The holiday season is a time to gather with our friends and family members to celebrate and renew our commitment to life’s most precious underpinnings: our faith in each other, striving to always be better and our shared dedication to the students of New Jersey.
This year, however, has brought unique challenges. We have experienced a presidential election that was sometimes bitter and often tense — an election that divided friends and families, and even occasionally board members, who are at their best when they remain nonpartisan.
Many school boards also faced their own highly contested elections, which may make this holiday season feel … a little different.
As you recharge this holiday break, I urge you to reflect on our collective mission: to advance public education and promote the achievement of all students through effective governance. Let us embrace the fact that we are better equipped to realize that mission when we rise to meet challenges together.
While you may find yourself at odds with fellow board members on how best to move forward as a cohesive school board, let us move into the new year with a renewed appreciation for the goals we all share. By focusing on these commonalities, we can quash the rhetoric and animosity that often prevent progress, and instead, we can find common ground and move forward as one team.
Let us remember that we are here for the same reasons — and that we are more effective when we work together. In doing so, we inspire one another and set a powerful example for our students, who will carry the torch of progress into the future. Together, we challenge ourselves to consider diverse viewpoints, to reconsider what we hold to be true, and to let collaboration — not division — shape our decisions for the benefit of our schools and students.
This spirit of unity and collaboration is something we should strive for not only during the holiday season but throughout every school year.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
May your holiday season be filled with peace, joy, and the warmth of family and friends. Here’s to a bright and collaborative year ahead, where we continue to work as a team to achieve great things for the students of New Jersey.
Happy holidays and a happy new year!
