Jody Pittman

Jody Pittman

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Jody Pittman was a candidate for at-large representative on the Newark Public Schools Board of Education in New Jersey. The general election was held on April 19, 2016. Pittman was defeated in the general election with Leah Owens, Tave Padilla, and Deborah Kim Thompson-Gaddy winning the available seats.

Biography

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Pittman has worked in administration for Newark Public Schools since 1998. She fought to keep former Superintendent Marion Bolden in office when Bolden faced opposition asking her to step down. In 2000, she Pittman founded Workers for Kids and was subsequently the first person in the district to be named employee of the month. She has two children attending schools in the district.

Elections

2016

See also: Newark Public Schools elections (2016)

Three of the nine seats on the Newark Public Schools Board of Education were up for at-large general election on April 19, 2016. No incumbents filed in the race. Newcomers Jason Dotson, Thomas Ellis, Carole Graves, Tamara Moore, Leah Owens, Tave Padilla, Jody Pittman, Juan Silva, George Tillman, Deborah Kim Thompson-Gaddy, Jimmie White, and former candidate Sheila Montague faced each other for the three seats. Owens, Padilla, and Thompson-Gaddy defeated the remaining candidates and won seats on the Newark board. All three of these candidates were members of the Newark Unity slate endorsed by Mayor Ras J. Baraka. There was no primary.

Newark Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Deborah Kim Thompson-Gaddy	21.92%	5,909
Tave Padilla	21.86%	5,892
Leah Owens	18.62%	5,018
Sheila Montague	9.56%	2,576
Carole Graves	8.09%	2,180
Tamara Moore	6.59%	1,775
Thomas Ellis	3.32%	896
Jody Pittman	2.95%	794
Juan Silva	2.29%	618
George Tillman	1.87%	505
Jimmie White	1.68%	452
Jason Dotson	1.25%	338
Total Votes		26,953
Source: Essex County Clerk, "2016 School Board Election," accessed May 10, 2016

Funding

Pittman reported no campaign funding in the election.

Endorsements

Pittman did not receive any official endorsements in the election.

Campaign themes

2016

The following survey was included in a candidate profile written on Pittman by the Newark Trust for Education.

“	Based on your qualifications and experience, what makes you a suitable candidate to serve on the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board ? What makes me a suitable candidate is I am a Mother of two (2) students in the district, my eighteen years of professional experience working in education at the Newark Public Schools, my twenty (20) plus years in community service (specifically helping the homeless/displaced and at-risk students in the district), and my constant advocating for an equal and quality education for all students in our city. What are your reasons for running? I am running for school board because I am a Mother in this community, where we lost 105 youthful and worthy souls and I am sure that the failed education system is a direct cause for the violence and death in my community; because, I unfortunately realized while working for an organization, which said they were here to advocate for children and parents, that many of the organizations, politicians and education leaders are not fighting for children, but power and money; because people make money of the failure of children in my community; and I meet children who are smart, inquisitive and truly wanting a solid education and I want to fight to secure they get it. Are you running with an organizational slate? If so, please provide information about your platform. Equal & Quality Public Education Sharing of Successful/Best Practices of High Performing Schools Return of Local Control with monitoring Forcing NPS Compliance of Special Education State Regulations What are your priorities for the district in the coming year? My greatest priority is for the immediate sharing of best practices of high performing schools throughout the city with schools that are struggling academically; and pushing the district to implement true programming to help parents and children struggling economically and socially in order to ensure a home environment that is conducive for success via the very successful model of Parent Universities. What attributes and qualifications do you consider essential for effective school board members? The attributes and qualifications most essential for an effective school board member is the ability to independently think and make decisions, which are not aligned with a political agenda; the ability to critically think and comprehend the district’s budget and its complexities; a real understanding of Newark Public Schools and how the district functions; and honestly, board members should have a degree of formal education above high school.	”
—Jody Pittman

Recent news

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Jody Pittman - Google News

See also

• Newark Public Schools, New Jersey
• Newark Public Schools elections (2016)

External links

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• Newark Public Schools