Here is a condensation of my opening and closing remarks at the Candidates' Forum on October 21, 2013:
As I meet people around town, I am often asked what motivated me to run for school board.
The answer is that Haddonfield is a wonderful community with wonderful schools; my family, like many others, moved here for the education. Since moving to town, I have had my three children pass through all levels of our schools, where they have received the type of education my husband and I wanted for them.
It has troubled me, however, to see the school board take its focus away from what goes on in the classrooms to educate our children, and instead turn its attention to issues not directly related to educational pursuits, such as the Bancroft purchase and the turf field initiative.
Serving on the school board would allow me to be a stronger voice for those of us who want to see the Board returned to its intended purposes - improving the education provided to our students in the public schools. To that end, there needs to be a greater focus on curriculum, technology, and infrastructure in our schools.
Please know that I am passionate about serving on the Board and being an advocate for our children. I am an attorney by training and a policy analyst by profession, with over twenty years of experience in social services. As such, reading and interpreting laws and regulations, as well as developing programs and policies that meet legal requirements while also serving the population, is second nature to me. I believe that these skills translate well to working on the school board for you.
Between now and the election, our community will engage in important discussions regarding what we want from our schools. I hope that you will take the time to learn about my positions on the issues facing the district, and consider giving me your support. I hope you vote for me, but, either way, please vote. It's important to our children and our community.
You can find out more about my campaign at shawforschoolboard.weebly.com, or at my campaign Facebook page - Amy Keys Shaw for School Board.
