Juan Silva

Juan Silva

Juan Silva 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. Silva 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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Silva is a native of Ecuador and studied civil engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Silva works with Solar Technology and Urban Farming. Previously he served as the campaign manager for the East Ward candidate seat candidate in Newark.

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

Silva reported no campaign funding in the election.

Endorsements

Silva did not receive any official endorsements in the election.

Campaign themes

2016

The following survey was included in a candidate profile written on Silva 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? Having lived in Newark and attended Newark Public Schools from Pre-k through 12th grade, I have lived firsthand through the negligence of our past Board members and currently my siblings through these deteriorating buildings and collapsing infrastructure. Since graduation I have worked with Senior Citizens, Solar Technology and Green Urban Farming programs. During which I have had the opportunity to plan the All-American Soapbox Derby in Newark and ‘Slide the City’ here in Newark. Two events which engage all Newark Students and their families for participation and information to work on better their personal lives. What are your reasons for running? There is a huge disconnect between parents and all the elected officials in office now. With parents working more hours per week than ever before, they are leaving a void in time with their children. Hence allowing for others to raise their kids for them. The streets are not the only ones raising our children; we have as much to blame our politicians for the failed results as we do ‘the streets.’ Our local politicians from the Local level to the State level have failed us; the cost of living continues to rise while salaries are at a standstill. We a minute amount of elected officials address this issue that leads to everything else that is going wrong in our community. Are you running with an organizational slate? If so, please provide information about your platform. No I am not running with a slate at this moment. What are your priorities for the district in the coming year? Work immediately on raising our High School students graduation rate and College bound rate. We also need to work on improving the available after school activities throughout the City. Work on partnering with outside school districts to gain new perspectives of education with teachers, parents, and students. What attributes and qualifications do you consider essential for effective school board members? A key attribute for members should be the ability to fund raise and grow new ideas. They should be able to raise revenue for our schools through direct involvement and planning with Principals and Teachers. This is ideal for our School Systems survival and the continued growth of our communities. Between all 9 current board members, there should be a Million or Billion Dollar a year idea being produced to help cover the annual deficit our state and failed local leadership has put us in. The Newark School Board should be comprised of individuals that have an understanding that change comes every year, new problems and new solutions will emerge but they must have a personal vision of the future that includes new technologies, new ideas to raise salaries of parents, along with the continued education of all community residents.	”
—Juan Silva

Recent news

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Juan Silva - Google News

See also

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

External links

Suggest a link

• Newark Public Schools