Our school district — and all those around the state — face a lot of challenges. Serving on the school board is an important and demanding job. ACSD school board candidates Jess Venable-Novak and Ron Makleff are rising to the occasion.

We do face immense challenges and need to work together to overcome those challenges. The ability to work with fellow board members and district leaders — even when you disagree — with respect and collaboration are critical to our success. Every child in our community deserves to have access to a strong education. How do we get there? Transparency and authenticity will help us reach our common goals of being fiscally responsible and providing the best education we can for our students.

We need creative approaches to improve student outcomes, reduce gaps, utilize the resources of local organizations, respect financial limitations and find ways to carefully integrate technology into the classroom.

I will be voting for Ron Makleff and Jess Venable-Novak and am grateful to have such strong candidates on the ballot.

Tanya Scuteri

Shoreham