Orange BOE election sees nine running for just three seats – Essex News Daily

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ORANGE, NJ — It has been a busy election season in Orange, with nine candidates running for just three open seats on the Board of Education. Candidates are incumbents Tyrone Tarver and Jeff Wingfield, and challengers E. Lydell Carter, Samantha Crockett, Marsha Escalliere, Sharon Forde, Charles Pryor II, Fatimah Turner and Leonor Young. Tarver is running independently; Wingfield, Carter and Turner are a slate; Crockett and Young are running together; Escalliere and Forde have a joint campaign; and Pryor is running solo.

This election is significant in that, once the three elected individuals are sworn into office, it will be the first time the Orange Board of Education comprises entirely elected officials; up until three years ago, board members were appointed by the town’s administration.

Carter, who has lived in Orange for 15 years, is not an incumbent but has served on the BOE before, from 2015 to 2020; he was board president from 2018 to 2020. Upon moving to Orange, he became involved quickly, becoming coach of the Heywood Avenue School boys basketball team for two years.

“I was instrumental in establishing the Orange STEM Academy and the Orange Community March on Trenton for equal funding,” Carter told the Record-Transcript regarding his time on the BOE. “I have dedicated my professional career to public education and nonprofit management in the greater-NYC area. I have served in senior management for one of the largest education nonprofit organizations on the East Coast for the last 20 years. My wife, daughter and I all hold Bachelor of Arts degrees from Binghamton University, and I served my country as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Our eldest, Jelani, is a podcast engineer, and the youngest is a Heywood Avenue school alum and Howard University student.”

Crockett purchased her Orange home in 2017 and her son now attends Orange schools. She is the vice president of the Seven Oaks Society, a neighborhood group that seeks to unite neighbors for the betterment of the community. For 13 years, Crockett has served as a teacher and founding principal in Newark; currently, she works for KIPP New Jersey, where she runs career and internship programming for high school and college alumni.

“Before enrolling my son in the district, I attended all school board meetings both in person and virtually, to learn about the goals and initiatives being taken in the community. I was also fortunate enough to meet with our superintendent, (Gerald) Fitzhugh, and other moms in the neighborhood, like Leonor Young, to learn about Orange Public Schools and the best way to engage with the school system,” Crockett told the Record-Transcript. “At the end of the day, we need to ask questions and seek to understand how we can do better to meet the ever changing needs of Orange.”

Escalliere came to Orange to stay two years ago, having lived here briefly as a teenager. Professionally, she is a former habilitation counselor at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, where she met with children ages 3 to 21 who were experiencing a crisis. She currently works at an emergency crisis shelter for homeless young adults ages 18 to 21.

“My community involvement has been extensive over the last 20 years. As a member of People’s Organization for Progress, I have and will continue to be an activist on the local, state and national level. I will continue to stand against injustice, racism, oppression, and social and economic inequality,” Escalliere told the Record-Transcript. “As a board member I will work with the administration to have systems in place to evaluate our students’ academic performance in every subject, to learn their needs.”

A lifelong resident of Orange’s East Ward, Forde has two children, one of whom attends Orange Public Schools. With a bachelor’s degree from Ramapo College of New Jersey, Forde owns 89 Central LLC, which provides public relations and marketing needs to small, black-owned companies.

“My call to action is to push for diverse staffing, creative curriculum implementation and information. I will strive to keep bridging the gaps of communication among administration, staff, parents, students and community,” Forde said, adding that she was a “co-organizer for Black Out Committee, which organized Orange‘s first Black Lives Matter rally and helped provide over 300 bags of food to residents of Orange during the pandemic.”

Pryor, who moved to Orange in April 2019 from the Bronx, is the vice president for student engagement and success at Guttman Community College of the City University of New York. Since moving to Orange, Pryor has served as a member of the school board’s Finance Committee and currently serves on the township’s Budget and Finance Committee.

“I have a 6-year-old daughter who is currently in first grade at Heywood and an 18-year-old daughter who is a freshman at Rutgers University–New Brunswick,” Pryor told the Record-Transcript of his family. “The district must continue to listen to and provide opportunities to hear the interests and needs of the community. The people of Orange are very articulate about what is important to them and what they need. The school board needs to create additional and diverse opportunities to hear from the community so that we can build upon those needs and interests.” 

Tarver has strong ties to Orange: He has lived here for nearly 30 years, sent two children through the school system and remains happily married to his wife, whose family has been part of the Orange community for more than a century. A computer programmer by trade, Tarver has been involved in the township, serving on the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee in 2016.

“Since then, I was a primary parent campaigning for the 2016 referendum to successfully reclassify Orange to a Type II Elected School Board District. Soon thereafter, I was appointed chairperson of the City Council Education Committee. I won the first ever March 2017 school board election, that was subsequently overturned by a judge on a technicality in the referendum question,” Tarver told the Record-Transcript, adding that, despite being sued by those wishing to keep board appointments under the mayor’s purview, he persisted. The issue went to referendum again and passed; Tarver was among the first slate of candidates to be elected to the OBOE. “As a citizen, I have attended many council meetings, speaking on issues such as municipal corruption, redevelopment negatively affecting our city, crime and a plethora of other issues.”

Turner has lived in Orange’s East Ward for 15 years and is raising her three daughters here; one now has a master’s degree, one is a college freshman and the yountest is in elementary school. A licensed social worker, Turner is also a student, currently a doctoral candidate at Montclair State University in family science and human development; she also has a master’s degree in educational leadership.

“In the community, I have dedicated my time and talent to supporting the students and parents at Oakwood Elementary School. As a board member of the Orange Housing Development Corporation, I have made sure that public-housing students have academic enrichment, especially since COVID. As the chair of the Scholarship Committee, I have led initiatives that have raised and awarded over $20,000 in funding for Orange students,” Turner told the Record-Transcript. “The things that the board can do better are to provide for the external issues that the students and parents have to deal with such as technology access, child care, tutoring and outside activities where students can release their recreational and creative energy. We also need to ensure that we have a high-quality special-needs program to prevent taxpayers from seeking out-of-district learning facilities.”

Wingfield’s roots run deep in Orange, where he is a fifth-generation resident who attended Orange public schools; today, he has family members gaining their educations at Forest Street, Heywood Avenue and Park Avenue schools. He has served on the Youth Employment Training program board, the Rent Leveling Board and the Citizen Budget Advisory Committee. 

“It is essential for student achievement to include the arts. Besides, students are encouraged to express themselves individually, develop their own identity, garner confidence, social awareness and emotional security,” Wingfield told the Record-Transcript. “The arts promote presence and friendship; these lifelong skills apply to the theater and public speaking, self-esteem building, and the development of leadership abilities. Working with universities, professional outlets, and local, federal and state grants would cover the cost.”

Young is mother to a 1-year-old daughter, whom Young intends to send to the Orange schools in a few years. Professionally, Young has a background in corporate finance and banking. Young did not provide responses to the Record-Transcript’s questions by press time.

When asked what the top issue facing the Orange Public School District today is, Carter cited the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as a priority. According to Carter, as the district navigates the pandemic, it needs to focus on engaging every area of the district to better teach and support students and educators.

“The priority issue for school districts around the country has to focus squarely on the management of instructional time and student engagement during and throughout the health crisis,” Carter said. “The pandemic served to highlight concerns with vulnerable student populations, which include ELLs, students with IEPs and newcomers. Remote instruction, at the highest level of engagement, will require strategic instructional planning, targeted professional development, and an all-hands-on-deck approach to parental involvement and community engagement from the school district to ensure student achievement and academic success goals are met districtwide.”

Turner said that access to technology during the pandemic is currently the top issue facing the school district, with mental health services a close second.

“However, in addition to ensuring that each student has the necessary tools to ensure that they are able to complete class assignments in an effective and timely manner, it is imperative that we focus on the mental and emotional effects that this pandemic has had on providing and receiving effective instruction,” Turner said. “I would require that each family is made aware of the benefits of mental health and advocate for free access to mental health services. This is especially important for students with specialized learning plans, language barriers and financial restraints. Curriculum, technology and emotional well-being go hand in hand. One will not work without the other.”

Wingfield is already working to alleviate some of the problems caused by COVID-19. The board member has adopted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols at his home, making it a safe haven after-school station for five children whose families struggle with access to technology.

“Dealing with COVID-19 is the most important issue facing Orange public schools. It has affected every facet of school, family and community life for students,” Wingfield said. “The board must find ways to increase the amount of technology and to expand student access to technology at home and at school. This challenge also extends to assisting parents in the transition to learning from the virtual platform. Equal funding will be a constant fight that will require the same vociferous advocacy that we mounted in Trenton to secure more school funding and to green-light our two construction projects. Finally, we need board members that possess more technical expertise, so that we may avail ourselves of the out-of-the-box measures to secure funding. The most glaring example is when members of our ticket pushed for the New Jersey Tax Court challenge to change the county property tax rate to give more dollars to the board of education. Issues like this are not always at the forefront, but they are vitally important.”

While Crockett acknowledged the negative effects the pandemic has had on the school district, she still sees the ongoing low student achievement as a top issue.

“Currently, OPS is scoring 20 points below West Orange, who had 59.4 percent passing the ELA state standards,” Crockett said. “I have spent the last 13 years teaching and leading in both the Bronx, N.Y., and Newark. As a teacher and principal, I have experienced firsthand what it means to make promises to our kids and families and meet them. My third-grade team outperformed not only the state but Montclair — one of the highest performing districts at the time.

“If the superintendent asked the board for suggestions, I would focus on teacher retention and professional development,” she continued. “When our teachers remain in schools and receive continuous high-quality professional development, they can create a culture of excellence within their schools for their students and families. I have experience creating various avenues for teachers to feel valued and successful, which will lead to higher student performance and family satisfaction.”

Escalliere also cited low academic achievement as a top concern.

“I see below-average academic performance as a pressing issue within the educational system. I want to make sure that teachers and students have the right resources that they need and increase extracurricular activities,” she said. “Today with COVID-19, it has taught us to be ready and prepared to teach students in- and outside of the classroom. I will work with administration to ensure (we have) the right resources in technology.”

Tarver, too, cited academic achievement as the top issue in the district.

“The top issue of the school district has and will always be student achievement,” Tarver said. “It has long been a goal of mine to help Orange students graduate from our school district with at least a 12th-grade education. That has not been so in the past. As a school board member, I am a member of the school board’s Curriculum Committee to do my best to keep track of what plans are being implemented for our children’s education, while publicly keeping the parents and citizens abreast of the progress of our students.

“Other areas of our school district are undergoing current improvements,” he continued. “But all of these other improvements should be in the support of making sure our children are educated properly so that they can have the best chances at life after graduation.”

In addition to increasing student performance, Pryor believes a key problem is that the district doesn’t adequately communicate student performance data.

“The top issue before the school board is a lack of transparency regarding our district’s performance and engaging the community to support a strategic improvement plan,” Pryor said. “We have a tremendous opportunity to improve our schools and get the community engaged in the execution of that plan. I believe that schools perform better when parents, the community and community-based organizations are connected to the work. Information sharing is a good start, but it is not enough: All community members, including those without children in the district, greatly benefit when the schools perform better and our children have greater access to opportunities.”

For Forde, the top issue is ensuring children with special needs are being properly supported and educated.

“One of the top issues in our school district is children with disabilities are not receiving their services,” Forde said. “I will work with the parents and administration to make sure all of our children receive the much-needed services that are outlined in their IEPs.”

The school district’s budget was tight before COVID-19 hit, and the pandemic has made it tighter.

According to Pryor, when it comes to balancing the district’s budget, he already has a leg up over the competition due to his work on the Finance Committee.

“As a former member of the school board’s Finance Committee, I am familiar with the district’s budget resources and spending practices. I often challenged the use of our very limited resources and will continue to ensure that resources will be allocated appropriately, efficiently and with transparency,” Pryor said. “I will continue to use my knowledge of education finance and networks to secure additional resources for the district and the town.”

Tarver cites his prior history as a budget guardian; according to him, while serving on the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, he first noticed the discrepancies that have led to an Orange public official being indicted for fraud and bribery.

“As a parent, city official and resident, the goal should always be to stop wasteful spending, poor budgeting and poor decision-making at the educational and municipal levels that prompt unnecessary uses of taxpayer monies. Between 2016 and 2020, there are too many issues that have been documented in newspapers and council and school board audio and video of meetings to list,” Tarver said. “But for the past five years, I have been outspoken on every issue. I have done my best to inform the public, while being an active participant in trying to effect positive change for our city.

“It will be difficult to replace official state monies that are now being directed towards COVID-19 prevention for the foreseeable future. Grants and outside funding have been great resources for our district. But these grants should not be considered permanent sources of funding for years to come,” he continued. “Creative and visionary planning is what is now needed to continue to fund the needs of our students without raising taxes on residents who are negatively affected by a tax rate that is one of the highest in all of Essex County. … This issue is chronic. But with the right leadership, it is solvable.”

Crockett said that, as a taxpayer herself, she can relate to the financial impact that COVID-19 has had on families and the community, in addition to the school district.

“If elected as a school board member, I would work with Leonor Young and other members to apply for grants and build partnerships with outside organizations to bring more money into the district,” Crockett said. “I would also take a closer look at why families are sending their children out of the district and create a plan to address those needs. According to the 2020-’21 budget, $12.9 million leaves our district, not including the hundreds of families who aren’t counted because they send their children to private schools. Imagine the impact on our district if we address family concerns and ensure that our district is a place for every child?”

To ease taxpayer burden, Carter said the board needs to work more closely with legislators and private funding sources to ensure Orange gets its fair share of money.

“COVID-19 has shifted budget priorities,” Carter said. “Technology, equity in internet access and training are components that will require an infusion of capital. The current board leadership has failed on every front to access public and private funding sources. Our voice has not been heard in Trenton or Washington, D.C. There has been no board leadership presence at the city’s business roundtables to advocate for available private funding. These sources should be thoroughly and skillfully tapped so that we taxpayers can get relief.”

Turner advocates seeking partnerships that will bring in revenue so that the district is not so dependent on taxpayers.

“We learned from COVID-19 that we must shift our reliance away from taxes and seek alternate funding, such as corporate and university assistance,” Turner said. “Within less than 10 miles of our schools, there are over seven colleges and universities and there are five global corporate headquarters. We do not do enough to get the support of these entities. Now, it is imperative that we do so. There has been no board leadership on this issue, and that must change.”

Escalliere and Forde support the board carefully going through the budget to identify savings and holding the administration accountable.

“If elected I will work with administration to review the budget line-by-line to take out the unnecessary spending to avoid taxes being increased on our residents,” Escalliere said.

“I will hold the administrators accountable so there’s no more wasteful spending in the budget to avoid increasing taxes to our residents,” Forde said.

Wingfield said that, without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the budget, as well as district priorities.

“At the same time, the pandemic has also resulted in more funds being available for policy innovations that maximize learning and use of technology,” Wingfield said, adding that the board should pursue funding opportunities other than taxes. “The board must have leadership that will help develop policies that put the district in the forefront of navigating the health restrictions of COVID-19, and the corporate and federal funds will follow. Policies that deal with creatively using space, technology, teacher and parental support and using the community as a classroom are all poised to attract the attention of funders to help bridge the gap and ease the burden on taxpayers.”

The final day to vote in this election is Nov. 3 by 8 p.m. All residents should have received a mail-in ballot, which can be returned via the post, ballot boxes placed throughout the county or, as a last resort, in person at a resident’s polling place.