Letter To The Editor: Re-elect Banta To Ossining School Board

To the Editor:

My name is Felix Flores. I’m a 20 year resident of Ossining, father of 2 OHS graduates, grandfather of a Brookside student, retired Ossining School District administrator and former Ossining School Board member. During the many years that I’ve known Melissa Banta I have appreciated her commitment to the children and families of our community. She has demonstrated in words and deeds that she is an advocate for equity, supportive of educational programs that benefit all our children, a mental health and community affairs practitioner, mother of three children and life-long resident of Ossining.

The decisions Ms. Banta has promoted as a School Board member have included supporting the work that was done to secure the funding through Foundation Aid that our district had been legally eligible to receive, but was denied in previous years. Her voting record as a board member reflects her advocacy for programs that promote critical and higher-order thinking skills, equity for all students, and social-emotional learning and wellness initiatives. These, and other positions she’s taken, are indicative of the voices we need in our School Board to equip all our children with knowledge and skills that will serve them well now and in the future. We need advocates of equity, empathy, critical thinking, the well-being of all families and respect for intellectual honesty.

I serve with Ms. Banta as a member of our district’s equity committee and respect her consistent advocacy for all our students and families, expressing her opinions honestly and forthrightly.
Please remember to vote to re-elect Melissa Banta on Tuesday, May 17 th at the OHS Gym.

Felix J. Flores

Ossining