To the Editor:

My name is Alison Plante, and I am running for reelection to the Board of Education.

My husband and I moved to Newtown 13 years ago. At the time, we knew we wanted a forever home in a warm and welcoming community with a top-notch school district, though we didn’t yet have children. We feel incredibly lucky to have found all of those things in Newtown.

Today, we have three kids: two who attend Newtown schools and one who will start kindergarten next year. By day, I work in client portfolio management for an institutional asset manager. At night, like many parents, you can find me on the soccer field, at the gymnastics gym, in the daycare pickup line, or leading my Girl Scout troop.

I have served on the Board of Education for the past year, having filled a vacancy last summer. And what a busy year it has been — I am the chair of the CIP, Facilities, & Finance (CFF) Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, working with administrators to shape the direction of the District in these areas. I’ve served as the board representative in negotiations with multiple bargaining units, helping strike deals that balance what is good for the District’s administrators and staff with what is fiscally responsible for taxpayers. I am also on the Board of Directors of EdAdvance, the Regional Educational Service Center that delivers critical services in Newtown such as before- and after-school care at our elementary schools and transportation for special education.

Being on the Board of Education is both a great privilege and a great responsibility. I’ve never felt the weight of that responsibility more than earlier this year when the debate around Flamer and Blankets fractured our community. Through that period, I approached the work the same way I approach all things that come before the board: to educate myself on the issues, listen to the community, consult with experts, advocate for what I believe in, and ultimately work with my board colleagues to arrive at a solution that does as much good as possible for as many of our students as possible.

Despite the difficulty (and often hostility) of that experience, I am running for reelection motivated by the same, simple fact that motivated me to apply for the vacancy last year: Serving on our Board of Education is ultimately serving our children, and there is no greater marker of a community than how it serves and supports its youngest members. I believe I have brought a calm, practical, results-oriented perspective to the board.

I look forward to continuing to contribute in the next term, now with the benefit of the learning and experience I’ve gained over the past year. I hope that I’ve earned your trust and your vote on November 7.

Respectfully,

Alison Plante

Newtown