Suggested Use of Candidate Pages & Project Disclaimer

Note: There are a few ways to use this page. It mixes objective source material with light analysis and first-hand reporting so voters can choose their depth.

How to get the most out of this candidate page
  1. Start with the Quick Summary. Click the Quick Summary button underneath the websites section. It gives you the fast take: what we know from sources + brief analysis from a “data collector / local reporter” point of view.
  2. Scan the objective sources. If you want more data, jump into the source material we’ve collected:
    • Official campaign website (if available)
    • Social media pages and posts (if available)
    • Interviews (video/audio) and transcripts (if available)
  3. Check the agenda & positions. Look for the candidate’s stated agenda and issue stances. We try to group them plainly so you can compare across candidates quickly.
  4. Read the Transparency/Accessibility rating. For a deeper look at how transparent the candidate has been (web presence, interviews, follow-ups, meet n greets) and how communicative they've been in response to outreach, see the rating and its short explanation. This helps you understand what’s easy to find and who is easy to contact.
  5. Use the page as a multi-layered hub. If you 'just want the facts', stick to the source documents. If you want opinions about transparency, accessibility, and communication, check the transparency meter. If you want coverage somewhere in between, like interviews that range from introductory to moderately pressing, watch the interviews. Choose your own adventure.

Where we add context or opinion, it’s to help busy voters make sense of gaps in local information. Not everyone has time to be a volunteer politico.

Makema Douglas

Running for:
Vineland School Board
Incumbent
Challenger

Websites

Quick Summary

Makema Douglas is a lifelong Vineland resident, graduate of Vineland High School, and says she is the only current candidate who has taught in Vineland Public Schools. She spent 16 years teaching in Vineland and Salem before transitioning into early intervention work with Inspira and a private company, as well as educational consulting. Douglas also holds certifications in education, leadership, supervision, and administration, and has served as a youth pastor, community program developer, author, and entrepreneur.

Her agenda centers on clear communication, accountability, and early support—ensuring parents and staff know what resources exist and how to access them. She advocates stronger coordination between administrators, teachers, and local service providers so that students with developmental or special-education needs receive timely, effective assistance. She also supports raising Vineland’s academic standards to remain competitive with schools like CCTEC while expanding mentorship and trade-readiness opportunities.

Douglas views the school board as a non-partisan body that should focus on student outcomes rather than politics. She values constructive disagreement, favors private discussion before public confrontation, and believes the district benefits most from a board with diverse professional and lived experiences. Overall, she brings both classroom insight and community engagement that distinguish her as one of the more accessible and responsive candidates in this year’s race.

This election is on November 4th, 2025

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Videos

2025 Man on the Street: Makema Douglas for Vineland School Board



📋 Click here for full interview summary 📋

At the Vineland Food Truck Festival, InformTheVoteNJ.com caught up with Makema Douglas, who is running for the Vineland School Board in a competitive race with three open seats and eight candidates. Douglas shares her motivations, values, and vision for the district.

Why She’s Running:
Douglas describes herself as a concerned citizen and an educator who believes taxpayers should know where their money is going. She emphasizes her passion for making sure the school system works for students, teachers, and parents alike.

Teacher & Parent Support:
Having spoken with teachers in transition and facing vacancies, Douglas argues that educators need more support and that politics should not interfere with providing quality education. She stresses that students must come first.

Transparency & Collaboration:
Douglas calls for better communication between parents, teachers, administrators, and the board. She wants the process to be less about political battles and more about building trust and finding practical solutions.

Final Thoughts:
Douglas encourages other candidates to be transparent and open to dialogue, stressing that working together is the only way to improve the school system. Her message is rooted in faith, practicality, and a commitment to community-driven solutions.



⏳ Click to view timestamps, topics, and takeaways ⏳

Interview Summary – Makema Douglas

This table highlights the key takeaways from the Food Truck Festival man-on-the-street conversation.

Timestamp Topic Key Takeaways
0:00 Introduction Steven introduces InformTheVoteNJ.com and Makema Douglas, noting the three open seats and competitive race for Vineland School Board.
1:00 Festival Outreach Douglas shares her positive experience meeting residents, answering questions, and hearing concerns about local education.
1:45 Why She’s Running Douglas frames her candidacy around concern for education, taxpayer accountability, and creating a system that truly works for students and families.
2:30 Teacher & Parent Concerns She highlights teacher vacancies, morale issues, and the need for more support, alongside parental concerns for transparency and trust.
3:25 Encouraging Transparency Douglas urges fellow candidates to be open, communicate honestly, and work together—emphasizing that mistakes can be fixed if everyone is willing to try.

