The South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race appreciates the South Orange-Maplewood school district’s affirmation of its commitment to integration. For nearly three decades, the Coalition has advocated for racial integration of our schools. We believe, and research confirms, that children of all backgrounds learn and thrive in integrated environments, and that stable integration strengthens the entire district and community. This commitment remains an essential part of our mission—and the Intentional Integration Initiative (III), which ensures that each elementary school reflects the socioeconomic status (“SES”) of our district, represents the district’s single largest step in its history toward achieving real, sustainable integration in our elementary schools, the benefits of which will carry forward as students move on to middle and high school .

We are deeply concerned by recent discussions about moving backward to a zoned-schools model or relaxing the socioeconomic balance targets that anchor the III. Such changes risk undermining both the spirit and effectiveness of the district’s desegregation efforts, leading us back to the inequities that this community has worked so hard to overcome. There have been recent calls to relax the 5% variance in the III to 10%. While doing so would only marginally increase the number of students who would be placed at the closest elementary school (as few as 3 per school), it would once again sanction wide disparities in socioeconomic status and de facto segregation that our school districts and our town made a clear commitment to ending in starting in 2018  (a commitment which the district and towns have repeatedly reaffirmed). Seth Boyden School, for example, where alarming disparities in SES and resources existed prior to the III would again approach 10% above the district average, and other schools in high SES neighborhoods, would again cater to a disproportionately high SES population. Segregation and opportunity gaps would once again start in elementary school -  gaps which only widen as students move to middle and high school.  No dollar amount of savings associated with this change has been released and we believe the long-term costs for our students and our broader community will far outweigh the savings.

We appreciate the Superintendent’s clarification to the community that the district’s current fiscal challenges are not the result of the III. Transportation related to the integration plan represents a relatively small portion of the total transportation budget, and eliminating or reducing bussing for integration will not solve the district’s broader budget crisis. To suggest otherwise distorts the realities of school finance in a high inflation environment and risks fueling an anti-integration narrative.

Fiscal pressures are real, but integration must remain a non-negotiable priority. Over the last several decades, we have seen, historically, that short-term fixes to school assignments—whether through redistricting, grade reconfigurations, or pairing schools—produce unstable outcomes and allow patterns of racial segregation to re-emerge over time. The III was designed specifically to avoid these cycles and is a critical strategy for ensuring long-term equity and opportunity for all children.

We recognize that integrating our schools is just the first step, and there is much work still to be done to ensure that every child feels that they belong and can thrive in their school community. We also recognize that transportation operations must continue to improve. We support efforts to make the III more efficient, but not weaker. Any revision to the model must protect its core purpose: stable, meaningful integration across all elementary schools.

We call on all community stakeholders—elected officials, school leaders, educators, parents, and neighbors—to stand firmly with us in our commitment to integration. Now is the moment to reject misinformation, resist calls to return to neighborhood-based assignments that would re-segregate our schools (and lead to even greater instability over time due to housing pattern and population swings) and move forward together in sustaining the values that define our community and are the reason that so many move to SOMA.

We urge all residents to learn about the III Plan and stand with us in advocating for integrated schools. Our upcoming forum, Now More Than Ever: How All Children Benefit from Integrated Schools, will take place on November 12th at 7:30pm in the Columbia High School Auditorium. Community members are invited to learn more about the history of desegregation efforts in SOMA; how integration benefits all children; and how the III works. Please join us.