The following letter to the editor was submitted by former Andover residents Dennis and Eileen Forgue. Dennis Forgue served two terms on the Andover School Committee. The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Andover News. You can learn more about our policy on opinion and commentary on our Mission and Policies page.
We are writing to respectfully request that on March 25th you cast your vote to reelect Sandis Wright to the Andover School Committee. For the past 25 plus years we have been very active in Andover, volunteering throughout various community, town and school organizations. Through Dennis’s six years on the School Committee we have a unique inside view of what is critical to contributing to building a stable school committee that can provide leadership, vision and strategy resulting in the best possible educational experience for Andover’s most important asset, our children.
For various reasons that we are all aware of, Andover faces significant challenges in the upcoming years including budget, facilities, curriculum and supporting our teachers, aids and staff. This is a tough balance that requires experience, objectivity, independence, respect for our families, employees and a love for our students and the schools.
Sandis has shown that he has these qualities and should be reelected to the School Committee. His passion for the students, schools and the community is unsurpassed. His volunteer hours, not just with the School Committee but with various organizations are all focused on improving the quality of life of our residents. His 25 plus years of executive management with BCBS provide him the management, budgetary and strategic experience combined with his networking skills and collaborative approach that creates the package that is critical to being successful on the School Committee in this vulnerable time.
We have a unique situation in Andover. There is the very real possibility that the School Committee can be dominated by members that are strongly aligned with the Andover Educational Association. Such dominance would create a drastically one-side leadership situation, at odds with the Superintendent and the community as a whole. Imagine future contract negotiations where the AEA is negotiating basically with itself, as the Mass Teacher’s Association spent $15,000 in last year’s town elections and will likely spend a similar amount this year to elect its “own” School Committee. This is an amount of money unforeseen in Andover’s local elections. This would no longer be Andover’s School Committee but the AEAs. No matter what you believe, what positions you take, what biases that you have, this would be an enormous negative for the Town of Andover, its Schools and its children.
This is perhaps the most important School Committee election in decades. We respectfully ask that on March 25th you cast your vote for Sandis Wright for School Committee.
Best regards,
Dennis and Eileen Forgue
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