Jessica Jacques: Elect an educator to Gilford School Board

To The Daily Sun, 

As election day, Tuesday, March 8, quickly approaches, community members are left with critical decisions ahead of them. Which two candidates should you elect? Which two candidates do you feel best diversify and add balance to remaining members of the board? Which candidates do you feel can support Gilford schools in offering the best and rigorous learning opportunities to all students? Please consider voting Jessica “Jess” Jacques for a seat on the Gilford School Board.

I strongly believe that every decision of the school board should always be in the best interest of students and student learning. Since the onset of the pandemic, I feel we have lost sight of this. Decisions and policies should be made based on current research and what experts share are current best practices. Additionally, I think initiatives and policies should reflect thorough and proactive thinking. I believe by electing a current educator, which I have been for the past 25 years, it can only strengthen the school board. I believe my experiences in public education can bring a unique perspective to the school board and guide the decision-making process back to keeping what is best for student learning at the forefront of each decision.

As a district math specialist for another district, I am in the trenches working with educators at all levels: elementary, middle, and high school. As we enter the second year of this pandemic, I can tell you learning loss is a serious problem. Ask any educator. Not just for struggling learners, but learners of all levels are being greatly impacted by disruptions in the learning continuum due to high and frequent absences in classes. It has never been more important than now to start addressing this issue. Educators need support with addressing significant gaps of understanding with curriculum as well as pacing through current grade level standards so our average to top kids are being provided opportunities to access as well as being provided the push to reach his or her full academic potential.

This very issue is what is fueling my desire to run and be elected to the Gilford School Board. I feel we can be doing better. Let’s use more proactive forward thinking to create plans and policies that keep student learning and achievement at the forefront so we can recover from the academic losses created by the pandemic. I look forward to meeting and interacting with more and more community members during this election period. Working together, we can make the Gilford School District a more innovative and an even stronger school system. For more information about my candidacy visit jessajacques.wixsite.com/my-site.

Jessica Jacques

Gilford