Vote Harris for Brunswick School Board
I am writing to express my support for Erica Carley Harris’s candidacy for Brunswick School Board.
Erica grew up in Cumberland where my wife, our two sons and I lived for 25 years. She was a terrific student at Greely high school and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at Barnard College and a masters degree at Colorado University. With two young children of her own, she understands the importance of a quality public educational experience for America’s newest generation.
Even though I’m now retired, I clearly regard schools as a community asset: they’re part of what makes Brunswick an attractive place to live, which is good for all of us. We need people like Erica on the Board who support fully funding public education.
Brunswick School District is about to begin a new strategic planning cycle, which means the School Board members in the next few years will have an impact on the district for many years to come. It’s important we have creative, innovative leaders who will carry the district into the future.
As an executive with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), Erica has spent more than a decade of her career in and around education…and her husband, Jon, is a science teacher at Gardiner Area High School. They have seen the challenges up close, and together they are committed and passionate about securing the future of public education.
Erica Carley Harris is without a doubt the kind of young, committed, innovative thinker that will help guide Brunswick’s public schools through this next phase in their evolution.
John Eldredge,
Brunswick
Vote Mike Timberlake and Amy Spelke for MSAD75 board
My name is Hayden Libby and I am a 2019 graduate of Mt. Ararat High School who now attends the University of Maine. My education at MTA was excellent and prepared me well to succeed at college. However, I fear that future MSAD75 students will not have the same quality educational experience that I received.
This is due to two main problems. The first is that the school district needs to compensate its teachers comparably to surrounding districts. This was a hot topic a couple of years ago for the district. I watched it play out and feel the issue still needs to be addressed. Many of the most influential teachers that I had have left the district, including two recent Sagadahoc County Teachers of the Year who had worked at the high school for many years. The second issue is the disrespect some school board members have shown for teachers, each other, and community members. I have been appalled at the poor examples that these school board members have set for the students of MSAD75.
I feel that if, as a district, we want to truly prioritize providing an excellent education for our students, we need to retain our best teachers and attract great new teachers and administrators. To do this a cultural change needs to be made on the school board. We need school board members who put kids first, that’s what they are there for right?
As a Topsham voter, I will be voting for Mike Timberlake and Amy Spelke. Both of whom I have known since attending Woodside Elementary School and both of whom I know will serve the school board with the best interests of the students as their top priority. I also know they will act professionally and make thoughtful decisions.
Both Amy and Mike have played large roles in the local community all my life and truly care for the students of our district. As you go to the polls on November 2nd, I urge you to think about the future of MSAD75 and the candidates who will fulfill our goals of creating the best learning and growing space possible for students.
Hayden Libby,
Topsham
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