Op-Ed: Karriem, Wren-Hardin, and Gaudelli for Board of Education

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education elections will be held Wednesday April 27 (Polls open 2-9 p.m.), and we are writing to urge you to vote for Sandy Karriem, Andrea Wren-Hardin and Bill Gaudelli. Our school district is at a pivotal crossroad, and we must re-elect incumbents Karriem and Wren-Hardin, as well as newcomer Bill Gaudelli, to ensure that we continue to raise the bar for all students and close the achievement gap. 

Under the leadership of Superintendent Brian Osborne and the current Board of Education, the district has laid the foundation for ensuring that all children have access to a rigorous education, one that challenges them to reach their full potential.  The district has implemented universal full day kindergarten; developed and implemented a rigorous standards-based English Language Arts curriculum; rolled out a vastly improved teacher evaluation system and provided better professional development for teachers (focusing on differentiated instruction) and principals (helping them to become better instructional leaders); and increased student access to higher level classes such as AP classes.  As a result of these initiatives, on the 2010 state assessments, we narrowed the gaps in performance between us and our District Factor Group (districts that are socio-economically comparable to us) in 6 out of 7 grades, primarily as a result of also narrowing the black-white achievement gap in our district.

There are some who would have you believe that education is a zero-sum game.  We submit to you that it is not.  We believe that we can absolutely raise the performance of our under-achieving students while continuing to meet the needs of those students who are already performing at high levels. We saw evidence of that when we allowed more students to take AP classes and they went on to score well on the AP tests, showing that it’s possible to increase access without decreasing achievement.  We must not allow fear mongering to prevent us from making sure that our district serves all children well.

Contrary to what some would have you believe, Karriem and Wren-Hardin have been keenly aware of the tax burden faced by our residents, and have consistently supported fiscally responsible budgets that are aligned with district goals.  In fact, the Board of Education and the Board of School Estimate just recently approved a budget for next school year that came in under the 2% cap set by the state.

We have known and served with Sandy Karriem in various community volunteer efforts for over 10 years.  She and Andrea Wren-Hardin are passionate about making sure that all of our children get the opportunity to receive a quality education that prepares them for future success.  They are thoughtful, objective, collaborative, and respectful of others, understanding that they can disagree without being disagreeable.   They understand that it is not the board’s function to run the schools, but rather to ensure that the schools are run well by adopting appropriate policies and goals and holding the superintendent accountable for achieving them.

The choice is clear in this year’s Board of Education election.  Re-electing Sandy Karriem and Andrea Wren-Hardin, together with newcomer Bill Gaudelli, will ensure progress continues toward raising the bar for all children and closing the achievement gap.  For more information about Karriem and Wren-Hardin, visit www.karriemwren-hardin.org, and for more information about Gaudelli visit www.BillGaudelli.org. 

Sincerely,

Jean Campbell and Thea Okin