To the Editor:

Joy Prescott will make an outstanding addition to the Brunswick School Board. We have no doubt about it.

We have each had long careers in public education. That experience has taught us both how hard it is to run a school district and how important it is to have quality school board members leading the effort.

From the vantage point of being at various times a school superintendent, a school principal, a school teacher and a consultant to the Maine Department of Education, we know that effective school board members are good listeners, respectful of different opinions, good problem-solvers, innovative thinkers and, above all else, focused on what’s best for the children our schools serve. They keep their eye on the ball in terms of requiring that our scarce resources be wisely spent in our children’s best interests.

Joy Prescott exemplifies all of these qualities.

We have known Joy for the past five years as a working wife and mother of two young sons, as a neighbor, and as the president of our homeowners association. We have seen firsthand how skilled Joy is in helping us to analyze and solve problems that our community needed to address. In doing so, she has demonstrated her ability to listen to opposing points of view and to offer ways of reconciling different perspectives. She is clear-headed and organized. She can cut through a maze of distractions to get to the point.

After reading her commentary on Singapore Math-A Common Curriculum K-5, we are convinced more than ever that she is the right person for the at-large school board position. In this article, she demonstrates keen observation and astute analysis of issues related to the implementation of the new math curriculum. We would urge your readers to read this and judge Joy’s qualities for themselves.

Our children deserve the best. That’s why we are enthusiastically supporting Joy Prescott for the Brunswick at-large school board position.

Jean and Bill Konzal
Brunswick