New school board members talk goals for future

The three newly elected members of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education have three immediate goals for their first days in office.

“In the past few days since the election, the most common sentiment we hear is ‘good luck – you’re going to need it.’ Unfortunately, the role of serving on our BOE does not have a great reputation in the community, and we will have a heavy lift coming in,” Shayna Sackett-Gable said.

“Our first day goals are threefold: to ensure that the day-to-day operations of the district remain on track despite our sudden change in leadership, to structure and guide our superintendent search process in order to quickly secure strong new leadership for the district, and to lower the temperature on the board and encourage a collegial
and professional atmosphere,” she said.

Sackett-Gable along with Liz Callahan and Will Meyer won the Nov. 7 election, holding off a strong write-in challenge from former BOE members Jeff Bennett and Anthony Mazzocchi. They will be replacing current BOE representatives Elissa Malespina, Courtney Winkfield and Johanna Wright; the incumbents did not run for reelection. They’ll be sworn in at the Reorganization Meeting on Jan 4.

The election came just four days after the BOE placed superintendent Ronald Taylor on administrative leave until his contract is up in June; assistant superintendent Kevin Gilbert was named acting superintendent in the interim. The vote to move on from Taylor came after months of issues in the district that included a vote of no confidence in him by the South Orange-Maplewood Education Association and concerns about eliminating high school honors classes, among others.

Callahan said a top priority of hers and her running mates is adhering to the Fergus recommendations in the district’s lawsuit settlement with the Black Parents Workshop, in addition to finishing the building projects that are part of the Long Range Facilities Plan that already began.

In addition, Meyer wants to work on strengthening special education services.

“We will be looking at short and long term solutions to our special education teacher vacancies, our paraprofessional staffing concerns, adherence to IEPs and 504 Plans, access to evaluations, and expanding in-house program offerings for students currently placed out of district,” he said.

All three stressed the importance of searching for a new superintendent. Sackett-Gable said they agreed with the concerns in the community regarding Taylor’s performance but did not agree with placing him on administrative leave.

“We saw no justification for the emergency Friday night meeting to sideline him with eight months’ pay,” she said. “That meeting, and the discussions that transpired during it, left our new board with few good options for moving forward.”

Gilbert, according to Meyer, will do a good job while temporarily holding the district’s top position, but he also serves as the assistant superintendent of access and equity. Meyer is concerned that administrative duties will be stretched too thin during the search for a permanent replacement. Hiring that replacement is now the
BOE’s top priority.

“Our goal for our new superintendent is finding someone who is comfortable with big picture strategic planning while keeping a close focus on day-to-day operations,” Callahan said. “Our district has too often fallen short in the implementation of our broad strategies, which diminishes confidence in the education our schools are providing.”

All three want to find a superintendent who has good communication skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, according to Meyer. They also want someone who can prioritize family engagement.

“The diverse composition of our district and our history of equity struggles require leadership with demonstrated commitment to continued work on leveling the playing field and doing so by seeking excellence for all. We will need a superintendent who is familiar and competent to continue this important work,” Sackett-Gable said.
Callahan also mentioned the importance of hiring a superintendent who has a proven track record in a diverse community.

“We need to find a superintendent with a winning track record providing quality special education services, and deeply committed to full inclusivity and representation for our LGBTQ students,” she said.