Lee, NH
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John Collins Lee, NH |
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I am 46, married, with three children in the Oyster River schools. Our oldest is at the Middle School, the other two at Mast Way. My spouse is completing a Ph.D. in bioinformatics at UNH and volunteers regularly at Mast Way. We are all involved in the community in a variety of ways. Our kids are active in ORYA soccer, baseball, hockey and swimming and if they play it, somehow I wind up coaching (currently I am doing house hockey and the OR Otters). Music abounds in our house; my spouse earned her college degree in Music Performance (bassoon) and the kids play piano, viola and cornet (so far).
I am completing my first term (three years) on the OR School Board. I guess if I had a campaign slogan it would be: "if you voted for me last time, when I didn't have a clue, you certainly should vote for me this time". I bring to the position the same qualities I offered last time: commitment to quality education, good listening and problem-solving skills, and an ability to get along with and work with others. Ask my fellow board members; ask building-level and district administrators; ask people who know me as a neighbor, teacher, coach or friend; ask those who endorse me. I am confident they will say I ask the hard questions but I am fair; that I listen to all sides of an argument, that you always know where I stand on an issue whether it is popular or not. Above all, I am confident they will tell you I have been a strong and outspoken advocate of quality education in Oyster River.
Add to these qualities all that I have learned in my three years on the Board. I have been involved with the current high school plan from its inception. I served on the Negotiations Committee throughout the difficult teachers contract process and am now Chair of this committee. I serve on the recently formed Academic Affairs Committee, a Board subcommittee charged with the task of pushing and monitoring the ongoing curriculum revision initiative in the district. Maybe more important than all of these particulars, I have learned how things work in Oyster River and on the Board. I understand that as we strive for excellence, we must do it in a way that gets the most from every tax dollar we raise and appropriate. I understand this as a taxpayer and homeowner, and I understand it in the context of the reality of what it takes to garner voter approval for the annual budget and other initiatives.
Why am I running for re-election? Many reasons come to mind. However, two reasons stand out. First, I feel my work on the OR School Board is the most important thing I have done in my life, with the exception of my family. Second, I'm not finished! Many pressing issues confront Oyster River: the high school, curriculum, enrollment growth and imbalance at the elementary school level, to name a few. I have grappled with these and other issues for the past three years. I want to continue my efforts to keep Oyster River not merely adequate, but the best!
B.A., Molecular Biology, Colgate University
Ph.D., Genetics, University of Wisconsin
Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UNH. 1988 - present.
High school renovation and expansion
Curriculum revision and articulation
Claremont - the continuing saga
Communication among parents, teachers, and administrators
Class size/enrollment growth and imbalance
School Board relations with the administrators and staff, and the community
Quality education for every student
Efficient use of every tax dollar
Improve our schools rather than maintain the status quo
High school renovation and expansion - I SUPPORT ARTICLE 3, OF COURSE. What's more, I understand the issue and the Board's proposal inside out. I've been working in this problem for three years now. We have considered a wide range of possible solutions, resulting in the plan we will bring before the voters again, as Article 3, on March 14.
Curriculum revision and articulation - I support Article 11, which advises the District to continue work to revise the K-12 curriculum and provide an education that meets this curriculum. As a member of the School Board Academic Affairs subcommittee, I have been active in this area for over a year. I think it is important that we all recognize that it is the job of our paid professionals to develop and write the curriculum according to the policies the Board establishes (with public input). I am committed to an open dialog with the public and with the administration and staff of the district that will result in a curriculum that all parties can embrace.
Claremont - the continuing saga - this is the state legislature's problem, not the School Board. I support a resolution that reorients the way money is raised to pay for public education. Whatever formula is established, we must respond to it (if necessary) to maintain equitable tax burdens within the district. I served on the Board Apportionment Formula Review Committee, this past year. We reviewed the history of tax burdens in the three towns of the district and tried to establish the most valid comparison of current taxes across the three towns. Our conclusion was that the impact of the Claremont resolution did not justify any change in the apportionment formula at this time.
Communication among parents, teachers, and administrators - I will endeavor to promote better communication between the parents of K-12 students and the teachers and administrators who serve them. I have heard many complaints and expressions of dissatisfaction that were based on innuendo and rumor (and many that were well-founded). Clearly, misunderstandings are going to happen. However, open dialog can go a long way toward overcoming this in many cases. The current debate over curriculum revision is a good example. Much potential misunderstanding can be avoided if all interested parties open and maintain a dialog as soon as possible. The Board is committed to encouraging this dialog.
Class size/enrollment growth and imbalance - class sizes are creeping up district-wide. They are already at unacceptably high levels in some cases, in particular at Moharimet and the Middle School (fifth grade, for example!). The problem is complex: more money is needed to hire addition staff, but that is a hollow act unless the new teachers have the space needed to instruct. I do not favor modular classrooms as a long-term solution to this problem. A related problem involves an enrollment imbalance at the elementary school level: Moharimet is overcrowded (modulars are in use) while Mast way is not. One potential solution to this situation is redistricting -- redrawing the catchment area boundary lines. Construction of a third elementary school is also under consideration. The Board will be confronting this issue in the upcoming year.
School Board relations with the administrators and staff, and the community - We need to build trust and cooperative attitudes among all groups within the district. As a member of the School Board, I will strive to achieve these goals. I will continue to ask what needs asking and I will be clear and open about my position on each issue that arises. It is critical that every citizen be listened to and that the roles of parents, teachers, voters, administrators, students and Board members be clearly defined, understood and respected.
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Last update on 14-Feb-00 at 8:25 AM.
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This page is edited by David K. Taylor. Please send questions or comments to editor@orol.org.