First South Orange residents Elissa Malespina and Donna Smith teamed up to run for two of the three seats up for grabs this November.
Now Elizabeth Baker and Maureen Jones of Maplewood have announced they are joining forces. (See their press release below)
That leaves candidates Godwin Molokwu and Anthony Mazzacchi, also of Maplewod, in the runing. No word on their possible teaming up.
The six candidates are running for the three seats being vacated by Andrea Wren-Hardin, Bill Gaudelli and Sandra Kerriem, each of whom has decided not to run again.
From the Jones-Baker campaign:
Jones and Baker Join Forces to Launch Campaign for Board of Education
MAPLEWOOD,
NJ – August 20, 2014 -- Maureen Jones and Elizabeth Baker announced today that
they will run a joint campaign for two of the three open seats on the South
Orange-Maplewood Board of Education in this November’s election.
Jones and
Baker have formed a joint candidates’ committee to officially launch their
campaign.
The campaign issued a press statement on why they are
running together and their vision for the school district:
"We are joining together to run as a team
for the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education because we agree on a common
educational vision for our school district. We have good public schools here in
our unique community, but we believe they must become even better. And we believe our complementary experience,
skills and backgrounds can help the move the district forward.
“With the major initiatives already underway, the
district is poised to offer our students a world-class experience that more
consistently provides the rigor, challenge and opportunity they all
deserve. But these changes are not simple
and they won’t happen overnight. We need patience and persistence, and we need to learn from both
our successes and our struggles in the classroom.
"We need a district where no child is bored,
whether he or she is a high achiever or a struggling learner. We want a
district where children are seen -- really seen -- and understood as they are
today and as the learners they can become.
We believe this vision is achievable, but it will require a continuing
commitment from the Board of Education, the administration, our teachers and
our community. We need to hire a
superintendent who shares this vision and has the commitment, expertise and
experience to make it a reality.
"We know teachers make the difference in the
classroom. With the recent changes in curriculum and assessment we need to make
sure our teachers feel confident and supported. We need to identify best
practices, create a collaborative atmosphere and adopt reasonable
implementation timeframes to enable teachers to master the new approaches.
“Parents must be full partners in their
children’s education. Better information
needs to be provided to parents in ways they can access hassle-free. Our
schools should actively listen to and learn from parent
feedback.
“Our school system is
essential to the long-term vitality of our community; as such, we must
demonstrate that the district is an efficient and effective steward of our tax
dollars. We need a more transparent budget process and consistent year-round,
community outreach to demonstrate the benefit of every dollar spent.”
About the Candidates:
Maureen
Jones, a four-year resident of Maplewood, is an educator who works with special
needs children, specializing in speech and language pathology. She has broad
experience working with children from birth through age 12 in a variety of
settings, including preschool programs, public schools, community health
delivery and home-based services. A parent of two girls at Clinton Elementary
School, Jones served as President of the school’s PTA for this past year and as
Vice-President for the 2012-2013 school year.
Elizabeth
Baker, a twelve-year resident of Maplewood, is the parent of two girls, one a
Tuscan Elementary student and the other a rising seventh-grader at Maplewood
Middle School. She served on the Tuscan Elementary School PTA Board from 2010
to 2012 and as the PTA’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
co-chair during the 2012-13 school year. In the spring of 2014, Baker served on the Schools Subcommittee of
the Maplewood Citizens’ Budget Advisory Committee, reviewing the school budget.
Professionally, Baker is an associate general counsel of the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ in New York City, with experience in
financial oversight, negotiations, and governance.
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