To the Editor of the Highland Park Planet:
My name is Jenni Chapman. I’m a parent of two children in the Highland Park public schools, I’m a graduate of Highland Park High School, and my father was a teacher at the high school. I know from personal experience how much of an impact public education in HP has had on my family. I know how hard teachers work and how much they care about our students and our community. I know that a community that supports its public schools benefits from that support whether you have children in the public schools or not. I know that properly funding our schools is essential to the success of every student.
On November 3rd, I’ll be voting for the Support Our Schools HP slate, Rob Magaziner, Sharice Richardson, and Ruth Beyer. They know too, from personal experience, how much of a role the HP public schools have played in their families as parents of current and former students. They know that the community’s investment and support in the schools is and will be a part of the success story of their children and that adequately funding the schools is imperative. In return they’ll demand transparency in policy changes and in the budget.
If you meet Rob, Sharice, and Ruth at one of the teas organized by
Support Our Schools HP, you’ll find a team who is passionate about public education and that each student is provided with the support they need to succeed and thrive in a learning-centric environment. Each of these candidates brings a unique perspective but share a commitment to our schools, whether they have children attending the schools or not. They also promise to demand transparency and to pay attention to details that affect the students and the budget. In a small town like Highland Park, it’s important that our school board members employ as much objectivity as possible when deciding on policy and budget items and think about the community, the students and staff.
This election, like last year’s, is of great importance to the future
of our public schools. The underfunding from the state continues, and we need board members who will hold the state accountable and demand the funds promised to our district. We need board members who will be our first line of defense against those who would divert public money away from our public schools to fund private institutions through vouchers and to charters. And we need board members who will carefully consider how the budget is constructed to give the best education to the kids in our schools. Join me on Nov 3rd and vote for Rob, Sharice, and Ruth.
Jenni Chapman, HP parent, HPHS graduate, and HP business owner