Letters From Candidates For School Committee: Page, Merriam, and Herrington
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Editor’s note: Below are two letters from candidates for school committee. The first, from Jennifer Page and Phoebe Merriam is followed by a letter from Ben Herrington.
We want to introduce ourselves as hopeful newcomers to the Amherst School Committee.
As working parents of school-aged children, we know first-hand about many of the struggles of families in our community. We also know that each of our experiences are different, and don’t reflect the wide range of cultures, family compositions, and perspectives in Amherst. We are both dedicated to seeking out and learning from community members who have not always felt represented when it comes to decision making about our schools.
Phoebe is a graduate of Amherst public schools and the mother of three ARPS students. She is a member of the ARPS Elementary School Building Committee, the group tasked with developing plans for the elementary school building project. Jennifer is the parent of an ARMS student, former co-president of the Amherst Education Foundation, former Town Meeting member, and has been active on town issues since 2016.
We will proactively engage with families and community members, particularly those who have been disenfranchised in the past, to hear and address their concerns. The current School Committee has failed to adequately engage families and school staff on big decisions like changing school start times and moving sixth graders to the middle school. Decisions like these have wide-ranging impacts and unintended consequences, and it is vital that we proactively seek input from families who will be affected, so that their concerns can be heard and addressed.
We know that building trust takes mutual respect, active listening, and genuine engagement. We look forward to earning the trust of families and educators through proactive, two-way communication. As our school district embarks on major initiatives like the elementary school building project, and as our students and staff recover from (and continue to live through) a global pandemic, we will work with all stakeholders and talk to families where they are, to gather input and address concerns.
As women of color who are raising children of color, we believe that representation matters. We invite you to join us in supporting a diverse and inclusive school district by voting for Phoebe Merriam and Jennifer Page.
Phoebe Merriam
Jennifer Page
Phoebe Merriam and Jennifer Page are candidates for Amherst School Committee
This election has been an eye opening experience for me. I’ve learned a lot about what folks around me value and what people in town expect from the school committee. Having a truly diverse committee with a spectrum of ideas and approaches is of the utmost of importance. All that being said, I choose to use my voice right now to amplify the campaign of one candidate: incumbent Heather “Hala” Lord.
In the interest of transparency, it should be noted that I have known Hala for the majority of the time that I have lived in Amherst. My oldest son and her daughter were in kindergarten at Crocker Farm together. I’ve seen her consistently exhibit a growth mindset and have always seen her as insightful and caring. Those elements of her character have shined during her tenure on the school committee.
Hala has served on the Amherst School Committee and the Regional School Committee with integrity and grace and has been a moral sounding board, at times, for myself and for our colleagues. Her thoughtful approach to entering into discussions has been a welcome addition. Although we both come from similar circumstances (and even live in neighboring apartment complexes) her perspective is often different enough from mine to give the complete picture of what is most important to our low income, working class families and caregivers in Amherst.
I could write a book about why I admire Heather “Hala” Lord but my main motivation for endorsing her wholeheartedly is that her commitment to the cause of humanity shines through in all that she is and does and we absolutely need that on our school committee.
As for qualifications, she holds Master’s degrees in Education and Social Work. She has been committed to anti-oppression and anti racist work for decades. Hala is a single parent and renter who raised an ARHS graduate who now studies at Harvard. Her campaign is centered around the concept of “intentionally seeking to reduce harm.”
All in all, Heather Lord is someone who genuinely walks it like she talks it and that resonates with me. If we are truly seeking forward progress, we need thinkers and doers like Hala to play an active role in that progress. Please join me in casting a vote for a candidate that really and truly cares and who has proven that she is capable of doing the job. Let’s vote for Heather “HaLa” Lord to remain a voice of reason on the school committee.
Ben Herrington
Ben Herrington is an incumbent Candidate For School Committee