An Open Letter from Bavlnka, Germano, Gische and Kerman

An open letter to the Three Village Community,

The four of us, Deanna Bavlnka, Inger Germano, Irene Gische and Dr. Jeff Kerman, are running for seats on the Board of Education because we are active members of our community who care passionately about education and public service. We have our own opinions and our own resources, and although many of our District’s teachers have responded favorably to our pro-education positions, they are not “running” us, nor do we have any reason to be beholden to them. We pledge first and foremost to be advocates for the students of this District in a way that is financially responsible for our taxpayers.

We recognize that we will not always agree with you or with each other, but once elected to the Board of Education, you can be confident that we will approach every decision free from personal agendas and with malice towards none. Labeling certain groups or individuals “enemies of the people” does not lend itself to the development of nuanced and reasonable solutions to meet our challenges. We pledge therefore to come with open ears and minds, ready to listen and think about the issues before us.

In addition, we pledge:

• We will keep our focus on improving the quality of education for ALL students in our District. We believe that EVERY child is unique, and will encourage the administration to help find the key to unlock each student’s potential.
• We will continue to promote good governance, transparency and respect the Open Meetings Law. We understand that no individual Trustee can act alone, and that our strength and authority derives only from the Board as a whole.
• We will work hard with elected leaders to build productive relationships and change legislation that is adversely affecting our schools. The current methods of determining District wealth are deeply flawed and must be amended. Property tax is a regressive tax that places an unfair burden on those less able to afford it.
• We will work together with organizations such as the Civics, PTAs, PTOs and others to build bridges between the stakeholders of our community. Together we can build a community we can all be proud of.
• We will work to improve hiring practices to get the best teacher possible in every classroom, and the finest administrators available. We will encourage reform of the 3020A process to remove ineffective teachers, and we oppose LIFO (Last in, First Out), which takes control from our administrators when cuts must be made.
• We will be careful stewards of District funds, and when it comes time to negotiate contracts, we will press hard to get the best value for our kids and our taxpayers. A tax cap may be coming soon, and current contractual increases are unsustainable. We will work hard to get them under control, and if additional cuts need to be made, we believe that they should be made by people who are firm supporters of public education.

We encourage the residents of Three Village to continue to stay engaged, to learn about the issues, and to lend a hand in solving them. We know that our community can accomplish so much more by pulling together rather than by pulling each other apart. We invite all members of the community to join us in supporting the budget and ask for your vote on Tuesday, May 17. If you have any questions, please contact us at four4board@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
Deanna Bavlnka
Inger Germano
Irene Gische
Dr. Jeff Kerman