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The following statement is from SOMSD Board of Education President Kaitlin Wittleder:

Statement from SOMSD Board of Education

On behalf of the Board of Education, I want to thank Dr. Ronald Taylor for his service to our District and I wish him well on his future endeavors. The South Orange – Maplewood School District has a lot of work to do to repair the relationship between District leadership and our educators. Now is the time to rebuild trust and improve communications with our District families and students. The promise of a school District that serves every student has never been brighter and to achieve our shared goals, we must all come together to support one another with the collective vision of always putting our students first.

It’s important to clarify that the Board’s decision to put Dr. Taylor on Administrative leave was a thoughtful and considered one. A Board of Education may place an undesirable Superintendent on administrative leave when the circumstances warrant it. There is no legal authority that states that an illegal act, extreme action, or other predicate event must occur before the right to place the Superintendent on leave is vested. Instead, the Board of Education retains a continuous and responsible authority for such decision-making.

I want to thank Dr. Kevin Gilbert for taking on the role of Acting Superintendent at SOMSD. Dr. Gilbert has already reached out to connect with me directly to schedule our first meeting and his enthusiasm and commitment toward collaboration with all District stakeholders is extremely encouraging to the Board. The Board will work hard to support Dr. Gilbert through this transition and we will make sure that we understand what his needs are as we move forward together.

BOE President Kaitlin Wittleder