Voters in the four WSESD towns have some terrific choices for school directors this year. (Ballots are available now until Election Day from Town Clerks.)
I hope Tim Maciel and Kelly Young will be elected to continue their work serving our children. They have done well pushing for relevant information to guide decisions while sorting through the complexities of the merged district. That complexity makes institutional memory highly valuable, and takes time to accumulate. Our school communities would lose a lot if Tim or Kelly were displaced.
Tim Maciel was key to finally getting student voices on the board, and their impact is being felt. Tim and Deborah Stanford recruited applicants and interviewed them for seats on the board, then got board approval for two representatives.
More than a dozen students had applied, so Tim and Deb invited those who were not selected to form a Student Advisory Council to support their new representatives. Thanks to Tim and Deborah, the SAC is becoming a solid force for openness and communication at BUHS.
Kelly Young is the crucial heart of the school board. She has a strong moral core and a great B.S. detector. She makes sure everyone is heard and - more importantly - treated with dignity. Kelly is responsive where others are reactive.
Matt Schibley seems to have quickly found his footing and continues to ask for evidence of the effectiveness of administrative decisions. He has strong community service background and a focus on concrete actions and data.
Richard Leavy's experiences represent broad sectors of our communities, and his focus on healthy food comes at a good time. There has been some effort over the past two years to get district leadership to develop a proposal for an in-house food service with a deep focus on local producers.
Food Connects is ready to help, and Bellows Falls Union High School has a working model that actually costs less than the franchise model, even including Vermont protein sources. The administrators are supportive but have delayed it a couple times. Richard could bring some consistency to the effort.
All in all, these people will bring stability and new perspectives to the WSESD Board of School Directors. I hope you will honor them with your vote.
David Schoales
Brattleboro
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.