Group endorses school board candidate Wood for community and district involvement, focus on diversity

To the editor:

As neighbors, parents and fellow volunteers, we share our enthusiastic endorsement of Paula Wood for board of education trustee. Please join us in voting for her on May 17.

For more than a decade, we have worked with Paula across her many volunteer, leadership and advocacy roles in the school district and community. Her professional experience in education, combined with her community involvement and leadership, has contributed to new initiatives that benefit our students. Our students’ quality of life and quality of education are her highest priorities and are the reasons she is running for board of education.

Paula’s professional career includes teaching enrichment across New York City schools and supporting a wide range of educators and professors at Bank Street College of Education in communications. Paula is an active community leader and has served as chair of the Progressive Women of Pelham and on the boards of the Pelham Art Center and Pelham Music Festival. She spent years volunteering at Hutchinson Elementary School, which included coordinating and expanding the lunchtime enrichment program to provide a wide range of high-quality classes for all. Paula’s deep involvement also includes time spent as a member of the board of education’s community engagement and advocacy committee, makerspace committee and authentic learning committee.

We appreciate Paula’s focus on expanding our program of student-centered learning, alongside the implementation of our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy, which will advance the reflective, critical and creative-thinking competencies that 21st-century learners need to thrive and achieve their full potential. Her perspectives on budget and academic innovation show her depth of knowledge of our district’s history and goals. We trust her to collaborate thoughtfully on developing a new strategic plan centered around student academic and social-emotional needs.

As engaged parents and residents, we have watched this district make great strides in improving educational quality and inclusivity. We support Paula’s candidacy based on her passionate advocacy for high quality teaching and learning, deep experience and commitment to this community, and her openness and respect for all stakeholders.

Please join us in voting for Paula Wood for board of education on May 17.

Stacey Kaplan and Erik Sznip

34 Fifth St.

along with:

Kusum S. Mathews

Kate Carpenter

Melissa Mulrooney Deighton

Chris Maiberger

Melissa Eustace

Marisa Panzani

Kara McLoughlin

Cathie Arquilla

Liz Farrell and Jonathan Lesser

Iva Taylor Maghuyop

Kasia Platt

Nicole Burgess

Lisa and John Horten

Melissa Labonte

Jim and Kristy Rebele

Nandini Anandu

Lynda and Adam Banfield

Krystal Howell

Allison Frost

Maura Curtin

Charles Zicari

Jennifer Shirazi

Valerie Vitale

Claire and Matt Persanis

Liz Massie

Jessica and Russell Solomon

Debbie Winstead

Jennifer Ashlock

Elizabeth Herbert-Wasson

Andrew Wasson

Josie Carbone

Iva Taylor Maghuyop

Wendy Dougherty

Marie McIntyre Tracy

Ariel Spira-Cohen

Robert Tracy

Laura O’Sullivan

Patricia and Bill Knickerbocker

Carly Snarr

Marc Burgess

Debbie Winstead

Caleb Persanis

Tai Montanarella

Larry & Sara Mallach

Josh Wallach

Ron Sucena, Gabe Sucena and Sam Sucena

Maurice and Atasha Greene

Maryanne Joyce

Suzanne Snyder

Babak Rassi

Thomas Farley

Elise King

Nasim Matteoni

Beth Braun

Joanne Ferrara

Ralph Ferrara

Jakob Ferrara

Manu Shekher

Cece Morrell, Jack Morrell and Michael Morrell

Elizabeth Alderman

Alexy Scholl

Katie and Craig Glantz

Eileen Madden and Paul Osmolskis

Jess Young

Kim McGreal

Julia Fuller Nakayama

Ellen Macdonald

Mercedes Maldonado

Luke Persanis

Erik Sznip

Markus Frei

Rich Gagnon

Amy lienert

Dana Thayer

Sarah Frei

Melissa Eustace

Cathie Arquilla

Dana Thayer

Peggy Nicholson

Gregory Spock

Aimee Linn Kaplan

Heather Eliezer

Maria F. Pannullo

Sarah Nataraj

Bethany Ow

Stephen Handelman

Peter Romaniuk

Kim Barrett

Karen Beatty

Norma P. Simon

Paul and Catherine Prencis

Toni Biaggi

Richard Biaggi