New London BOE Candidates Have Worked TOGETHER

In 2012, a group of parents and community members joined together to advocate on behalf of New London’s schools and students. Sharing our individual concerns about a diverse range of issues that included the purpose of public education, the condition of school facilities, and the role of police in enforcing discipline, the group formed New London Parent Advocates (NLPA). Three of us – founding members Regina Mosley, Kathy Skrabacz and Mirna Martínez – are running for seats on the Board of Education in this year’s municipal elections.

From the beginning, NLPA strived to encourage all parents to become involved in shaping education policy in New London schools. To ensure a safe environment for sharing concerns, we decided that school leaders and administrators would not be invited to routine New London Parent Advocate meetings. To enable parents to attend Board of Education meetings, we lobbied for the availability of child care on meeting nights. To educate the public on issues like school privatization, we hosted forums in collaboration with the Connecticut College Education Department. To shed light on problems with school facilities, we attended School Building and Maintenance Committee meetings.

Today, in the midst of the 2017 campaign season, partisan politics frequently rules the day, as voters are encouraged to support only those candidates whose names appear on a single favored line, and candidates are discouraged from voicing support for any individuals who do not share their party alignment. In such a system, important issues take a back seat to party loyalty. To best serve our citizens and schools, however, we need to change that system; the three of us, representing the Democratic, Republican, and Green Parties, respectively, have a history of setting aside partisan politics and working together to achieve common goals.

For almost two years, we, along with other advocates, wore ‘red to the Board of Ed’ and worked together energetically and collaboratively to advance common goals and to benefit New London’s students. Though we did not agree on everything, we ate together, mapped out issues, attended meetings, planned events, and put in many, many hours – working as a team.

With this year’s potential for massive turnover on New London’s school board, coupled with the certainty of a change in superintendents, voters should carefully consider which candidates have a track record, both for effective teamwork and for familiarity with Board of Education procedures and responsibilities. Even those of us who have never served on the board have attended dozens of meetings, and can help provide continuity to our schools through this time of transition. We ask that our city’s voters look past the party lines, and choose Board of Education members who can do the same, for the benefit of our city, our schools, and our students.

Mirna Martínez
Regina Mosley
Kathy Skrabacz