Got a date!

You heard it here first!  Neighbor to Neighbor asked me out!  To an interview, that is.

"LPOBE [Lynn Parents Organizing for Better Education] is doing the interview in their capacity as volunteers of Neighbor to Neighbor.  Given LPOBE members' deep involvement in local educational issues, N2N leaders decided to have LPOBE do the interview with you [she means me] and then submit a final recommendation to the N2N board regarding endorsement."

I'm wicked excited and I hope they endorse me!  Keep your fingers crossed!

This one is for you, Stan.

3. What have you done to advocate issues concerning our schools?

            A. What was the issue?

            B. How did you push for it?

            C. When?

A.  Rather than renew the superintendent's contract, I advocated for the position to be publicly posted and I campaigned for the search for a new Superintendent to begin. 

B.  Stanley Wotring, School Committee Candidate, received an anonymous tip that a Public Hearing could occur if we received 150 certified signatures.  The vote could be reopened and we could have a public hearing. Stanley and I spent the next month working with some other concerned citizens to advocate that a search begin, for a Superintendent, on a national level, to find the best fit for Lynn, someone with a proven track record of turning around failing districts.

This included hours of collecting signatures, meeting with parents and citizens of Lynn and hearing their concerns, educating the public on what issues were currently negatively affecting our schools and how the right person for Superintendent could change that.  

C.  This was approximately two years ago, when the Superintendent’s contract was up for renegotiation.

I have done a considerable amount of advocacy for parents of children with special education needs, but that was advocating for individuals and not the schools globally.  

*Italicized sections were not included in my original response to Neighbor to Neighbor.  Writing is iterative, isn't it Stan?  

Neighbor to Neighbor asks some great questions. Here is their second one.

Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) followed their first question up with this: What is your vision of a better quality public education for the children of Lynn?  What would you do to help improve our city’s schools?

Here is what I said:

"My vision of a better quality public education begins with schools that tirelessly teach children to read.  As a society, we learn to read, then we read to learn.  Literacy is the greatest tool we can provide our children.  Second, I would want to see new, bright, colorful, safe learning centers that our community can take pride in and that inspire our children.  I want to see schools that are open late and on the weekends, providing classes in everything from English as a Second Language to Fiscal Responsibility to Healthy Family Cooking. I’d like to see schools that prepare our children fully for the secondary education of their choice.  I’d like to see schools that every member of our community can access, regardless of disability or language spoken.  I want Lynn to have schools that other communities would fight to place their children in.  And I think we can do it, together. 

            As a school committee member, I would be in a unique situation to help improve our city’s schools because I am not beholden to anyone.  I do not have any family members employed by Lynn Public Schools and I am not sponsored by any special interest groups. In addition, I have no further political interest.  I am not going to run for City Councilor or Mayor.  I believe Lynn’s greatest worth and greatest area of need are the schools.  I want to be the parents’ voice, an ally to the parents and families of Lynn."

Why I'm running.

Neighbor to Neighbor or N2N asked why I was running for School Committee and here is what I said.

"I am running because I recognize the need for change and I want to be a voice for change.  I want to be the voice for the parents of children who attend the Lynn Public Schools.  I have direct experience with the Lynn Public Schools through my children: My oldest two attended the Lynn Public Schools for four years each, and my youngest--a member of the class of 2023--currently attends Drewicz. 

That’s not the only reason I am running.  As a parent, it has been really hard for me, over the last four years, to watch our school committee members advocate so hard for the families, children, and teachers of Lynn and not be successful. They try to make positive changes for our school department but are often on the losing end of a 3-4 vote.  I want to be their fourth vote.

I want to make sure that parents have a voice in the education of their children and that they are heard and listened to. I want parents to know and feel that they matter and that their contributions are welcomed and appreciated. "