Why Run?

Why run for SMF Board of Education? Dr. Wind explains:

These kids of mine. (And those kids of yours.) I got involved in the schools because of my kids, of course. Volunteering in classrooms and organizing PTA events, serving in many different roles over the years on many different PTAs, sitting on the collaborative mental health awareness / suicide prevention committee put together between the city of Stow and the school district, and spending the last year-plus on the schools’ facilities commission. It has been a privilege to give my time to these things, most of which I’ve enjoyed immensely. (I can’t claim to have exactly *enjoyed* chaperoning Lakeview dances, but I do miss them. ) The longer I have been involved in our schools, the more I have come to understand that we need decision makers who we can trust to listen to various stakeholders and who we can trust to make decisions in the best interests of our schools. I see an opportunity here to step up and be that person, to serve our children and our community in a new capacity.

If we’re interested in our students getting a quality education, we must attract, retain, and *support* excellent teachers and staff. The “support” part has been an integral part of my involvement in the schools for many years. When I first made time for PTA and volunteering in classrooms while my children were in elementary school, it became immediately clear that many of our teachers were stocking their classrooms from their own pockets. I led a push within Echo Hills PTA to revive and formalize our teacher mini grant process (and later took this process to Lakeview and Kimpton as well), in order to provide meaningful support to our teaching staff. Many of you may have noticed that we at SMF NICE have been working on COVID-related teacher grants as well. Additionally, my professional experience includes several years spent working in a variety of schools during my training and early career. Thus, I have experienced schools from the staff perspective as well as from the parent and community member perspective. I believe this ability to understand multiple needs and perspectives is essential to being an effective Board member.

Our community. It’s as simple as that. Many people seem to think that the schools and the Board of Education are relevant only to those who actively have children enrolled in our schools. However, I firmly believe that the quality of our school system affects every member of our community, and that it is a Board Member’s job to consider and include any and all members of the community which they serve.Our schools are an integral part of our community as a whole. Quality schools affect the prices of real estate and rentals. The prospect of having a well educated pool of workers affects businesses’ willingness to locate here. Our school buildings and grounds play host to everything from sporting events to community meetings to voting. Decisions made about and within our schools affect every resident of Stow and Munroe Falls. Thus, the Board of Education needs community minded members. I have a proven track record not only of school related involvement, but of community involvement. From my work on the executive board of SMF NICE and my work on the Stow Commission on Inclusion, to volunteering my time and expertise sitting on the Stow Mental Health Awareness Committee, to assisting with neighborhood block parties, I have demonstrated my passion for contributing positively our community. I will continue that positive contribution as a member of the SMF Board of Education.