To the Editor:

I am writing to endorse Lisa Martino Alves for the Pelham Board of Education. She has the background and perspective our board needs right now.

Our district is at an inflection point. New state mandates will significantly affect curriculum beginning next school year. There is a reduced reliance on standardized testing, for better or worse. AI can be transformative, but also deeply harmful to students if not addressed thoughtfully. In the face of all these pressures, our schools are largely left on their own to figure out how to respond. And while the school board does not manage our schools, it plays a crucial role in helping them navigate change and ensuring our students continue to thrive.

No one on the current board has experience as an educator. Lisa has worked as a teacher, researcher, and administrator. She has an up-to-date perspective on the challenges we face, and on how other high-performing districts have succeeded (and failed) in addressing them.

Lisa is equipped to play a valuable role on the Board as part translator, part collaborator. She can engage the latest issues quickly, with an informed perspective rooted in real-world experience. This will shorten the learning curve on matters that non-educators are understandably less familiar with, and will help the board work more effectively on behalf of teachers, administrators, students, parents, and taxpayers.

I also know Lisa as a person: someone involved in the community, engaged as a parent, and welcoming as a neighbor. She will bring energy, empathy, and cooperation to a board and district that has set worthy goals: stronger student performance, a more enriching learning environment, a genuine sense of belonging, and a responsible use of resources.

A vote for Lisa Martino Alves is the best way to ensure our great school district gets even better, no matter what comes next. I hope you will join me on May 19.

Dan Bollin
44 Clifford Avenue