WHY I AM RUNNING FOR SCHOOL BOARD

Received from Sara Jones,
Sea Cliff
​April 17, 2016
​ 
To the Editor,
 
I would like to announce my candidacy for re-election to the North Shore Board of Education.  Through my experiences as a board member over the last three years, I have gained a great deal of insight about the workings of public education both on a local and national scale. I believe this experience makes me an even stronger candidate now than I was three years ago, and I hope to have the opportunity to put my knowledge and skills to work for the North Shore community for another term.
 
During my tenure on the Board of Education, I have advocated for a curriculum that focuses on creating life-long learners and engaged citizens. As such, I authored the board’s Resolution on High Stakes Testing which argued for limiting the impact of government mandated testing on our high performing schools.
 
My work on the Board has also focused on promoting and protecting the overall well-being of our students. I am a Board representative to the Wellness and Health & Safety Committees and have also initiated a review of our student data privacy policies.
 
As a CEO and business owner, I am very conscious of the duty of a school district to be fiscally responsible. For the past 16 years, I have owned and run a national, catalog-based company, an experience that has honed my skills in long term planning, budgeting, and creative problem-solving. I also bring to the Board a significant background in fundraising and public/private partnerships through my work for Citymeals-on-Wheels.
 
In addition to serving on the Board of Education, I have greatly enjoyed volunteering in our schools and community. Most recently, I co-founded the volunteer run, nonprofit Sea Cliff MAKEshop which brings new opportunities for the children in our district to learn coding, math and engineering. 
 
My wife and I have lived in Sea Cliff for 16 years and currently have a daughter at North Shore Middle School and a son at Sea Cliff School. We consider ourselves lucky to live in a community where so many residents, even those without children in the schools, are such staunch supporters of our district. I believe our strong schools contribute to the value of our homes and our community, and I ask that you vote on May 17th to re-elect me to the Board of Education.
 
Thank you,
 
Sara Jones
Sea Cliff