Makema Douglas on Vineland BOE: Special Ed, Early Intervention & Raising Standards



📋 Click here for full interview summary 📋

Commissioner Doug Albrecht interviews Makema Douglas, a Vineland Board of Education candidate. Douglas explains how a past special-education case she helped the board resolve motivated her to run again, and how her background—16 years teaching (Vineland & Salem), current early-intervention work with Inspira and a private company, and experience as an educational consultant—shapes her platform.

Why She’s Running & What She’s Done:
Drawing on perspectives as a parent, teacher, administrator, and board member, Douglas says she helped steer a family complaint toward settlement by asking practical, system-level questions. That experience fuels her focus on special education coverage, staff support/training, and cross-agency collaboration.

Early Intervention & Family Resources:
She stresses that many families and teachers don’t know what services exist. Her priority is clearer communication and partnerships (including possible mobile outreach) so parents, teachers, and counselors can quickly connect to resources.

Budget & Standards:
She’s hearing anxiety about “what’s coming down the pike” (food/SNAP, insurance, costs). While some issues sit outside BOE control, she sees the board’s role in informing families and aligning supports. Academically, she wants Vineland to compete with CCTEC by raising expectations (including trades pathways) and expanding mentoring for students lacking support at home.

Board Style & Representation:
Douglas likes private conversations first to avoid grandstanding, but will speak up publicly—“no time to waste” on core issues. She argues a stronger board includes diverse professional and lived experiences (she notes her perspective as a woman of color, mother, and grandmother).

Community Touchpoints & Ballot Note:
The conversation also recaps local events (seniors’ luncheon, homecoming, sorority service, Mexican festival, Bridgeton Rotary). Douglas encourages early voting and notes she is #5 on the ballot.



⏳ Click to view timestamps, topics, and takeaways ⏳

Interview Summary – Makema Douglas

This table highlights key moments and takeaways from the interview with Commissioner Doug Albrecht.

Timestamp Topic Key Takeaways
00:00 Why she’s running; special-ed case Used multi-lens experience (parent/teacher/admin/board) to help settle a family complaint; commits to stronger special-ed supports.
03:48 Background & career path 16 years teaching (Vineland → Salem); now early intervention (Inspira + private) and educational consulting.
06:26 VP rejection → civic curiosity Not getting a VP role pushed her to scrutinize district operations and get involved on the board level.
10:33 Early intervention 101 Many families/teachers don’t know services exist; wants better resource connection and potential mobile outreach.
11:15 “Connecting the dots” on services Boots-on-the-ground communication among agencies, schools, and parents closes support gaps.
19:03 Board diversity A board benefits from varied professional/lived perspectives (notes her lens as a woman of color, mother, grandmother).
19:45 Willing to speak up Fourth-time candidate; prefers side conversations first, but will go on-record—“no time to waste” on key issues.
24:02 Budget anxieties & family supports Hears concerns on food/SNAP, insurance, costs; sees BOE role in informing families & building partnerships.
27:07 Inside-school priorities Continue follow-through on prior district questions; focus on practical fixes and clear processes.
31:04 Early-voting plug Emphasizes close local races; encourages early voting; notes she’s #5 on the ballot.
32:15 Community events recap Senior luncheon, consumer-protection scams talk, local services roundup.
41:00 Competing with CCTEC Raise academic standards and options (including trades); expand mentoring for students lacking home support.
45:01 Recent local happenings Homecoming & parade, field hockey shout-out, sorority service projects, Mexican festival, Bridgeton Rotary.
51:00 Roots & acknowledgments Vineland-raised teacher; thanks local supporters; invites questions and engagement.
53:20 Closing Final calls to vote and stay involved; show sign-off.


Transparency/Accessibility Rating: A Bit Above Average (Trending Upwards)

Explanation

Makema Douglas has continued to demonstrate meaningful transparency and accessibility throughout this election season. In addition to responding to our candidate questionnaire and participating in an earlier “man-on-the-street” interview, she took part in a full-length sit-down interview with Commissioner Doug Albrecht, where she discussed her background, motivation, and priorities. This format allowed voters to hear directly from her about special education, early intervention, board diversity, budget concerns, and the importance of raising academic standards in Vineland.

Compared to many other candidates in this race—roughly half of whom have offered little or no direct communication—Douglas’s willingness to speak publicly, answer questions, and attend community events sets her apart. Her comfort discussing both personal experiences and administrative issues shows a genuine commitment to open dialogue and civic accountability.

