LETTER: Norm DeLaura Running for Manchester School Board

My name is Norm DeLaura and I’m running for the Board of Education.

I’m a husband, father of three girls, and a two time cancer survivor. I’ve been a resident in Manchester for many years and now raising my own family in Manchester. I’ve had a long commitment to our community, I recently served as the Treasurer of the Buckley PTA, a member of the Mary Cheney Library Board, and a coach for my daughter’s softball and baseball teams. Those who know me well, know I’m always striving to make our town of Manchester better through positive change.

My family and I now feel the time has come for me to seek an elected position on the Board of Education. Our children will be going to Manchester Public schools through all phases of the school modernization plan that was passed in 2014. Our daughters are in fifth grade, second grade, and our youngest daughter is going to preschool next year. My children will be in the Manchester public school system for the next twenty years. Which is one of the reasons my family and I decided I should run for the Board of Education.

I believe that in order to close the achievement gap we need to start by:

· Closing the preparation gap. This gap can be closed by providing preschool to all the children of Manchester instead of the current status of hoping to be picked by a lottery. Children who go through preschool before entering kindergarten have an increased chance of academic achievement, school readiness, and social and emotional development. I believe we can accomplish this by turning one of the schools from the school modernization plan that is scheduled to be closed into a preschool for all Manchester residents and by working with our student families, local communities, and health providers to be able to offer the resources to all children entering preschool.

· Improving student health. Right now close to 60% of all Manchester students receive free or reduced lunch. That’s not counting the families that qualify but have not asked for help. A child’s education starts with their physical and mental well-being. I believe it is our moral obligation to provide free lunch to all our students and allow these students to focus on higher learning.

· Make personal finance a required course for all juniors and seniors. Educators invest allot of time teaching math, language arts, science, and social studies, but we need to devote more time into teaching kids everyday personal finances that will be a part of their lives when they graduate. We need to teach our kids how to manage a check book, how student loans affect them after graduation, how do credit cards work, what’s a credit report, what’s a tax return . These are just a few of the important topics all high school students should be required to learn before graduation, as these are important life skills they will carry with them in any field of study they intend to pursue in the future.

· Use local data to pinpoint where we can improve. Utilize the data we receive about the school district to identify and address areas that need improvement and also broaden the application of strategies that we see are working for our children.

If elected to the Board of Education I will help students prepare for global competitiveness by providing state of the art education, comprehensive learning opportunities, providing everyday life skills they will need post-graduation, and promote the social, physical and mental well-being of all children no matter what their race or socio-economic status is, to ensure that all children have been given the best tools to be prepared for life after graduation.

I hope you consider voting for me November 3rd.

Norm DeLaura
Candidate for the Manchester Board of Education