EMPATHY. EQUITY. ACCOUNTABILITY.
Campaign Kickoff: Sunday, Sept. 20, 11 AM - 1 PM. RSVP for the address.
PLATFORM
Intentional Integration Initiative
I strongly support SOMSD’s Intentional Integration Initiative (“Triple-I”), because every child should have the opportunity to learn and build relationships with students from across our community. Triple-I has helped reduce some of the large socioeconomic differences that once existed among our elementary schools, and I believe that progress should continue. At the same time, supporting integration does not mean ignoring legitimate concerns about transportation, cost, or how the assignment system is working for families. The district should provide a clear accounting of Triple-I transportation costs, look for efficiencies, and continue evaluating whether the program is meeting its educational goals. My position is straightforward: preserve Triple-I, scrutinize what is not working, and keep improving it.
Special Education
Students receiving special education services deserve a district that treats families as partners, fulfills its legal obligations, and provides services consistently and respectfully. The frustration experienced by families navigating evaluations, IEPs, service delivery, and changes involving experienced paraprofessionals is unacceptable. Parents should not feel that they have to fight the district to get their children what they need. The Board should regularly review meaningful data on evaluation timelines, delivery of IEP services, family concerns, and how quickly problems are resolved, while also listening directly to families about their experiences. A well-functioning Special Services department should be responsive, timely, transparent, and focused on helping every child reach their potential.
Facilities
Our students deserve schools that are safe, accessible, functional, and welcoming. SOMSD has invested substantially in its buildings, but the district still faces hundreds of millions of dollars in facilities needs, including accessibility problems, aging infrastructure, bathrooms, elevators, and other basic building issues. I would support a significant new bond if it is focused on the most urgent needs and accompanied by much stronger transparency and oversight. Before asking taxpayers to make another major investment, the district should clearly explain what was completed under the 2019 bond, what was cancelled or deferred, how new projects are being prioritized, what they are expected to cost, and how construction and spending will be monitored. We need to address urgent needs now while creating a long-term facilities strategy that is responsible and sustainable.
Bullying, Mental Health and School Climate
Every child should feel safe, respected, and welcome at school. I have heard serious concerns from families about bullying, student mental health, and the experiences of students who feel targeted or excluded, including LGBTQ+ students. Policies alone are not enough. The Board needs meaningful information about what students are experiencing, how schools are responding, and whether those responses are actually improving school climate. We also need to listen directly to students, families, educators, and staff and make sure students know where to turn when they need help. Children learn best when they feel that they belong, that adults will take their concerns seriously, and that kindness and respect are part of the culture of their school.
Ritzer Field at CHS
We have significant and urgent needs inside our school buildings. The district's facilities plan identifies hundreds of millions of dollars in additional work, and we have to be thoughtful about how we prioritize limited capital dollars.
Because of this, I strongly oppose the Board’s intention, announced at its August 27 meeting, to proceed at its September meeting with consideration of a request to the Board of School Estimate to approve bonding for turfing all of Ritzer Field.
The discussion of such a request needs to be made in conjunction with consideration of all capital projects the Superintendent is going to propose, assurance that the proposal encompasses all urgent needs and knowledge of the total cost. A more modest Ritzer project could potentially allow us to direct more dollars from a future bond toward urgent safety, accessibility, and educational needs inside our schools.
I am opposed to artificial turf on Ritzer Field, but am willing to consider a reasonable compromise.
School Safety
School safety includes much more than security at the front door. Students should be safe in our buildings, protected from bullying and harassment, treated appropriately by adults, and able to travel safely to and from school. That requires well-maintained facilities, clear expectations for professional conduct, effective responses when problems occur, and coordination with South Orange and Maplewood towns around walking, biking, and transportation concerns. Students and families also need accessible ways to report problems and confidence that their concerns will be taken seriously. The Board’s responsibility is to ensure our safety policies are working and hold district leadership accountable when they are not.
Protecting the Rights of LGBTQ+ Kids
South Orange and Maplewood have long taken pride in being welcoming communities, and our schools should reflect those values. New Jersey law and SOMSD policy provide important protections for LGBTQ+ students, including transgender students, but the real measure is whether those protections are reflected in students’ everyday experiences. I believe the Board should look closely at issues including access to appropriate facilities, student privacy, names and gender markers in district systems, staff preparation, and bullying prevention. I have heard concerns from families and community members that some of these protections are not being implemented consistently, and those concerns deserve careful review. Every student should be able to attend school without being made to feel that they have to defend who they are or whether they belong.