Choosing to Serve our Children in New Ways

Dear Friends,

As you may already be aware, I will no longer be seeking re-election to the Orange County School Board. I will enter a new chapter in my private life and in public service to the children of Orange County.

I am thankful to the voters who in 2004 gave me this opportunity to serve. My platform at the time was to bring educational equity to our students and demonstrate fiscal stewardship. I will touch briefly on the hard decisions that I have made as I fulfilled those promises.

From the beginning, a top priority was the transformation of Evans High School. All involved in supporting and working for Evans have the expectation that the unanimous decision to rebuild on its freshman campus will be fully implemented. The students at Evans have waited long enough for an equitable and excellent education, and this plan is clearly in their best interests. I am confident that the County Commission will, this summer, give their approval.

I have worked diligently with district staff and architects to guide plans for Edgewater High School so that future students will benefit from additional land and a new campus within a budget that is responsible to the taxpayers. Even though strict fiscal discipline was applied, it is still the largest budget for a school renovation in the history of Orange County Public Schools. Future board members will have to remain disciplined as this project is further developed
while they simultaneously protect the promise to Orange County taxpayers to renovate all existing schools and build new ones. No school is more deserving than another. They are all equal in my eyes.

The decision to phase out the programs at Hungerford Preparatory was difficult, but necessary for educational and financial reasons. Many citizens and organizations are working collaboratively to arrive at good solutions for Eatonville’s schools and its economy. My successor will need to get involved and work with the many people and community leaders who are dedicated to the transformation of this historic and culturally significant community.

I have been a strong advocate for middle and high school reform, specifically the district’s League of Educational Excellence, and the district’s strategic plan and vision to be “the top producer of successful students in the nation.” As future board members become guardians of equity and excellence, they will need to protect these important initiatives. They are the foundation of educational success.

I also advocated for the 2006 school board policy to establish firm fiscal discipline within our capital program to use all available revenues in a manner that allows the renovation of all existing schools and construction of sufficient number of new schools in areas of growth.

It has been an honor to work with our incredible principals, teachers, parents, students and community supporters. The schools of District 6, and throughout the county, are excelling at an unprecedented pace. I have never met a more dedicated family of professionals who truly care about our children’s welfare, always seek to better themselves in their areas of expertise, and work tirelessly every day to educate our children to the highest levels.

It has been an honor to work with our visionary superintendent and his excellent administration. He is a nationally recognized leader of public school reform and a man of great integrity and intellect. He has not always enjoyed the local respect that he deserves and that which his peers experience in other large cities around the nation. He does not let that unfortunate reality stop him, though. He always puts children first and is not afraid to challenge the status quo as he and his team move this district forward.

It has been an honor to work with my school board colleagues, especially when we have stayed unified and shown principled leadership on the many and varied issues that have come before us. The ideal school board is one that serves the greater good, maintains the long view, and places priority on the integrity of the classroom, where all teaching and learning take place. At our best, this school board did just that.

I know that my decision has disappointed many, and delighted a few. But, timing is everything. This new path will allow me the freedom to seek new ways to advocate for justice and equity in public education. I will seek opportunities to combat efforts by special interests in our community whose agendas are meant to undermine our public schools and have little to do with children or education.

For a long time, I have followed this creed- Every Child Matters. Every Child Learns. Every Child Succeeds. I will always believe in the potential of every child, regardless of skin color, family income, place of residence, country of origin, social status, or special need, and that each has a right to an equitable and excellent education. Once acquired, an education can never be
taken away. It is the basis of a healthy society. It is the foundation of our democracy. It is, I believe, a creed worth fighting for.

I will continue to be publishing posts on this blog. It will continue to have information about my record, my positions, my passions. I will also maintain a website, and this blog, for advocating for our children’s education and providing information that is truthful and helpful to this cause.

While I still have a lot of work to do over the next six months, I will be meeting regularly with Nancy Robbinson, my successor, to bring her up to date on the many complex issues and serious responsibilities that are involved in serving on the Orange County School Board. She has assured me that she wants to serve with integrity and dedication, and will place priority on what counts most-the educational success of our children.

Thank you to those of you with whom I have worked and those who have supported me over the last several years. Your support means the world to me. Together we will build a better community.

Anne