South Orange-Maplewood Ponders $127M Plan To Integrate Schools

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — There is a $127 million plan in the works to renovate buildings and reconfigure schools in the South Orange-Maplewood Public School District in an attempt to better “integrate” its students, administrators announced during a board of education meeting earlier this week.

On Monday, Interim Superintendent Thomas Ficarra outlined the proposed changes to the district’s schools, which are still pending school board approval and community feedback, NJ.com reported.

A video of the meeting can be seen here.

The plan would combine all fifth- and sixth-graders at Maplewood Middle School and seventh- and eighth-graders at South Orange Middle School. Columbia High School would remain the same. District lines will be redrawn for SOMA elementary schools, NJ.com reported. (Read the full article here)

As part of the plan, $127 million would be needed to build an additional 62,800 square feet of space at the schools and fund capital improvements.

Ficarra said that the goal of the project is to have a “completely integrated school district at the elementary level” that better reflects local demographics.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Maplewood Facebook page here.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch South Orange Facebook page here.

RACE-BASED STRUGGLES IN SOMA SCHOOLS

In 2014, civil rights groups including the ACLU of New Jersey filed a complaint with the federal Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights urging an investigation into the South Orange-Maplewood School District.

The groups charged that the district’s tracking and discipline practices “disproportionately confine students of color to lower-level classes and punish students of color and students with disabilities to a greater degree.”

At the time, the ACLU-NJ stated that while white students made up slightly less than half of the student body in the SOMA district, 70 percent of the higher-level classes were filled by white students.

Conversely, 70 percent of the lower-level classes were filled by black students, according to the ACLU-NJ.

In 2015, a report from Sage Consultants – done as part of the district’s settlement with the ACLU – charged that there were still several problems facing black students in South Orange and Maplewood:

• School staffs don’t match the racial makeup of their students
• There may be defacto racial segregation existing in the district
• Black students are suspended at a higher rate than their counterparts
• Black students suffer from placement disparities beginning in middle school

WHAT ELSE IS BEING DONE?

In March, SOMA district administrators shared a statement with Patch about the work being done to address “integration, equity and school climate.”

Their full statement follows below:

“SOMSD has been working on addressing the achievement gap and academic inequity for many years, but has not achieved the level of equity and access which the District, families and the community have been seeking. The Board of Education has made it clear that the District needs to make meaningful progress at a much faster rate. During the 17-18 school year the District has been planning and implementing significant changes at a faster rate than the past.

“The Board of Education adopted District Goals in December 2017, which include an aggressive mandate on integration, equity and school climate:

“Realign curriculum, develop significant systemic support structures, and promote a more culturally sensitive climate to foster student-centered learning, empower student critical thinking, and enhance student engagement as a means to increase student achievement across all groups and implement the Access & Equity and Placement Policies” with specific action items.

“The Access & Equity policy, which the Board of Education passed in October 2015, requires that “All elementary, middle school, and high school parents/guardians and children … shall have access to, and the ability to choose between current and future educational programs in all academic subjects, and at all academic levels.” This Policy changed the SOMSD course selection and placement process, and students and their families now may select courses themselves.

“On February 20, 2018, the Board of Education approved the Superintendent’s STEM Realignment Plan, which deepens the work to implement the Access & Equity Policy. STEM offerings have been realigned to provide a choice of Academic or Honors for all core math and science courses required for graduation. The curricula are being realigned as well, to ensure that all students received the standards-based curriculum, skills and knowledge that NJ requires for high school graduation.

“Course selection for 2018-2019 is underway, and SOMSD is conducting aggressive outreach to inform all students and families about the new alignment, and to encourage students to choose courses which are challenging and will further their personal goals and ambitions.

“The District is also formulating a capital plan which will include facilities renovations, additions, and plans for restructuring schools to address overcrowding and which will result in balanced integration of our elementary schools. This plan will be discussed with the community and stakeholder groups in Spring 2018. Once community feedback is incorporated, the final Capital Projects Plan will be submitted to the Board of Education and Board of School Estimate in Summer 2018.

“SOMSD remains committed to ensuring integration, equity and access to challenging and rewarding coursework for all students. Dismantling and rebuilding long-held structures and systems takes commitment, sustained focus, and time. The District is fully engaged in this essential work.”

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