Why Jim Day for BOE of Verona

Dear Residents of Verona,
The Verona education system has done a remarkable job in delivering a quality education with the resources that have been given to us by our citizens. I believe we need to continue to work with the District Administrators, Town Administrators, teachers, parents, students, unions and civic organizations to find ways to do more with less, or to do things differently when necessary.I have lived in Verona for more than ten years and have two children currently in the school system. One of the key reasons I moved my family to Verona was the tremendous school system. I think Verona is an amazing town with great people. I have been involved in various town activities including the Verona Public Safety Committee and the Board of Education Strategic Planning Committee for Finance. I also coach my children in the Verona Baseball and Soccer leagues in the town.There are many challenges facing the Verona School District in the upcoming years. As we all know, costs seem to be going up all around us and school operations are no exception. The key is to be able to keep the quality standards we have in place today and look at some “out of the box” ways to move forward.A good school system will bring in parents with children to the community, as well as people looking for a town with stable and growing property values. It has been proven that areas with exceptional schools tend to hold their value better than the market overall. Towns with homes associated with great schools generally sell faster, in good markets and bad. High performing school districts help keep property values high, even in these difficult economic times.Take a drive by the foot high football field next to the Verona High School. Do you think that people will want to move to a town with a closed down field next to the high school that is dirt and grass on top of metal debris? Some of the buildings need repairs or ongoing maintenance and just like I do with my own home, I have to budget for maintenance and improvements, so I try to save a dollar for every ten dollars I spend.We have some of the best teachers and administrators working in Verona and I want to make sure we maintain that level of excellence. I will actively work with all groups in Verona to define our strategic goals to ensure our long term direction while simultaneously refining our day-to-day processes to reduce redundancies and expenses.With a strong and sustainable education system, all citizens of Verona, student and taxpayer, win.I ask you for your support on the November 5th election.Sincerely,Jim DayCandidate for Verona Board of Education