Steve Wilson

I have served on boards for individual schools and on the board of a local organization so I know how to manage the issues facing an academic institution and also understand what strategies resonate in the Old Lyme.

I have been a resident of Old Lyme for 15 years and recently moved here full-time. I have two children who attend LOLHS. I have a very real interest in seeing that the BoE keeps the needs and interests of the children a priority. I would ensure that we continue with that level of excellence and seek to improve upon it wherever possible.

What are the three major issues in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools that you are currently aware of, which require resolution during your potential term of office?  Please list and explain each one briefly in order of importance.

1. John Rhodes, the Tech/Facilities Director is leaving. His position is critical to the function of the school, highly paid, and is associated with a certain amount of influence in the school. His replacement must be carefully considered.
2. The proposed artificial turf athletic field is another point of curiosity and while the project is progressing, I believe the entire process should be more transparent, that the public should have access to the process, and that their opinions regarding it be heard. I originally had health concerns about crumbled rubber astroturf which is one method being considered. I was pleased to find a thorough scientific study of the effects of both aspiration and ingestion of the material which found no conclusive evidence of any ill effects on either animal testing or human-cell testing. If my children are going to be using those fields, I would want to have a high degree of comfort that their health is not being put unnecessarily at risk and I would insist that before any final decision is made, that we are diligent in studying potential health risks.
3. For all new projects and insofar as it’s possible, I would solicit input from the community early on in the process since I believe it is the purpose of the board to serve the students, the teachers, and the residents of Old Lyme. I am experienced, mature, and confident in my opinions but I am also open-minded and will always seriously review new information as it’s discovered

Regarding Question 1, explain more about your choice of the issue of most importance and how you think it should be resolved.

Finding a capable, effective, and forward-looking replacement to John Rhodes is a priority. We’ll need to ensure that the right people are on the hiring committee. I also believe it’s important to seek input from existing faculty members, teachers, and administrators to ensure our decision is made with as a comprehensive perspective as is reasonable. In my opinion, a critical facet for any employee- at any level- is that they work well with the people already in the organization.

What do you see as the main relevant skills and character attributes that you will bring to the position if elected?

 I have served on boards for individual schools and on the board of a local organization so I not only know how to manage the various issues facing an academic institution but also have a good feel and understanding of how local people and organizations operate and what strategies resonate in the community. I ask honest, simple questions and expect straight answers. If those answers aren’t reasonably forthcoming, my intellectual curiosity compels me to dig deeper. I have been a resident of Old Lyme for 15 years and very recently moved here full-time. I love the area and especially this town and look forward to contributing to the community to the benefit of all residents.

I believe my personal perspective will bring a healthy balance to the Board. I have two children who attend LOLHS by choice to continue their education at a top-rate school with an excellent curriculum complemented with outstanding extra-curricular programs. Having children who are actually in the school means that I have a very real interest in seeing that the BoE keeps the needs and interests of the children a priority. As a member of the Board, I would ensure that we continue with that level of excellence and seek to improve upon it wherever possible. I am socially liberal and fiscally conservative so while I appreciate the importance of projects that benefit the students, the school and the community, I also value investing in the school district but doing so within our means.

Suzanne Thompson

Suzanne Thompson has been active in our community since 2002. She and husband Brent have two daughters in Region 18 schools.  She has a strong background in public policy and communications, from United States Senate, Washington, DC, to life sciences corporations and journalism.

Suzanne has written for The Day, hosts a weekly radio show on WLIS 1420 AM/Old Saybrook and is Save Oswegatchie Hills outreach coordinator with Connecticut Fund for the Environment.

She is Old Lyme’s appointee to Connecticut River Gateway Commission, a Duck River Garden Club officer and former Girl Scout leader and Lymes’ Youth Services Board member.

What are the three major issues in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools that you are currently aware of, which require resolution during your potential term of office?  Please list and explain each one briefly in order of importance.

1.  This is a crucial time for our BOE to lay out the big-picture facilities needs and spending plans over a 5 to 7 year time frame.  We need an open, transparent process, engaging residents in understanding and setting the priorities and considering appropriate options, not just a final yes or no on the annual school budget.
2. The Board of Education and district administration need to foster better two-way communication and engagement with Old Lyme residents and taxpayers on policy decisions, as well as the budget. We are elected to represent the citizens and to provide thoughtful guidance and perspective to the superintendent. We also need to maintain and support human capital – the educators who work daily with our children. Open, respectful and trusting communication is key to maintaining motivated and inspired teachers and staff.
3. We, as a town and a school district, have to continually address the fiscal and demographic realities facing this state and our region and look for ways to maintain our high quality schools. While Region 18’s marketing programs have helped stabilize our student enrollments in recent years, we cannot ignore that student populations across our region are declining. At the same time, the state’s fiscal crisis will directly affect our ability to continue providing the breadth and depth of academic and extracurricular activities that have contributed to the success of our students and made our schools so good. 

