Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board Of Education Profile: Evan Murray

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ — Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School Board has five candidates vying for three seats in the upcoming election on Nov. 3.

Dr. David Levine, Evan Murray, and Karen Mitchell are running for the two, three-year seats to represent Scotch Plains on the board.

Amy Boroff and Margaret Maggie Savoca are running for the one, three-year seat to represent Fanwood on the board.

Are you running for office in Scotch Plains-Fanwood? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Scotch Plains-Fanwood Patch.

Evan Murray

1. Why are running for Board of Education?

I have been a member of the Board for the past 6 years. In that time, we have accomplished a lot of good things. For example, school resource officers in each of our buildings, full day kindergarten and field lighting to name a few. However, I feel there is still a lot of value that I can continue to add. I am the son and the husband of strong women who have dedicated their lives to teaching in the public school system, my mother and my wife. I want to continue to ensure that the students of Scotch Plains/Fanwood continue to be adequately prepared to enter into the competitive and diverse world by receiving unique, research-based, educational experiences.

2. What are your qualifications for this position?

I have been volunteering for the majority of my adult life. Whether it was leadership roles in various organizations during my time in college or as a volunteer for many youth sports organizations. I have served on the Board of Education for the past 6 years, most recently as Vice President. I also serve on the Board's Facilities Committee, Finance Committee and the newly created Student Activities and Athletics committee. In addition, I am the Vice President of the Scotch Plains Public Library Board of Trustees. I am a highly motivated, energetic self-starter. I am extremely open minded and believe in collaboration and transparency. I have a strong commitment to the success of every student in our community. I am a man of my word and work for what is in the best interest of our community, but most importantly the students of our district.

3. The single most pressing issue facing our school district is ____ and this is what I intend to do about it:

I believe there are two pressing issues that are being addressed.

The first is Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. We need to continue to ensure that our schools are a safe and secure learning environment including educational equity where every student has access to the resources regardless of their race, ethnicity or disability. Ensuring students have the support they need in order to succeed by providing them with all available opportunities. Affording students the ability to see themselves and learn about others through the curriculum. Teachers need to be culturally responsive in the classroom and provided with professional development in-district as well as workshops offered by professional organizations. We need to provide students with the tools and resources to advocate for equality, recognize and stand up against racism and injustice. We need to do better as a district with our hiring practices to ensure we have diversity and it is fair and equitable across all district employees.

The second is the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has been front and center in everyone’s day to day lives. It has really transformed the way we go about our daily routines and the long term impacts are unknown. What we do know is that there can be no replacement for our traditional schools, however we do need to provide a safe, appropriate teaching/learning experience for all and ensure that the social and emotional needs of the students in our district are met in the best way possible. The health and safety of our students and staff are of the utmost importance and in the forefront of all decision making. Monitoring plans and communication with the community continues to be necessary to ensure there is transparency into how the district is sharing details around any challenges and changes to the planning throughout the school year.

4. What are other issues you would like to see addressed in the school district?

Another area I would like to address in the school district has to do with extracurricular opportunities for all students. There are a lot of clubs and extracurricular activities offered to students, however I do not think they are publicized very well. It would be helpful to understand more details about each of the clubs and extracurricular activities. Things like who the advisors are, a description of the club goals, a description of club activities, the number and frequency of meetings, and the commitment level of members. It will be important to advertise all of the clubs and extracurricular activities that are available as well as possibly create a brochure so that students and parents can easily see all of the choices that are available. This will be important to ensure that every student has access to the same opportunities.