Dear Editor.
When I ran for the School Board in 2014, the issues the candidates addressed were local. We talked about buying the land at Bancroft. I was asked whether I supported astroturf for the football field. When I had a problem with the curriculum, I raised the issue with the school principal and the teacher involved, we had an in-person discussion, and the curriculum was changed. There was no media involvement. Since then, curriculum issues seem to have become publicized and nationalized, with leafleting and grandstanding replacing actual thought. Haddonfield needs a candidate who is focused on Haddonfield issues – maintaining high levels of academic excellence that draw people here, while finding new and innovative ways to foster community to entice them to stay. The issues in Haddonfield are not the issues in California or Texas. This is why I support Mike Nuckols for School Board.
Mike and I have kids the same age who went through the Haddonfield School System together. Mike knows and trusts the teachers and administrators and will work with them to make sure the curriculum is appropriately taught to our students. He is not positioning himself as an adversary, trying to reverse the decisions of experts. More importantly, Mike is a thoughtful community member who will listen to and understand all viewpoints, collaborate with all interested parties, compromise when necessary, and stand firm when appropriate. I know I have personally changed his mind on some topics, and he has changed my mind on others. Haddonfield needs a School Board that can focus on real issues like retaining our best teachers and keeping the schools updated with best educational practices – not waste time tilting at windmills like the district’s alleged kindergarten sex ed curriculum. When I bring concerns to Mike, I know that I will have been heard and understood by a Board member with integrity – often in education that is all we really need. I will be voting for Mike Nuckols for School Board in Haddonfield because I think he will represent the best interests of our students and families.
