To the Editor:

I am writing to ask for your support of my candidacy to serve on Killingworth's Board of Education (BOE).  The position I seek runs through 2009 and will be voted upon on Monday, June 19th , during a special Town Meeting at Killingworth Elementary School, at 8:00 p.m.  The meeting should be brief and the vote for the BOE is likely to be the first agenda item.  I recognize that this is a very busy time of year, but I encourage you, if at all possible, to take the time to come out and vote.

As a resident of Killingworth for the past seven years, and parent of fifth and second graders who attend Killingworth Elementary School, I am very motivated to make certain our tax dollars are invested wisely.  During the past two years I have been a frequent attendee at BOE meetings, and I have learned a great deal about the responsibilities of the board.  My understanding of the board will help accelerate my learning curve in becoming a fully functioning member.  The strengths that I will bring to the board include open-mindedness, a willingness to listen and strong analytical ability.  In addition, my experience as a researcher at Yale University will be useful for promoting academic accountability and for developing data-driven educational solutions.

As a member of the BOE, I will seek to promote collaborative approaches that allow educators to maximize the potential of each student.  I am particularly interested in students in the middle that may not always receive the attention and resources garnered by students with "special needs" or those labeled "talented and gifted".  I believe that every child is uniquely talented and deserves to have caring and competent teachers and guidance counselors.  It is not enough, to just cultivate the standard linguistic and mathematical intelligences most valued by our schools.

One approach that I would endorse to help insure that every student's needs are addressed is a structure like Advisor/Advisee.  Advisor/Advisee is a system in which every educator in a school works with a small group of students as a mentor or coach.  Usually each educator is assigned a group of students with whom they meet regularly throughout the students' years at the school.  Such an approach would be particularly advantageous in both the new intermediate school and the high school.  I also believe that schools can aspire to develop individualized achievement plans for every student upon entering the district.  Such plans could be updated as needed and be used as ongoing tools to help facilitate communication between parents, students and educators and insure that a student's academic, career and social/emotional development is progressing satisfactorily.

The upcoming years are an especially important time for the educational system in Region 17.  I share the excitement of the community and appreciate the hard work and perseverance of so many people who sacrificed their time and energy to help bring the new intermediate school to fruition.  The new school provides the space to create a respectful, caring and challenging environment for the children of Killingworth and Haddam to learn, but the building alone is not enough.  The success of the intermediate school, and for that matter each school in the district, will be measured by the ability of the school community to provide students with the educational and career choices for becoming productive and self-sufficient members of society.

If given the opportunity to serve our community, I promise to work tirelessly on behalf of all students.  I thank you in advance for your support, and look forward to working cooperatively with all members of the community.

Sincerely,
John O'Leary