Following 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 BOE from seven to nine members.
The two candidates, Melanie Deysher and Phaedra Ruddock-Dunn, are both parents of children in the Montclair Public Schools with deep experience as advocates for educational excellence and equity.
The decision to support Deysher and Ruddock-Dunn was made following the convening of a nine-member advisory council chaired by former BOE member Sergio Gonzalez.
“We are excited to be able to get behind two individuals known for their integrity, independence, and proven records of problem-solving and consensus-building,” said Gonzalez. “It is exactly what we hoped for when campaigning for an independent Montclair school district with an elected BOE.”
Melanie Deysher is a 14-year resident of Montclair originally from Reading, Pennsylvania, and the mother of three boys in the Montclair Public School system ranging in age from 12 to 18. An occupational therapist by training, she has been recognized as a leader in efforts to improve the district’s response to dyslexia.
“I began my advocacy focused on an issue of special needs, but have since learned that many more of our children are facing challenges with basic literacy, and that literacy is the cornerstone of equity,” she said.
Ruddock-Dunn is a licensed clinical social worker, therapist and New Jersey certified school social worker who has worked in private practice and in the school setting, both at the K-12 level and in post-secondary education. Originally from Washington Heights in upper Manhattan, she is the parent of a sixth-grader in the MPS system, co-chair of the School Action Team for Partnerships (SATp) and of the Montclair PTA Council’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee, and a co-founder of the group Montclair Moms of Color.
“I began advocating for children before I knew it was advocacy,” said Ruddock-Dunn, speaking of her early experiences running child study teams and working in foster care agencies. “While being a member of the BOE is multi-faceted, we have to be committed to understanding that everyone is an advocate, and that a large part of advocacy is listening to one another; so that we can take steps to enhance the district for students, educators and parents.”
About Vote Montclair
Vote Montclair is a non-partisan, local grassroots movement working to increase voter engagement and transparent, effective governance in the Township of Montclair. It is registered under New Jersey law as a continuing political committee, allowing it to raise and expend funds on behalf of both causes and candidates.
For more information contact Sergio Gonzalez at [email protected], and to volunteer for or donate to the campaign to elect Deysher and Ruddock-Dunn, click here.