Departing Maplewood School Board Member Issues Stern Note

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A South Orange-Maplewood school board member who resigned last week issued a note this week saying that parents should stop joking about drama at the board meetings and fix what she said is a "broken" system of equity in the schools.

Board member Susan Bergin resigned last week because of a promotion at work, she said.

As the Board of Education looks to fill her term — which runs through the end of the calendar year — she encouraged people to apply for the slot in order to fix what ails the district.

"To those watching board meetings at home, it is time to stop joking about popcorn-watching meetings," she wrote. "This is important work, and encouraging pot stirrers and lively entertainment does a disservice to our students and to all the adults who work hard every day for the district."

Board members have had a series of internal conflicts over the last few years, and had to settle a lawsuit in 2020 when a nonprofit Black parents' group advocated for more equity in the schools.

Bergin and running mate Courtney Winkfield pledged during their 2020 campaign to help fix "academic segregation" in the district.

The time for the next board meeting, this Thursday, has been moved from 6:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. More information is here.

Bergin's letter is below. Find out more about the South Orange-Maplewood School District here.

(Got your own letter? Post it on Maplewood, South Orange, or another Patch using these directions. They work for all Patch sites.)

Bergin's Letter

I am excited for my professional opportunity, but also sorry to leave the SOMSD Board of Education with so much generational work still on its plate. Courtney and I were elected in 2020 with a mandate for equity. When we ran for the board, we were completely transparent regarding our unwavering and unapologetic commitment to equity. Once elected, we made decisions based on what we believed would make the District more equitable, without regard to politics or electability.

Our good trouble drew the attention of deep pockets that determined to undo our work while there is still so much left to do.

The integration initiative is now at risk of being chipped away before it has even realized its full potential. Parental “choice” inevitably leads to an erosion of integration, regardless of intentions and the format it takes, be it hardship exceptions, a transfer portal, or outright school choice.

The Board needs to act with urgency to address the crisis of disparities at CHS – not only disparities in access to advanced courses, but also disparities in failing any courses. In doing so, the community must confront a regressive, broken leveling system.

The CHS fail data shocks the conscience. As a parent, I have seen adults try to put systemic failure on the shoulders of the individual student. But the recent C&I data demonstrates that there are systemic barriers to students succeeding at CHS. The crisis is not a student problem, it is an adult problem. After seeing the first quarter failure data, the Board cannot put its head back in the sand and continue to let the District literally fail so many secondary students.

Parents of older students, you will soon have even higher taxes for elementary transportation and still have a high school that is not working for so many students.

I believe that I was the only parent of a student with an IEP on the Board, and my resignation has left a void in the Board’s special services experience and perspective. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to look at every issue facing the District from an equity lens that includes both race and special services.

I encourage the SEPAC community to apply for the remainder of my term, and I implore the Board to weigh heavily whether candidates have this background. And if candidates do not want to discuss their children at a public interview, that information can be conveyed in the written application.

To those watching Board meetings at home – it is time to stop joking about popcorn-watching meetings. This is important work, and encouraging pot stirrers and lively entertainment does a disservice to our students and to all the adults who work hard every day for the District. It is your responsibility to become part of the solution.

Lastly, a huge thank you to Dr. Taylor and everyone at 525 Academy. It was an honor and a privilege to work with you and serve the SOMSD community.

Susan Bergin
she/her