Former school board president remembered as community ‘titan’

By KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer

EDISON — Former Board of Education member Gene Maeroff, who was a former national education correspondent for The New York Times, has died.

Maeroff passed away at the age of 75 on July 25.

Schools Superintendent Richard O’Malley, who worked with Maeroff during his tenure on the Board of Education, said he was “deeply saddened” by the passing of Maeroff.

“Gene was a titan in the educational community across the country,” he said. “He was a brilliant man, driven by strong moral and ethical principles.”

O’Malley said Maeroff made it his personal mission to fight for the students and staff in Edison’s public schools. He served on the board from 2008 to April 2014.

“He will be forever known as the architect of changing the course of the Edison public schools, bringing a once-strangled political district to a national school district of excellence,” he said.

Mayor Thomas Lankey said Maeroff’s passing is a tremendous loss.

“His expertise brought a new level of distinction to the Edison Board of Education,” he said.

Councilwoman Sapana Shah, who served on the board with Maeroff from 2011 to 2013, said he was a mentor, colleague and friend who dedicated his life to education reform.

“He was an innovative thinker who advocated passionately for quality public education on the national stage and here in Edison,” Shah said. “Gene was also a fiscal conservative who consistently encouraged the most efficient use of tax dollars and resources.”

Greater Media Newspapers interviewed Maeroff in April when he chose not to run for a third term on the board after serving as its president four out of his six years.

“I think two terms, which amounts to six years, is enough,” Maeroff had said. “I like carrying out the duties, but it is something that enacts its toll.”

Maeroff said he never missed a board action meeting during his tenure.

“When I got on the board in 2008, I had certain goals that I wanted to see accomplished,” Maeroff said, adding, “I’ve seen that happen.”

Among those goals were the revamping of the district’s Gifted and Talented program; the addition of Singapore Math in the elementary schools; the launch of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, which helps to prepare students for college, in the secondary schools; a new reading program; revisions to the secondary science program; and the enhancement of the instrumental and vocal music programs.

In addition, Maeroff said much has been done to bridge the achievement gap between North Edison and South Edison, making strides to unify the district. Maeroff also cited as an accomplishment the selection of a “first-class superintendent” in Richard O’Malley in 2010.

“That is the most important task that any school board has — the hiring of the right superintendent,” he had said.

Maeroff had a history of chronicling education in America and was the author, co-author, editor or co-editor of 15 books. His books dealt with a range of topics within education, from the role of school boards to online learning.

He was a senior fellow for 10 years at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, on the campus of Princeton University, before joining Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1996 as the founding director of the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media.

His earlier career included six years as associate editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and 16 years on the staff of The New York Times.

Maeroff, formerly of Cleveland, Ohio, was predeceased by his parents, Harry and Charlotte Maeroff. He is survived by his wife, Joyce; his children, Rachel, Adam, Janine, Melissa and Kerri; his brother, Norman, and sister, Adrienne (Mel) Wasserman; and nine grandchildren.

The family asked that memorial donations be sent to a charity of one’s choice.