To the Editor:
To the residents in the Canastota Central School District, I am writing to request your support in my campaign to join the school board. I am an English teacher, a lifetime resident of the town, and a Canastota graduate. I earned my B.A. in English and my teaching certification from SUNY Geneseo, and I earned my M.S.Ed. in literacy education from SUNY Cortland while substitute teaching for our school district.
I have since taught English for the Utica City School District for 4 years, and I currently serve as vice president of the Canastota Recreation Commission and as a member of the Lenox Planning Board. I have been overwhelmed by the support of our community in my past campaigns, and I hope I have worked hard enough to be worthy of your continued trust and support to serve our community in a new way as a member of the school board.
I want to work to keep our school board transparent, accessible and accountable to parents, teachers and community members. As a teacher, I know just how important communication is; I think that a school district can’t be effective unless all its stakeholders (parents, community members and teachers alike) are heard and respected, and that can only happen when the school board members make a strong commitment to making that happen. I am willing to make that commitment – and I will work hard to uphold it every day.
Canastota’s close-knit community is what sets us apart from our neighbors, and I want to work with everyone to make sure the district’s new, innovative programs are engaging that community as much as possible. I want to use my background in English and my expertise as an educator to ensure that our district’s programs and initiatives stay top notch and operate as well as they can. When we can work together as a team, our children reap the benefits.
I am a teacher, vice president of the Canastota Recreation Commission, and a member of the Lenox Planning Board, but I am also a tax-payer. As a lifelong resident of the town, I understand how rising school taxes can affect everyone’s household budgets; many residents are on a fixed income and can’t easily absorb sudden increased expenses. I am committed to making sure that every tax dollar collected is spent in the best possible way to enrich our community and seeking out grants and state aid wherever possible to keep our school taxes low. We all want our children to have the best education they can, and I want to use my expertise to help the school board to achieve that in a fiscally responsible way.
For more information, please feel free to contact me at 315.558.3302 or facebook.com/CanastotaBlanchard.
Thank you in advance for your support; please make sure you get out to vote May 17, 2022, from noon to 9 p.m. at Roberts Street Elementary School.
Sincerely, Scott Blanchard, Canastota