While scheduled meet-and-greets or other campaign events would have been ideal to round out her campaign, it’s also fair to note that those components often reflect the status quo in Cumberland County rather than a shortcoming unique to Douglas. A longer-form interview was also offered through this project but ultimately did not occur. Whether that was due to busy schedules, an email lost in spam, or any other reasonable explanation—or perhaps, in today’s political climate, a more deliberate campaign decision—remains unknown. Hopefully candidates like Douglas will take that observation as constructive: if you don’t want independent media outlets or voters wondering what happened, make sure your campaign communication is robust, responsive, and beyond question. Even with that uncertainty, Douglas’s participation in a public interview and her ongoing community presence firmly establish her as above average for transparency and accessibility in this race.



Agenda

Issues

Background and Experience

Party Affiliation

Party Affiliation

Believes the Vineland School Board should remain a non-partisan entity. While personally aligned with many Democratic views, emphasizes finding common ground and approaching disagreements amicably to provide students with the best opportunities for success.

Distinguishing Yourself from Opponents

How She Differs

Highlights being a lifelong Vineland resident, a product of Vineland Public Schools, and the only current candidate who has taught in the district. Holds certifications in education, leadership, supervision, and administration. Her children graduated from Vineland Public Schools, and she is a community activist, former youth pastor, program developer, author, and entrepreneur. Notes that neither she nor her husband is employed by or under contract with the city or its schools and she does not hold a paying county position — underscoring her intent to serve purely as a volunteer for the community.

Additionally, Douglas stands out as the only educator actively working in early childhood intervention while running for the board. She draws on both classroom and home-based experience to advocate for stronger resource navigation and higher academic standards across the district.

Source Material

View Makema Douglas’s Full Questionnaire Response

Overall agenda: My focus is to address the current school environment as it relates to parent notification about anything impacting their child's school experience, academic performance changes and schedule, transportation grade level promotion and graduation readiness. These issues are concerning for most taxpayers, School faculty, parents and even students. There are changes that are expected to occur within the Department of Education. Most of the changes have yet to unfold and many people are concerned with how it will impact their school experience, funding, and job security.


I plan to accomplish these things by addressing administration to keep transparency in communication throughout channels and to work together so that all departments are following updates, regulations, policies, standards, and best practices.


Issue Positions: I believe the issues arise because we haven't used simple approaches to finding solutions for issues. I believe that politics have played too much a part of a non-partisan system. It is important that we keep the issues, goals and main focus about educating our students and providing them with access to a quality education that has high academic expectations, accommodations to support those students that are struggling to reach the goals and outcomes put in place, to provide supportive and extracurricular activities, such as sports, clubs, theater, arts community work, and collaborations. These factors should be present to ensure that each student will receive a holistic approach to education, in ways that best suits their ability to learn because one size does not fit all.


Party Affiliation: I believe the school board should remain non-partisan entity. However, I am aligned with most Democratic views. Nevertheless, if we must deal with people and their ideology , theology, or psychology we should agree to agree and agree to disagree. I believe there's an amicable way to approach every situation and that we should be able to find common ground. We must in order to do the best in providing our students with optimum opportunities for success in the school system.


Upcoming Campaign: I would love to be invited to more events, radio shows, and podcasts. I currently have a few interviews posted online. You can continue to look for me at more local community events and social media platforms.


Distinguishing Yourself from Opponents: My background distinguishes me from my opponents. I am a product of Vineland Public schools K through 12. I am the only running mate and potential person on the board that has taught in Vineland Public Schools. My certifications are in education, leadership, supervision, and administration in education. My children attended and graduated from Vineland public schools and are productive citizens. I am a vested community activist, former youth pastor, community program developer, author and entrepreneur currently, Also, I nor my husband is employed by the city or has a contract with the city or its schools. I also do not hold a paying position for the county. My sole goal is to serve this community and its residence starting from the youngest to the eldest. I have no other agenda, and this is a volunteer position.

Prior Elections Info

Prior Agenda

Facebook Reel

Supports multiculturalism. Reposted on Facebook

Supports voting for change of leadership on the board. Facebook Reel

Wants to fortify security at schools. Facebook Reel


Prior Issue Stances

Supports methods to ensure school safety for students and staff. Facebook Reel

Redirecting focus on programs that reinforce school resilience for teachers and students.

Restoring community faith in the Vineland School System and its administration's ability to effectively lead.

Ensuring that teachers, parents, students, and residents have representation in decision making regarding practices, policies, and procedures.

Supports fighting for fair and equitable wages for staff and faculty.

Wants to focus on core studies such as language arts, math, and sciences.

Supports parent involvement.

Stands on fair, reasonable, and equitable thinking and representation. Facebook Reel