As a recent graduate, I’ve seen our school board preside over relative stasis, as well as relative change. I’ve seen good decisions and bad ones, but not before Deborah Marinsky and Carol Herts have I seen candidates running on the idea that their constituents come first and press releases come second.
It should not be the case that our town is cited in the New York Times as an example of racial tension. It should not be the case that important resolutions are passed in executive session and that the board makes up its mind before speaking to a single voter.
Whether you are for A&E or against it; whether you believe WW-P is headed in the right direction or the wrong one, it should be offensive to all of us that our administration pays more heed to external consultants than to our students, families, residents and teachers. And this is exactly the attitude that Deborah and Carol are running to fix.
That said, like every candidate, Deborah and Carol have beliefs. They think that stress is real and problematic, but slicing programs isn’t the best way to deal with it. That the way to support the arts is to support the arts, not to slash science.
That programs like A&E are vital to our gifted students, and that it is irresponsible and reckless to condemn half of our students as insufficiently “whole.” And, most importantly, that our students’ education should be the result of common sense, steady judgment and expert training — not the latest educational fad.
As someone who has had to fight the administration tooth-and-nail to do things as innocuous as host a Science Olympiad car wash, and who has witnessed the district dismantle programs I depended on, Deborah and Carol represent a chance for WW-P to remain at its best: a place where students can flourish without interference, and where our schools support our students’ achievement.
Arnav Sood
West Windsor
