Tenure protects staff members from dismissal or reduction in compensation without certification of tenure charges except in a reduction in force. Tenure is earned in specific tenure positions established by state law. The tenure positions are teacher, principal, assistant principal, vice principal, assistant superintendent, school business administrator, school nurse, athletic trainer, educational services, school administrator, secretaries, and clerks.
| Name | Tenured Position | Location |
| Leroy Johnson III | Supervisor of Special Education | Districtwide |
| LeShia Johnson | Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant | Seth Boyden Elementary School
Tuscan Elementary School |
| Daniah Aburomi | Social Studies Teacher | South Orange Middle School |
| Dr. Johanna Barnhart | Social Studies Teacher | South Orange Middle School |
| Dr. Jane Bean-Folkes | K-12 Supervisor of English Language Arts | Columbia High School |
| Jason Cadet | Social Studies Teacher | South Orange Middle School |
| Sally Cashel | Physics Teacher | Columbia High School |
| Trudy-Ann Davey-Jones | Special Education Teacher | Clinton Elementary School |
| Anna DeCotiis | Special Education Teacher | Seth Boyden Elementary School |
| Francesca Goglia | Language Arts Teacher | South Orange Middle School |
| Hannah Gorvin | Special Education Teacher | Marshall Elementary School |
| Ashley Grutta | Music Teacher | Marshall Elementary School |
| Christina Luzzi | Social Studies Teacher | Columbia High School |
| Liping Meng | Chinese Teacher | Columbia High School |
| Randall Post | Physics Teacher | Columbia High School |
| Lindsey Reed | Special Education Teacher | Maplewood Middle School |
| Deborah Reiss | Special Education Teacher | Maplewood Middle School |
| Deborah Ruocco | Special Education Teacher | South Orange Middle School |
| Jessica Samson | First Grade Teacher | Tuscan Elementary School |
| Adam Simmons | Special Education Teacher | Maplewood Middle School |
| Dashanda Simpkins | Pre-K Teacher | Montrose Early Childhood Center |
| Christian Sousa | Physical Education Teacher | Seth Boyden Elementary School |
| Courtney Storms | Fifth Grade Teacher | Clinton Elementary School |
| Arelis Tapia-Vargas | Social Worker | Clinton Elementary School |
| Amanda Ward | Special Education Teacher | South Orange Middle School |
| Kelly Hill | Science Teacher | South Orange Middle School |
| John Passanante | Special Education Teacher | Columbia High School |
| Adaliana Cuadrado | Confidential Secretary | Central Office Building |
| Felicia China-Richardson | Secretary | Central Office Building |
| Betsy Klein | Special Education Teacher | Maplewood Middle School |
| Jaclyn Costa | Secretary | Marshall Elementary School |
| Ebony Mincer | Special Education Teacher | Maplewood Middle School |
Editor’s Note: By a vote of 5-4, Dr. Jane Bean-Folkes was reappointed as K-12 ELA Supervisor by the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education on May 11, 2023, after a mutiny by English Language Arts teachers became public last spring. Read more here.
Each tenure recipient is pictured with Board President Wittleder, left, and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Ann Bodnar, right:
