MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Recently elected Board of Education President Wayne Eastman is looking forward to overseeing the board during the course of 2015, a year that will potentially see the hiring of a new superintendent of schools, as well as the implementation of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers exams in the spring.
Eastman, who defeated reigning president Beth Daugherty in a 5-4 vote at the board’s meeting Monday, Jan. 5, told the News-Record he is excited to assume the leadership position for the first time since being elected in 2006. Having served during the terms of three presidents, he said he is happy to continue the tradition of strong leadership in benefiting the South Orange-Maplewood School District.
“I am excited about the chance to work with a very strong group of colleagues, including three newly elected board members,” said Eastman in a phone interview on Friday, Jan. 16. “I really appreciate the support that has led to my election as president of the board and I really appreciate that it was an open vote in which not everyone did vote for me. The excellence of the United States, I believe, is that we strongly believe in democracy and the democratic process.
“I personally believe that the strongly committed districts of the whole band, stretching from Boston to Washington, D.C., that includes districts like ours, represents the strongest concentration of fine public education in the world,” said Eastman. “I believe that and I believe a key part of that consists of the democratic process.”
The close decision could indicate a dissension in the ranks of the board moving forward, especially considering this is the first time Daugherty has not been elected president in more than three years. Aside from Eastman’s, the votes of board members Madhu Pai, Jeff Bennett, Donna Smith and Johanna Wright were responsible for the change in leadership. Pai and Wright were chosen as first vice president and second vice president, respectively, by the same members.
But what matters to Eastman is working cooperatively with the entire Board of Education to do what is best for the district.
“I am very committed to building consensus from the board,” Eastman said. “Important decisions sometimes need to be made 5-4. That is how democracy works. At the same time, important decisions, as much as possible, can and should be made on a basis in which all of us get right the process and, in many cases, the result. That is a goal that I am going to be guided by as president.”
Daugherty also said she respects the board’s decision. She said she is proud of all that was accomplished during her tenure as president — which includes introducing the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme, implementing a new teacher evaluation system and investing in technology for the upcoming PARCC assessments — and promised to continue collaborating with her fellow board members to make the school district even better.
“All members of the board are committed to serving the best interests of the district, which includes working productively together to move the district forward,” said Daugherty in a phone interview Saturday, Jan. 17. “I anticipate that some decisions we will agree on and there will be other decisions that involve a lively debate. But that is healthy, when we are representing a community with a wide range of values and viewpoints.”
One of the biggest decisions the Board of Education will have to make is hiring a superintendent of schools. After former Superintendent Brian Osborne resigned in June, the board launched an online survey and a series of forums to gather input from residents on what they would like to see in a replacement. On Oct. 13, the board presented its applicant criteria and, by November, it had begun selecting candidates to interview. At its Jan. 5 meeting, however Eastman announced the board would be advertising for more candidates.
Eastman told the News-Record the Board of Education had hoped to recommend a candidate in February, but he said the deadline is now being extended. It is important to find the person best suited for the position, he said.
“We are committed to doing this as expeditiously as possible,” Eastman said. “At the same time, we recognize this is one of the most important — many would say the most important — decisions that a board of education makes. With that in mind, we very much want to make sure that we are ending up in the right place on this.”
Another major event to impact the schools this year is the first implementation of the PARCC standardized tests. While many New Jersey teachers and parents have expressed concerns about preparing for the technology-based exam, Eastman said the board has been discussing the tests for years and has allocated funding to make sure district students are ready. The board may not be responsible for the schools’ day-to-day preparations, but he said it does embrace the fact that it will be held accountable for the test results.
Accountability has always been of particular interest to Eastman throughout his time on the board and he said it will continue to be as he enters his first term as president. He added that he also plans to emphasize a continued focus on policy-making, which he believes is best for the district.
“We, as a board, have been strongly committed to what we like to call ‘policy governance’ and I am very hopeful and optimistic that this shared, valued commitment on the board’s part, which has been in place for years and years, can lead us forward in a highly productive and fruitful way over the next year,” Eastman said.