I’m writing to invite you to join me in supporting Joanna Doria (Ripton) and Jamie McCallum (Weybridge) for the ACSD School Board. I am so grateful to live in a place where democracy is alive and community members are passionately engaged. How wonderful to have a choice about who we elect to lead our schools.

I am supporting Joanna and Jamie because they are both committed to putting well-being in the center — the well-being of students, teachers and communities. I believe Joanna and Jamie will bring forth critical questions about process and goals, nurture trust and transparency, and encourage more authentic engagement with communities. The cascading disruptions of the past two years require a new approach to governance. Community leaders, including our school board members, need to take a wider systems view and consider both upstream and downstream impacts in decision-making. I believe Joanna and Jamie will bring these perspectives to the ACSD Board.

Further, I have known Joanna for over a decade; we met when she was my son’s preschool teacher at the Mary Johnson Children’s Center. For as long as I’ve known her, Joanna has been engaged in nurturing the well-being of youth in Addison County. She has also been actively involved in supporting community well-being, donating an incredible amount of her time to working for justice and community voice. I wholeheartedly support both Joanna and Jamie for the ACSD School Board. Please consider joining me in voting for them on March 1.

Emily Hoyler

Ripton