The school board election is days away, and this race is important. In Suzette Waters we have a candidate who has the time to learn from all stakeholders and the commitment to public education that is so needed in this current environment when public schools are under attack.
As a highly engaged school volunteer for years, Suzette has done more than just show up for a field trip or two. She has tutored students, maintained balanced budgets, advocated and collaborated with the district to bring challenge classes to the middle schools.
She has been an effective communicator among parents, classrooms, schools and the district. She has spent hundreds of hours on the ground at Columbia Public Schools and is ready to contribute to the board from day one.
The past few years have been very difficult for CPS with alarmingly high turnover among principal and teacher populations, and the administrative office itself. Suzette has the collaborative approach and creativity necessary to help CPS regain stability.
She is an incredibly hard worker who says what she means and means what she says. With Suzette on the board, the community can expect to see more inquiry, better background knowledge and a deeper understanding of the issues.
Other candidates in this race are running on temporary hot topics and have the backing of groups whose goals are to undermine our public schools. Suzette, on the contrary, has years of focus working to better education for all students, not just her own. She plans to fight for public education so all children can find their greatness.
Lisa Boyer and April Ferrao are parents of Columbia Public Schools students.
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