The following letter to the editor was submitted by Andover resident Dana Courtney as a response to Claire Chiesa’s commentary. The views expressed are solely those of the author 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.
Many people are calling into question the integrity of candidates Shauna Murray and Lauren Diffenbach and the support they are receiving from the AEA. I am baffled by the surprise and the outcry of those trying to discredit these candidates. It is perfectly normal and common for groups to support the candidates that have their best interest at heart. We have witnessed this countless times, including former School Committee member Shannon Scully receiving support from the AEA, as she herself has shared.
Why was it acceptable then and not now? All candidates had equal opportunity to garner support from this group and it is apparent that Murray and Diffenbach have the best interest of all stakeholders, especially and most importantly our students. All current School Committee members have signs supporting Jayashree Mohandas and Susan McCready; are we to consider that a conflict of interest? Our current School Committee has felt like a clique, one with its own agenda that has little interest in public opinion (I think we all remember the hostility around school start times). Will School Committee candidates feel comfortable having dissenting voices among the members that endorsed them? Will they feel they need to go with the group because of its intimidating nature? I don’t see how endorsing a candidate, which we all know is normal and completely legal political practice, is a conflict of interest. Put simply, it isn’t.
I have lived in this town my entire life, nearly 40 years, and the relationship between the current School Committee and residents, parents, and teachers has never been more fractured. There is a lack of trust, transparency, and respect coupled with an incredible amount of resentment between all parties that will likely take years to improve. We need new perspectives. We need voices of people who work in classrooms, who spend their days with children, who know what it means to educate children. The School Committee should have varied opinions and people who are willing to challenge each other and hold each other to the highest decision making standards for the good of the students of Andover.
I truly believe this rhetoric surrounding the AEA’s endorsement is a scare tactic and a way to make candidates Murray and Diffenbach look unfavorable because that seems to always be the strategy of the School Committee and those in their orbit. I hope everyone is paying attention to the tactics being used, remembers the way parents have been spoken to at School Committee meetings, and thinks back on all of the decisions the School Committee has made in recent years. I, for one, do not want more of the same. I want my two daughters, who are in the Andover school system, to know that those in charge of decision making are doing everything in their power to make our schools the very best they can be. With confidence, I look forward to casting my ballot on March 26th for Shauna Murray and Lauren Diffenbach. It is time we had educators involved in decision making about education.
Dana Courtney
Andover
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