Regarding Question 1, explain more about your choice of the issue of most importance and how you think it should be resolved.

We fortunately have strong community support for our schools. However, we do not exist in a vacuum. What we can afford to do will be affected by the state’s fiscal situation, the cost of living in Connecticut, and our enrollment numbers.  

We know we need more playing field space on high school and middle school campus. While a BOE committee has studied and recommended an artificial turf field (not crumb rubber-based), is this still what we need or want? Is it safer and better than natural grass for young athletes to be playing on, from injuries perspective? Do our schools need it to compete in certain leagues? How are similar turfs holding up in other school districts? If it costs $1-1.5 million, is it something we can afford if the district also needs to bond up to $10 million in coming years to upgrade HVAC systems and other infrastructure?

These are policy decisions that merit greater community input and engagement than the annual budget vote. Town residents don’t have the time or desire to attend every BOE meeting to follow along with committees or board deliberations. It is the BOE’s obligation to foster open communication. This may be through open houses, tours, hosting discussions, forums different from the traditional BOE meeting where the public sits in the back.

I believe in providing high quality education while maintaining low mill rates for our residents and businesses. And I am a vocal advocate for achieving both of these goals.

What do you see as the main relevant skills and character attributes that you will bring to the position if elected?

I decided to run for BOE last spring after observing how decisions were made and communicated to parents and town residents around universal pre-K for 4-year-olds. I believe our BOE and administrators can do a better job engaging the community, listening, considering and responding to their concerns, and explaining our decisions and actions.  

Professionally, I have worked in public policy, advocacy, communications and community outreach challenges, as a journalist, for a United States Senator, a federal financial regulatory agency, chemical and life sciences corporations, environmental advocacy non-profits, new business start-ups and our own family business in Old Lyme.  

So I bring a wealth of experience, professionalism and integrity as a BOE member. I am not afraid to ask difficult questions or point out what might blow up in our faces if we don’t adequately engage our town and address residents’ concerns. I am pragmatic, yet creative, and fiscally conservative.

Through 17 years of civic and community involvement in Old Lyme, I see opportunities for collaboration, innovation and coordination for the betterment of our schools. I seek to work across party lines, ages and interests, looking for common objectives to achieve realistic goals. I volunteered for the committee that cost-effectively saved and restored our Middle School greenhouse so it can support academic and enrichment programs. Volunteers included Mentoring Corps for Community Development, farmers and school staff. I collaborated with Lyme-Old Lyme Junior Women’s Club and Duck River Garden Club to install a native plants wildlife garden around Cross Lane Playground.

Jason Kemp

Jason is a Family Relations Counselor with the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. He helps families work through what is the most difficult time of their life, and keep children a priority as they move forward. Jason mentored children at an elementary school in Middletown while in college, and developed an interest in working with families while in law school. He has three children in his household who all attend Region 18 public schools. Jason has lived in Old Lyme for eight years with his wife, Kimball Robbins. He wants to ensure that our schools remain high quality institutions.

What are the three major issues in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools that you are currently aware of, which require resolution during your potential term of office?  Please list and explain each one briefly in order of importance?

Three major issues in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools that will require resolution in the next four years are improved communication by the Board of Education, maintenance of ageing facilities, and declining enrollment.

It has been clear to me that many residents feel major decision-making occurs without sufficient information to the public. I don’t believe this impression reflects ill will by the Board, but it is important that people feel they are a part of the process when our schools are such an important part of our town. I have thoughts on ways to improve the public relations and involvement, which I’ll discuss below.

As for our facilities maintenance, I understand that several schools are approaching an age where major maintenance may be needed. The current Board and their recent predecessors are to be credited for prioritizing regular upkeep so that the buildings do not fall into such disrepair that premature replacement is needed. It is important to budget for emergency repairs. However, a multi-year plan should also exist to take care of expected maintenance based on age to avoid costly emergencies.

The third issue I see is the declining enrollment, which is impacting school districts across Connecticut. Region 18 kindergarten enrollment this year reflected a slight increase, a standout in the region, and the high quality of our schools draws families to town. Additionally, cooperation with neighbors as with our football, cheer and other programs, allows for services that our size makes prohibitive.

Regarding Question 1, explain more about your choice of the issue of most importance and how you think it should be resolved.

