Nash: What I Learned In The 2018 School Board Election

In the weeks prior to the election I met with many people and groups. I asked the same question of everyone, "What are the issues that education in Bedford will face over the next 3-5 years"? Here are the answers that were repeated the most;

• Mental Health, Stress, Anxiety
• Wants vs. Needs - just like we budget at our homes
• Classroom student teacher ratios
• Communication, Customer Service, and Transparency
• Scheduling, Course Selection, and Alternate Pathways at BHS; a.k.a IB/AP
• Transitions between schools - for both Students and Parents
• Math, Math, Math with an emphasis on the pre-high school experience

Some of these I expected and helped prompt me to run. Others, like the scale of concern for stress and anxiety in our classrooms, were complete surprises. In the coming weeks and months I'll publish more thoughts on each of these topics. Each one deserves attention.

Additionally a comment that was nearly unanimously repeated was the desire for civil discourse and respectful dialog in the public forum. Conversation after conversation touched on the need to be respectful even when we disagree in order to enable more open conversation around educational topics.

Thanks again to everyone who shared their thoughts and ideas about the future of education over the last few weeks. It was an enlightening learning experience.

If you'd like to share your thoughts, you can contact me and comment on this post at https://www.nash.school, or on twitter @jaynash_bsb, or via email at jaynash@protonmail.com. You can reach the entire school board at bedfordschoolboard@bedfordnhk12.net.

Jay Nash