Schools

Second BOE Candidate Forum Held Thursday

The League of Women Voters will be holding the public forum on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Maplewood Middle School auditorium.

The South Orange and Maplewood Board of Education candidates will be participating in a second public forum to answer an array of questions on varying issues.

The League of Women Voters will be holding the public forum on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Maplewood Middle School auditorium, located at 7 Burnet St. 

There are three seats available for the Nov. 5 election.

Find out what's happening in South Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Candidates include incumbents Elizabeth T. DaughertyDavid K. Giles and newcomers Stephanie M. Lawson-Muhammad and Johanna Wright. Incumbent Lynne E. Crawford will not be seeking another term.

Daugherty, Giles and Lawson-Muhammad are running a joint campaign.

Find out what's happening in South Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At the last forum, more than 50 residents, including town officials, filled the room at the DeHart Center on Thursday, Sept. 19 to hear the candidates speak.

The candidates each had two minutes for an opening statement and then alternated answering five prepared questions ranging from what they would like to see changed in the district to seeking a new principal and school safety. Residents also had a chance to ask questions directly.

This will be the first board of education election on the November ballot based on a law signed by Gov. Chris Christie. The law allows school districts that vote in April to change their election date to coincide with the November general election, and bypass voter approval for budgets that do not exceed the statutory 2 percent cap on property tax hikes.

One reason for the change was to increase voter participation because of a larger voter turnout in November. However, there has been a decrease in the amount of school board candidates running in the election, according to a report by the New Jersey School Boards Association.

The Community Coalition on Race will hold a final forum on Oct. 30 at Marshall Elementary School.


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