Jared Gumpert: He thinks parent voices are needed on IL school board

To The Daily Sun,

I am Jared Gumpert, and I am running for a seat on the Inter-Lakes School Board. I would like to share my goals as a member.

I am running because I value education and believe in the ideals of service. I understand the social, ethical, and economic impact of education to our community at large. I am concerned that parent needs are underrepresented on the school board currently and want to ensure that money and resources are being effectively used to provide a well-rounded and solid education for our youth.

I represent a diverse view and understanding as a working parent of three active Inter-Lakes children involved in athletics, clubs, and theater. I have experience dealing with 504 plans and special education within our schools. Born locally I have lived in Moultonborough, Meredith and Center Harbor. As a multi-generational homeowner, I am concerned with the steep rise in property taxes, and how much these tax increases impact the people struggling to make ends meet, especially during this past year.

I applaud the school community and our towns, as we navigated these unique times and intend to help usher in a safe yet robust educational opportunity going forward. COVID-19 took a toll on critical social and emotional learning this past year and we need to be ready to manage the short- and long-term developmental challenges this presents.

I am currently a director of aviation, previously I was a program manager, a subject matter expert and training center evaluator for a large training facility. I managed all aspects of training, budget, reporting and regulatory accountability. I have experience and training in the fundamentals of instructing, adult learning, and technical training. As a manager at a for-profit training center in a competitive market I have experience balancing quality of instruction with cost and expenses. I am a parent of three children who want to return to school and clubs and learn without restriction. I can see the effect the current restrictions are having upon the social development of our kids and want to work towards safely balancing their needs with that of the community. I am concerned by the lack of school board representation of parents with children currently enrolled in the Inter-Lakes school systems.

I believe the long-term vision of a school board should be to provide leadership to help students reach their full potential even after the setbacks we have experienced while maintaining transparency and accountability to the community. I ask for your vote so that I can be your voice.

Jared Gumpert

Meredith