It is a crucial moment in the Middletown School District.  With Mr. Del Moro retiring, we find ourselves with an opportunity to create real change.  District change will only come about if the next Superintendent has organic community ties, has a connection with the teacher population and has a progressive vision and the ability to achieve that vision.  Our community has spoken at the last Board of Education meeting.  Our community demands proper representation, meaning that they want to see someone black or brown(latino/a) who genuinely understands our student’s experiences and needs, and someone who is approachable to all. 

When looking at our pool of talent at the Middletown School District, there is one person who stands out from the rest.  That is Mrs. Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams.  Our current Coordinator of Mathematics K-12.  I have seen her at community events that she has helped organize, where she leads and inspires with humility and naturally moves the participants.  I have also seen her interact with students that get excited to see her and greet her with genuine love and affection, where her belief in being a lifelong learner verbally and innately passes to them.  Mrs. Whaley-Williams has all of the necessary qualifications on paper to be the superintendent, yet she has proved to be more.  She has connected with students, the community, staff and administration.  Also, of great importance, Mrs. Whaley-Williams speaks Spanish.  She is able to communicate with our large Spanish speaking population.  Roughly sixty percent of our population of students is latino/a with many parents and family members that do not speak English.  Many of whom do not feel comfortable communicating and being active with the district.

Mrs. Whaley-Williams has been in the field of education for the past sixteen years; a teacher for nine years and an administrator for seven years.  Other districts have seen her potential.  She was offered the Assistant Superintendent position at the Liberty Central School District.  She was also a finalist for the Assistant Superintendent position at the Newburgh Enlarged City School District.  Mrs. Whaley-Williams also has a more personal attachment to the Middletown School District by having her two children attend the school district.  

As a teacher that has been working at the Middletown School District for twelve years, who lives in Middletown, I have witnessed administrators come and go and have seen and felt the need for real change.  It is important that the community has a voice and that teachers and school employees have a voice without feeling that they will be met with negative repercussions from administration.  The times of administrators and employees being senselessly shuffled around without taking into consideration our school’s best options need to end.  The days of decisions being made that make no sense need to end.  The days of no comprehensive explanations that affect teachers and students need to end.  The days of no transparency need to end.  The days of a bully culture from some of the administrators needs to end.  It is time to pass the torch to new blood.  It was decided to keep the nominee for the Superintendent position within the district when Dr. Eastwood retired and Mr. Del Moro gained the position.  Now, it is time for the Superintendent position to be filled with someone from the district that will bring us to the next level and create a proud, positive school culture.  When considering our internal talent, I believe that person is Mrs. Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams.  

The following was gathered and written by employees of the Middletown School District that have directly worked with Mrs. Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams:    

We need Mrs. Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams as the new Superintendent of the Enlarged City School District of Middletown.  For the past 3+ years, she has held the title of “Coordinator of Mathematics K-12,” but for many teachers, staff, students, parents, and community members, she is much more than her job title.  Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams is a leader in every way and every person who crosses her path is inspired, energized, supported, and unified by her action-oriented and transformational leadership style, her speaking truth to power in courageous conversations, her thoughtful Mirror Math and Culturally Responsive Professional Development sessions, and her honest and powerful emails urging educators to remember that James Baldwin stated: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” 

To quote Maureen McGookin, ECSDM Math and Science teacher who spoke publicly at the September 2, 2021 BOE meeting:

“(Yaa Yaa) has a love of learning and community that is so big and so present it is impossible not to notice...As a part of her team, I feel supported, I feel inspired, I feel valued.  Those are the feelings I pass on to my students.”  

We need a Superintendent who will listen, support, inspire, value, unify, and empower educators, staff, students, and families of the Middletown district. Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams is who we need to lead the district because she will continue to do all of this and more.  

In addition to signing this petition to show your support for Yaa Yaa as the next Superintendent of Middletown, please address the Board of Education by writing emails to Board of Education members, and speaking publicly at the next Board of Education meeting on Thursday, September 23rd at 6:30 pm at Presidential Park Elementary School. 

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Adam-André Torres De Rosa

Spanish Teacher