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Furthermore

Now that I have made my endorsements for the Board of Education race, there are a few remaining issues that need to be addressed.

First: if there were a category for Most Improved, it would definitely go to Corey Andrews. He clearly worked to educate himself between his last run and this one. He wasn't at the top of my list but he is clearly sincere in his interest. His withdrawal from the race may have been ridiculed by some. But it seems to me that he made a clear choice to shed some light on the underhandedness and toxicity at work in this election. I am hoping that Blair Ames will continue to work on this story as more information comes out.

Speaking of which, the action of some of the Board Members to censure or shame Cindy Vaillancourt publicly is nothing but dirty politics. They present no evidence as "it's confidential" and thus Ms. Vaillancourt can't really defend herself without appearing to violate confidentiality. This feels like the actions of the secret police in a totalitarian state. Anyone who signed on to this action no longer belongs on the Board Education.

This brings us to Sandra French, the only one of the above group up for re-election. She has given twenty years of service to the Board. Her participation in the above-mentioned shenanigans indicates that her loyalty has shifted from serving constituents to back room politics, which is deeply disappointing. At a meeting of the PTA Council on Monday evening, her responses to parent concerns were defensive at best. In addition, she shared information about teacher transfers that was extremely misleading and that, given her years of experience, she must have known to be false.

On a more positive note, there were two candidates that I "liked" but did not endorse because in this election, liking is simply not enough. As I stated yesterday, we need members of the Board who can go into the present situation and make things happen. Leslie Kornreich and Tom Baek have wonderful qualities, and I hope to see them remain involved in educational issues. But in the current climate their chances for success are limited. That shouldn't be the case, but it is.

I hope this election will change that for the better.

Please participate in this election, whether you have children in school or not. Encourage your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to vote. Our children don't get a vote.

They are depending on you.

 

 

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