The need of improved communication by the Board of Education has been particularly salient recently with the preschool expansion and the athletic fields. When there is a vacuum of information, it is often filled with anxiety and misinformation. At the most basic level, information presented to the Board or reports produced by subcommittees should all be available online in a central location. Currently, such information seems to be in varying locations, and I personally struggled to find the report produced by a subcommittee that recommended the exploration of a turf field. A lot of work was done by that subcommittee of the public and school officials, and that information should be clearly available to parents, who understandably have expressed many concerns.

I believe another major improvement that could be made for communication would be to place these public meetings online and/or on public access. I attended a training by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), which represents the Boards of most school districts in the state. The training was designed for candidates to learn more about the role of the Board, but I also learned that many districts, including smaller ones, have the meetings available to view online. We should at least try to make it available on public access television. Parents are very busy, and attendance to watch the meetings can be hard to prioritize, so there should be other methods for parents to follow along.

What do you see as the main relevant skills and character attributes that you will bring to the position if elected?

I believe that I am a strong candidate for Board of Education because of my patience, analytical skills, and passion for children’s learning and growth. My education in law, as well as my career of mediating and evaluating family disputes through the Court system, has provided me the experience and skills needed to critically assess the requests of the school system, and balance them with the needs of our children and the other residents of our town. I believe that I have a critical eye for detail needed to confirm that the proposed budget is appropriate and fiscally responsible for the interest of every town resident and in the best interest of our children. Similarly, I believe that I will do well in helping to develop policies in line with our town’s unique character and our student needs, while meeting legislative requirements.

My household has a mix of skills, needs, and ages, and I recognize that our schools should be a place for all children to develop academically, athletically, musically, and artistically. We must ensure that our children are seen as individuals that have different strengths and interests by continuing to offer a variety of classes and by recognizing proficiencies and post-graduation choices that may be different than others. However, I also want to ensure that children do not limit themselves too early and children are encouraged to explore a variety of options outside of their comfort zone.

Sarah Bowman

Sarah has lived in Old Lyme with her husband Russ, and children Sadie and Cooper, since 2010. She is a graduate of Loyola University and the University of Maryland School of Law.  After serving as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Baltimore County for 6 years, the Bowmans lived in Massachusetts for 5 years settling in Old Lyme.  Sarah currently serves as an Assistant State’s Attorney in New London. Among other activities, Sarah has enjoyed coaching Sadie’s club lacrosse team, helping produce two of Cooper’s middle school musicals, and currently serves on the Board of Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau.

What are the three major issues in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools that you are currently aware of, which require resolution during your potential term of office?  Please list and explain each one briefly in order of importance.

Like most parents, I have always been concerned about the caliber of my children’s education and the opportunities our school system provides. When changes to the district’s pre-school programming threatened to reduce music education staffing, I started paying more attention to the Board of Education, its procedures, and the ways parents and taxpayers can influence the policies that guide our schools.  In deciding to run for a seat on the board, I recently met with current members to discuss various issues, and “rumored” issues, within the system. First and foremost, I learned I still have a lot to learn.

That said, I continue to see budgeting and, more specifically, the need to resolve tensions between maintaining high quality academic programs, funding needed maintenance, and deciding which capital improvements to make when, if at all (such as athletic fields and courts) as the primary issue and responsibility facing the board.

Second, I see a need for greater transparency and public engagement concerning how these resource decisions are made.  While I believe concerned citizens better educating themselves can overcome rumors and misinformation, the Board can and should ensure anyone interested in a Region 18 issue has easy access to facts and reports that inform the board’s decisions.

Third, I believe the board needs to continually ensure each and every policy decision is made with a view toward what is in the best interests of our students.  I am eager to help ensure this always remains the case.

Regarding Question 1, explain more about your choice of the issue of most importance and how you think it should be resolved.

The Board of Education is tasked with deciding how to allocate what amounts to  roughly 70% of the town’s overall spending. This involves technology for STEM classes, field trips and travel to enhance our arts and language experience, as well courts and fields to keep our teams safe and competitive.  At the same time, the Board has to approve spending on facilities, which includes preventative maintenance and emergency repairs to our aging elementary and middle school buildings. Thus, curricular programming, athletics, and facilities are often in direct competition for limited funds.

As a parent of two teenagers who are involved in sports, music, theater, and advanced classes, I am familiar with the opportunities they have and believe this is a major reason our town is the home of choice for so many young families.  While all aspects are important, in order to maintain our margin of excellence, we need to continue to invest in our physical infrastructure. Meeting these competing needs requires careful study, discussion, and long term planning. I look forward to facilitating those processes.

What do you see as the main relevant skills and character attributes that you will bring to the position if elected?

I am very comfortable asking people (sometimes difficult) questions to get at the truth of a matter to achieve a positive result.  In fact, I’ve made a career of it. At the same, I enjoy working collaboratively with diverse groups and interests. I’d be honored to leverage these skills on behalf of the people of Old Lyme.