LARA GONZALEZ FOR NORTH SHORE BOEReceived from Patty Roberto
May 6, 2014 Dear Editor; This year the North Shore School budget vote and Board of Education Elections are more important than perhaps ever before. North Shore voters face ever increasing challenges and see tax dollars being pulled in a multitude of directions. Our current BOE is comprised of very educated diverse people all looking out for the best interest of the district. An excellent addition to this group of dedicated people is Lara Gonzalez of Sea Cliff. I have had the honor of knowing Lara for 11 years as our children entered Kindergarten at Sea Cliff and will both soon graduate HS in 2016. Lara is a graduate of UC Berkley and holds a Master from UC San Diego and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Teachers College Columbia University (’07). She has worked at ALL levels of education from classroom to Administration over the last 20 years. My experience with Lara is someone who is conscientious, and extremely thorough in her decision making. She takes great care to understand everyone's perspective so the end result is the most beneficial to all parties. She has a thorough understanding of Common Core requirements both in the classroom and testing processes in addition to the IB programs. She understands these curriculum pitfalls and goals and can help guide us to a clear path through this transition. What uniquely sets Lara apart is that she brings a multifaceted perspective to the BOE. Being both an administrator in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich school system and a mother of 3 children in this district at each level, elementary, Middle and High school means that Lara is uniquely qualified to delve deeply into the budget and the work flow of a school system all while maintaining a big picture view of the impacts changes may have on the student body as a whole. There is no other person currently on the board who has this capability. Lara's experiences and role in this community will help make this a well rounded BOE. Lara is thoughtful, analytic and pragmatic in her approach to everything. She understands the future roll of testing in our districts and the Common Core at a level many of us do not. Lara is gifted with the ability to negotiate with others and bring people of opposing views together to achieve a collective common positive outcome. I fully support Lara Gonzalez for North Shore's Board of Education. Please vote on May 20. Respectfully Yours, Patty Roberto Sea Cliff |