Candidate Questions For Betsy Shaughnessy

Work

I have been a member of the Lakewood Board of Education since 1994 serving as President 7 times. I worked for Lakewood Hospital, St John Medical Center and University Hospitals. I was a Lakewood Library Trustee and am currently a member of the Lakewood Foundation and League of Women Voters.

Challenges

Our most pressing issues are maintaining a safe in-person learning environment for our students, making up for the learning loss experienced by our children, continuing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work, and addressing the strain the pandemic has put on relationships and our community.

We can keep our children in school by requiring masks, encouraging vaccination, and improved ventilation. Intervention and enrichment provided by additional staff is needed to address the learning loss of individual students. DEI work will continue in all areas of school life. Increased dialogue around issues of concern may help reduce distrust or misunderstanding.

A Unique Idea

I cannot promise a plan but I can say that I would like to see our summer school program include more opportunities for students to have experiences that will make them better prepared for learning. Field trips provide many of our underserved students the opportunity to see the bigger world. They can stimulate curiosity and friendships that build the capacity of children to be successful and be confident. I believe we can then build on that confidence to encourage these students to be successful in academic areas and take advantage of college credit classes or subjects they might have avoided.

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Volume 17, Issue 21, Posted 1:25 PM, 10.20.2021