MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange–Maplewood School District educators Stephanie Rivera, TJ Whitaker, Willy Sumner and Greg Tuttle helped to organize the first statewide NJ Teachers for Black Lives Rally and March on Monday, June 15. In addition to South Orange–Maplewood, educators from Millburn, Montclair, Livingston, Irvington, West Orange, East Orange, Newark, Verona […]
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education passed a distance-learning plan for the rest of the school year that will also be used in the event that schools are not able to reopen in the fall at its May 18 virtual meeting, with no requirement that livestreamed instruction be provided […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Eager to bridge the digital divide in town, especially at a time when closed schools created digital classrooms at home, Maplewood Township officials report that the town’s highly anticipated Wi-Fi Pilot program is finally being rolled out. The Wi-Fi Pilot, a community driven initiative that came out on top in the town’s […]
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to work from home for the last two months, and Melody Alegria is no exception. But she is in a somewhat unique situation — she just started a new job two weeks ago. The South Orange–Maplewood School District’s new assistant superintendent for […]
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Teachers and students were holding out hope that they would be able to return to school and some semblance of normalcy before June, but on May 4 Gov. Phil Murphy announced that New Jersey schools would remain closed for the remainder of the school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Distance […]
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — As schools navigate remote learning, a departing South Orange–Maplewood School District employee wrote a scathing letter detailing what he perceives as the district’s failures and shortcomings. “Over the past two years, I have observed a district that has accomplished some important goals but has fallen well short on others. […]
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education unanimously passed the district’s 2020–2021 budget at its virtual meeting on May 4, moving forward with planning for the next school year. The local tax levy will be raised by 2 percent with the passage of the $152,419,950 budget. Taxes make up the […]
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education dived into the waters of virtual meetings on April 20, when it held its first meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all nonessential businesses and gatherings. After Superintendent Ronald Taylor’s update about distance learning, each BOE committee chairperson gave a report, including […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Achieve, the local education foundation for the school district of South Orange and Maplewood, is in the middle of a long-term strategic planning process, and wants to get a sense of how the community at large views the organization. To learn more, they are conducting a public opinion survey and are inviting […]
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The National Association of Music Merchants Foundation has recognized the South Orange–Maplewood School District for its commitment to music education with a 2020 Best Communities for Music Education Award. The district has received this designation for more than six consecutive years. James Manno, district supervisor of fine and performing […]