Endorse Rowe for school board: Has expertise to understand challenges facing schools, commitment to educational issues
To the editor:
We are writing to express our support for Ian Rowe’s candidacy to become a member of the Pelham Board of Education. Over many years, we have gotten to know Ian and his family through different ways: from the neighborhood, from Huguenot (church, nursery school or cabaret) and from Siwanoy School. We all share a deep friendship and respect for Ian and believe he would be a tremendous asset to the Pelham Board of Education for these reasons:
1. Professional Expertise
Ian is uniquely positioned to understand the challenges facing our school administration because he has been running schools for over 10 years: First as the chief executive officer of the Public Prep network of charter schools from 2010 to 2020 and now as the leader of a new network of International Baccalaureate schools. He knows what it is like to push for continuous improvement in student academic performance while balancing the needs of teachers, the concerns of parents and the social-emotional health of all members of a school community. Most importantly, Ian has proven his ability to navigate these challenges to get results. Public Prep’s schools have all been recognized by New York State for “high academic achievement and strong progress,” an honor only bestowed on the top 15% of schools statewide.
2. Commitment
Ian has dedicated most of his life to educational issues and serving the needs of young people. Most of his work prior to Public Prep was also focused on education and youth, including Teach for America, serving as deputy director of the post-secondary success team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and leading strategic partnerships and public affairs at MTV, where his role was to foster youth activism and engagement. As someone who has worked to improve the lives of young people of all races from a wide range of backgrounds, Ian has a deep personal commitment seeing all children achieve their potential.
3. Intelligence
Serving on the board of education involves wading through dense, jargon-laden materials and parsing complex issues to determine the best course of action. His professional background will already make him more familiar with many subjects, but Ian also has the innate brilliance that will enable him to see through the clutter and identify clear and logical responses to the many issues facing our district. His intelligence will also allow him to think analytically and independently about charged issues.
4. Temperament
Anyone who has ever met Ian knows that he is soft spoken, a great listener and is always willing to engage in a thoughtful discussion about issues. He has made it clear that he wants to collaborate with others on the board and the administration in helping our schools and community move forward—points he made clear in his statement at the board of education meeting on Feb. 3.
To summarize, we are grateful that Ian is willing to offer his talents to our community and we feel that our district would greatly benefit from his participation on the school board. In his work and life, he has embodied his campaign slogan: “Inspiring a Standard of Excellence for All Students.” He has our vote on May 18, and we hope you will join us.
Sincerely,
Louise and Doug Kelly
108 Boulevard
and..
Jackie De Angelis and Jeff Bonanno
Kristen Burke
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Stephanie and James Gilmartin
Rob and Monica Gimigliano
Mimi and Scott Humphrey
Lisa and Lance Koonce
Anton and Norma Martinez
Kate Pringle and John McCormick
Mike and Jeanine McDermott
Patty and Bill O’Connor
Mark and Andrea Peltz
Liselle and Sanjay Sakhrani
Caden and Dominic Stobart
Emily and Prev Venugopal
Maryanne Joyce • Apr 16, 2021 at 11:30 pm
Looking at a body of work, not labels. Pelham voters should get the whole picture. “The next conservative K–12 education agenda” https://youtu.be/VZVS9TgWyqA
Gregory Breskin • Apr 16, 2021 at 12:18 pm
Maybe because they know the man rather than the labels.
Maryanne Joyce • Apr 16, 2021 at 8:12 am
Genuinely curious why a group that includes Democrats and progressives would support and promote the candidacy for Pelham Public Schools Board of Education of a Fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, which promotes ideas often anathema to progressives, and someone who is a strong supporter of charter schools, which cherrypick students and draw resources away from public schools. Here is Mr. Rowe on the New York Times 1619 Project and on the efforts of his new group, 1776 Unites, to counteract the 1619 Project’s attempt to reckon with our history:
“Ian: Before clandestinely attempting to erase many of its false historical claims, The New York Times’ 1619 Project declared that our country’s “founding ideals were false when they were written” and erroneously posited that America’s true founding was 1619, not 1776. The founders of 1776 Unites were deeply troubled by the 1619 Project’s effort to cherry-pick parts of American history and paint the United States as an irredeemably racist nation. We felt this perverse ideology would divide our people and, worst of all, instill a learned helplessness in a people who should find strength and resolve in a history of resilience and Black excellence, even in the face of unimaginable adversity. We, as Black leaders, formed 1776 Unites to dissent from this contemporary groupthink and reject The New York Times’ victimhood narrative that infantilizes our people and insults our proud heritage.” (The rest of the article from which this is excerpted is worth a read.)
From: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-ian-rowe-discusses-1776-unites-and-his-efforts-to-promote-a-vision-of-a-unified-america/2021/01