Dear residents of Addison Northwest School District:

I am writing to thank our school board for the hard work it’s done, not just this year, but for many years. After Town Meeting Day, John Stroup, a long-time school board member and the chair of the board for the last five years, is stepping down from the ANWSD Board. I had the chance to serve with John on the board from 2016-2022, and as vice chair of the board during John’s first year as chair. We are all of us better off for the substantial and important service John has done for the whole community.

Part of what’s always impressed me about John is his capacity to bring together a very clear moral vision of the work of public schools with a deep knowledge of the policies and processes that allow the schools and the district to function. In my time on the board, John was the one who saw most clearly when the board needed to make a statement of values, that our goal was to provide students with skills and knowledge to thrive in the contemporary world, and to do so in a way that recognized the humanity of all of our students and staff. For most of the first five years of its existence, John was the chair of the policy committee, providing important leadership in establishing the policies that would guide the district. None of this work was easy, as the district has navigated the challenges of a shrinking student population, an aging district population, and economic constraints on all sides. John’s clarity of vision, with a focus on opportunities for students and kindness, has helped us navigate complicated times.

We have been fortunate in this district to have had excellent, caring people leading the ANWSD board. Laurie Childers, Sue Rakowski and John Stroup have all given their time, energy, and talents to ensure all of our children have had an education that would allow them to succeed. I don’t think we always sufficiently recognize the often-selfless work that enables the functioning of our social systems by people like Laurie, Sue, and John. So as John finishes his time on the school board, I want to thank all of them for making our community a better place.

Thomas Borchert

Waltham