Who We Are Op-Ed | Warwick Area Republican Committee

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Who We Are

We are the seven candidates for the Board of Directors for the Warwick School District who are the only candidates who have been vetted and endorsed by the Warwick Area Republican Committee. We are also the only Republican candidates who have not cross-filed as Democrats and who are running only as Republicans. There have been attempts by our political opponents and the media to misrepresent and label us to advance a particular political narrative.

Here is who we really are:

We are a group of individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. We are parents, grandparents, spouses, friends, neighbors, teachers, co-workers, business owners, retirees, and professionals. We are Republicans who voluntarily and individually chose to run for the office of school director and who each sought and obtained the endorsement of the Republican Party for that office. We were not hand-picked by, nor are we beholden to, any individual or organization. There is much on which we agree and also much on which we may disagree. But we are united in how deeply we care about the Warwick School District and its students.

Individually we are:

- - - A decorated combat veteran and retired police officer who is father to two current Warwick students.
    - A soon-to-be retired teacher and coach with over 30 years of service to the Warwick School District and father to 2 daughters who graduated from Warwick.
    - A 30-year practicing attorney and current board member who graduated from Warwick, and who is father to a Warwick graduate and a current Warwick student.
    - A former retail management professional who is now a full-time mother to 5 Warwick students from kindergarten through 9th grade and who currently serves on the Library Review Committee.
    - A sales director for an outdoor living company who is mother to 3 current Warwick students and who currently serves on the Parent Advisory Councils for both the Middle School and the High School.
    - A construction sales and estimating professional, born in Bogota, Colombia, who is a Warwick graduate and father to one current and one future Warwick student.
    - A distribution management professional and current board member who is a Warwick graduate and former Warwick athlete, and father of 5 Warwick graduates.

We know that Warwick has historically been one of the best school districts in the state which is why we choose to live here and why we send our children to Warwick’s schools. We know that Warwick has amazing, dedicated teachers, staff, and administrators.

However, it is no secret that the academic performance of Warwick students has been in decline. Recent assessment information shows that all district schools failed to meet state interim goal/improvement targets in at least one subject area with the middle school failing to meet these goals for all assessed subjects – English, math and science. Test scores show that significant segments of our student body are at or below state testing averages and average SAT scores for the district have trended steadily downward. At the same time that testing and performance has declined, the amount of money paid by Warwick on behalf of students who have opted against a Warwick education in favor of cyber, charter or home schooling has significantly increased in the last few years.

Regardless of how we got here, we know that we can and must do better.

We want our schools to provide the best possible academic education to best prepare our students to be future productive citizens and members of the workforce.

We want our schools to assist and lift up disadvantaged students while maintaining standards and opportunities that challenge and enrich our top-performers.

We want our schools to be places where students and staff are safe and secure.

We want our schools to be able to identify mental health and learning support needs in order to connect students with the best resources.

We want our schools to welcome and encourage a diversity of ideas and expression.

We want to make Warwick an academic institution that parents and students will choose over other educational options.

And we want these things for ALL students, regardless of race, sex, nationality, disability, creed, family background, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

We also want to see an improved level of trust between the district and the community through better and more positive communication and the highest possible level of transparency.

We want to ensure the greatest level of fiscal responsibility in the management and expenditure of school district resources.

We want to establish a culture that allows us to attract and retain the top academic, support and coaching talent.

And we want to hold accountable the board, administration, teachers, staff, community, and students themselves, in adhering to and advancing Warwick’s mission statement which reads:

“In collaboration with the community, the Warwick School District is to enable all students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to become responsible, productive, and resourceful citizens.”

If elected, each of us pledges to work together with other board members, administrators, teachers, staff, and the community in making the Warwick schools the best they can possibly be.

In the meantime, we welcome your input and concerns. If you have any questions on where any of us stand individually on a particular issue, please feel free to reach out or stop us on the street. We ask that you seek truth over narrative, engage with us and make your own assessment.

Your endorsed Republican candidates for Warwick School Board:

Bill Breault

Mike Brown

Scott Landis

Angie Lingo

Amy Martin

Reggie Weaver

Dan Woolley