Ruth Robarts: Cole is just what the School Board needs

Dear Editor: My ten years on the Madison School Board have convinced me that the board's highest priorities must be new ideas and new community partnerships. Maya Cole gets my vote for Seat 5 because innovation is her top priority and she has the energy to bring the community together to plan for the future.

As a community and school activist, Maya has learned to listen and build consensus. She is an independent and original thinker at a time when the board needs exactly that.

Inadequate state and federal funding for public schools and overreliance on residential property tax revenues are very significant problems. However, we cannot postpone innovation until those problems are solved.

We must start today by encouraging innovative programs, including charter schools, and enlisting business and community allies in new funding partnerships. We must evaluate curriculum in ways that are understandable and be willing to change when the student results are not as promising as we had hoped.

Together we must envision a high-achieving, stable school system in 2020. A shared vision of the future of our schools will help us agree on the changes necessary at the state and federal level as well as the changes necessary here and now.

Maya Cole understands innovation and can provide critical leadership during these difficult times. Please join me in voting for her.

Ruth Robarts, Member, Board of Education, Madison

A letter to the editor

Posted by James Zellmer at March 31, 2007 8:43 PM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas