Statement by School Board candidate Asher Mansdorf

I have been privileged to serve on the Lawrence School Board for the past 10 years. I am proud of that public service; I am proud of the Board of Education’s many accomplishments in the Lawrence School District; and I am optimistic about where we can continue to go to advance the mission, the goals and the effectiveness of public school education in the Lawrence area, and beyond.

Because of what I have been able to learn on the School Board, I am a strong believer in the vital importance of public school education for the benefit of our larger community. Public education can work. Public education must work. And, when public education works well, we all benefit from its success – whether our children are part of the public school system, or not. Quite simply, I strongly believe that the success of our public schools determines the success of our society – since the overwhelming majority of our society’s children are educated in our public schools. The better and more comprehensive their education, the more likely they are to become active, productive and rewarding members of our society. And that is a goal with which no one can really argue.

We are struggling with the cost of providing quality education for our students; we struggle to attract and retain the highest quality teaching staff; we struggle with the cost of our school buildings, our gymnasiums, our laboratories, our transportation systems, our daily classroom maintenance, our extra-curricular programs – and we are seeking new and different creative ways to deal with those funding issues.

I am confident that as we move forward together, we will broaden our children’s educational horizons and overcome the challenges that education faces in these most difficult times.