Board of Education Candidate Profile: Marian Cutler

She’s new to campaigning, but she has experience spreading the news.

Marian Cutler is running for the South Orange – Maplewood Board of Education for the first time. She’s running on a slate with fellow newcomer.  

Background

Cutler, a 10-year South Orange resident, has four children. The eldest attends South Orange Middle School, while two attend South Mountain. The youngest will enter kindergarten in the fall. Cutler believes that our district needs to serve each child with excellence.  “Since my daughter first entered the school district, I have been an active part of the schools – volunteering in the classrooms to read, host crafts as well as helping with School Spirit and Teacher Appreciation Days.  But, as a working mom, I found an unmet need getting active with the Board of Education,” she explains.  Cutler developed an email list of more than 1000 residents to whom she sent briefs after meetings and other significant education news.

A public relations counselor for 20 years, Cutler considered running for the board in the past, “but with a 4-year-old and 2-year-old at home, my focus was obviously on my growing family,” she says.   “But, with the Level Up experiment passed by the board last summer I realize it’s time for me to affect a greater degree of community engagement and change through communication and transparency.”

What works and areas for improvement

“The board of education has done a good job laying a foundation we can build from for our kids and our community. But, it’s been too long in the making and we need new voices and a renewed sense of passion to take the foundation to the next level,” says Cutler.

She urges the board of education to make “two-way and proactive communication with our district a priority.  As the keepers of information, the board has a responsibility to help frame the conversations – including the tough ones – with the district.  From the redistricting at Tuscan to the Level Up for seventh grade, the board has mismanaged communications, which allowed for a divisive thread show itself among neighbors.”

The Budget Challenge

“The budget will continue to be a challenge for our district – as it’s been for the past seven years at least,” says Cutler.  “But we can no longer be surprised when we find ourselves facing a budget shortfall.  Instead, let’s plan well ahead for the likelihood we’ll have to make tough decisions with regards to our expenditures. 

Having watched the district make budgetary cuts year-over-year, we have systematically removed surplus and perceived extras from our budget. But, what we haven’t done is budgeted differently.  What we need to do is take a long-term view for district budgeting – well in advance of the February-March budget season – and find new financial solutions.”

Cutler feels that time is past for “business as usual” in building the budget.  “The Board needs to open the budgeting process to the public.  We should start building the budget months in advance and not in single-year increments.  Let’s examine every element, ensuring we are right sized in key areas while infusing our budget with innovative approaches to contain costs while ensuring a high level of return on our $100 million investment.”

On leveling and de-leveling:

“Having examined the literature, district statistics and current educational philosophies related to leveling, it’s apparent our current leveling practices are flawed.  However, our district and board of education have not addressed any of the core issues behind this broken system,” explains Cutler.

“I remain astounded that no data was requested, captured or analyzed when we deleveled sixth grade and yet the deleveled sixth grade is one of the reasons championed for doing the same in seventh grade,” she notes.  “And, with regards to the Level Up experiment underway in seventh grade this year, little if anything is accomplished by combining levels 3 and 4 while leaving level 2 untouched.  If closing our academic achievement gap is the end goal of the Level Up experiment, significant resources should be deployed within Level 2 and move struggling students to proficient and beyond.”

On challenges ahead in the next term

“Our biggest challenges lying ahead are about moving our schools from ‘good’ to ‘great.’ Inherent in this challenge is closing our achievement gap, ensuring a challenging and rigorous curriculum is consistently implemented throughout all of our schools and among all of our classes, and ensuring our teachers are respected and engaged in our solutions on the road to great,” says Cutler.

On charter schools

“Charter schools are another opportunity for choice for parents in our communities, much like parochial or private schools,” notes Cutler. “Instead of focusing energy on the merits of any, our district needs to understand what attracts parents to choose to move their kids out of our district in the first place.  We have the raw materials, human capital and intellect to make South Orange-Maplewood a destination school for parents seeking a great education for their children.

Now is not the time to be distracted by the start of a charter school within our community.  If we focus on getting to great, and bring our parents and teachers along as necessary catalysts, we will find charter schools are not the attraction some people worry about.”

Last word: priorities as a board member

“As a board member, my priorities are about moving our schools from ‘good’ to ‘great.’  Fundamental to this focus is a commitment to open communications between the Board and the community,” explains Cutler.  “I will make myself accessible via email and office hours to remove any barriers for parents and neighbors to get the information they need about our schools and the choices under consideration by the board and the administration.”

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