A Board of Education should be composed of members who bring varied perspectives to their task of analyzing situations, interpreting data and legal mandates, and applying common sense and logic in formulating decisions and crafting school district policy.
Soon, one important perspective will be missing from the school board – that of a parent with a child being educated in the Seymour schools.
With your vote in November I will bring that perspective to the BOE.
The BOE members who will remain to serve the district after this election are five men who have varied occupational backgrounds: a retired teacher/administrator; an adjunct college professor; an attorney; and two engineers.
As of July 2012 not one of these five members will have a child being actively educated in the Seymour Public Schools.
While each of these individuals is a dedicated public servant and has spent countless hours working together to improve our school district, having a current parent on the BOE would allow for additional insight and the sharing of current relevant experience in the school system with the other board members.
If we are to continue to move the school system forward, I believe that the BOE needs to have varied representation, including that of a Seymour school system parent.
Personally, I have a blended family of 5 children – a daughter who is a 2010 SHS graduate and a son who is a 5th grader at LoPresti School. I also have 3 step-children: a daughter who is a 2011 cum laude graduate of CCSU and 2 sons currently enrolled at Bristol Central High School. I have children who have excelled and some who have struggled; one who has participated in athletics and others who chose performing arts.
I’ve been an active volunteer in the Seymour Schools for many years as a mystery reader, career day presenter, guest art instructor, and Spirit Club officer. I also worked diligently as PAC Treasurer to educate the public about the Chatfield-LoPresti building project prior to the referendum.
As a parent I’m concerned with the successful education of my own children but I am equally concerned with ensuring that all children in Seymour have access to a quality education. I see the schoolwork that my child brings home. I am interacting with faculty and staff in the schools on a regular basis. Communicating with other parents whether at a PTA meeting, the ball field or the grocery store affords me the opportunity to listen and respond to concerns from a similar perspective – that of a parent.
On Nov. 8 you will have a choice of 5 candidates for the BOE. You may cast votes for only 2. The top 4 vote getters will earn the right to represent you as members of the BOE for the next 4 years. I ask that you stop and carefully consider your choices. Understand who the candidates are, and what they represent and hope to accomplish.
Please don’t forget one of my important strengths – a parent’s perspective!
The writer is a Republican candidate for the Seymour Board of Education.
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I couldn’t agree more with Jen’s thoughts. Without a strong parent presence on the Board of Education, we risk losing the perspective and ideas of the people who are most vested in ensuring that our schools are providing a great education for all of our children.
Parents see the school system through the eyes of their kids – and that means we often have different views on what matters because we see the impact that even seemingly small decisions can have on our children. We know how much it means to a child when their teacher shares stories of their families in the classroom. We know how our kids love their “specials.” We know how they crave opportunities to work together in groups. We know that even 3rd and 4th graders love to be read to. We know that lunch “tastes better” this year (and it’s healthier, too!). We know that lunch-room dynamics are as important to middle-schoolers as the grades they get (often more so!).
Like Jen, I also ask for your vote on November 8th – not just because I am a parent with young children in the school system, but because I promise to represent the parent community and the children they have entrusted to the Seymour Board of Education.