Vote Montclair to support two candidates for March BOE elections
Following our successful referendum in November 2021 to convert Montclair’s Board of Education from an appointed to elected body, Vote Montclair will be working to help ensure that ensuing BOE elections are contested by candidates who reflect the spirit of independence, accountability and transparency this group was founded around.
On March 8, 2022 a special election will take place to increase the size of the BOE from seven to nine members, in line with the change to an elected Type II school district. Vote Montclair will be supporting two candidates in this election: Melanie Deysher and Phaedra Ruddock-Dunn, both parents of children in the Montclair Public Schools with deep experience as advocates for educational excellence and equity.
For more on Deysher and Ruddock-Dunn click here, and if you’d like to support their candidacies please consider volunteering or making a donation.
Our Initiatives
Elected BOE
Until 2021, Montclair’s mayors rather than voters choose BOE members. We changed that, and are now working to elect high-quality candidates to the board.
Municipal Election Reform
We’re working to move our Township’s next municipal elections from May to November, to raise voter turnout, which is a fraction of that in most American towns.
Voter Engagement
In addition to these and other special initiatives Vote Montclair will be working year-round to increase voter engagement and election integrity.
Recent News
- Vote Montclair to support two candidates for March BOE electionsFollowing passage in November of the elected board of education referendum it spearheaded, Vote Montclair will be endorsing and providing campaign support to two candidates for the special election on March 8 that will increase the size of the BOEContinue reading “Vote Montclair to support two candidates for March BOE elections”
- An updated inside look at the finances of the campaign for an elected board of education in MontclairBack in May, when the Montclair Township clerk certified our petition to have our local school board reclassified from an appointed Type I to an elected Type II, we published a detailed look at the finance of the effort. TheContinue reading “An updated inside look at the finances of the campaign for an elected board of education in Montclair”
- Statement on the victory of the Elected Board of Education referendum in MontclairThis election was about the basics of local democracy and public services: About residents in our Township enjoying the same voting rights as in other communities, and then using these rights to ensure that our most precious residents—our children—are givenContinue reading “Statement on the victory of the Elected Board of Education referendum in Montclair”
What Montclarions Are Saying
“As a long-term resident and a local public education advocate, I am very encouraged by these initiatives. It is time for Montclair and its residents to stop sitting on the laurels of the past, and be a progressive leader of the future. These initiatives can help us get there.” — Selma Avdicevic
“I’m a Montclair resident who previously lived in South Orange, where every year voters get their say on who sits on the BOE. Montclair may have a lot going for it, but on voter participation in education for now South Orange and Maplewood clearly have the edge.” — Richard Eigen
Interested in adding your voice to the debate?