Candidate Statement: Wendy Howard (D)

Four incumbents on the Board of Education – school board vice chairman Michael Eagen (R) and board members Stacey Biernat (R), Kenneth Notestine (R) and Barbara Zuras (D) – are not running for re-election, leaving Houston Putnam Lowry (D) as the only incumbent candidate.

That leaves openings for many new candidates for the school board, including Wendy J. Howard (D), Michael R. House (D), Ames Shea (R), Brian Glenn (R) and Jeff Bernetich (R).

Howard, a longtime Avon resident, has a bachelor of science in computer and communication science from the University of Michigan.

Patch has reached out to all of the candidates, giving them the opportunity to talk about town issues that interest them, their experiences and qualifications. All candidates from both parties are being given the opportunity to either submit a statement of about 500 words or request a one-minute video to talk about their candidacy. Patch will post the statements and any letters to the editor, as they are submitted. Candidate statements or video requests are due by Oct. 28 and letters to the editor about the November election are being accepted until Nov. 4. To submit either, e-mail Avon Patch at Jessie.Sawyer@patch.com. Here is Howard's candidate statement:

I moved to Avon 15 years ago with my husband, Steve, and our three young children. Over the past nine years, I have been personally involved in the schools.  I’m running for Board of Education as a thank you to Avon for my kids’ education and to maintain its reputation as an outstanding school district.  I have been taking a grass roots approach to helping out in the schools and community, but now I have decided to try to improve our schools as a policy maker.

My three children have gone through Avon Public Schools. Early on in any given year, I had been a room parent for one of my children. When my eldest daughter, a cheerleader, entered the high school, I became involved in the Booster Club and was secretary for two years. I have held many positions in various school organizations. Most recently, I was co-president of AHS PTO for one year and spent the past two years as sole PTO president.  I have an in-depth understanding of the issues we are facing as our schools have experienced unprecedented growth. There is a significant change in the high school from the time my daughters have gone until now, when my son is a junior.

One issue I would like explore is the alternative funding of programs. We need to bring back electives which have been cut over the past decade. It is unacceptable that as many as 300 high school students have “opens” during each period of the day. We should collaborate with the community so students can get real life experience and perhaps earn credit for interning.

Our schools need to advance with technology.  We also need to explore what other successful school districts are doing and share those ideas. It would be beneficial to employ a grant writer to be shared with the town to investigate other funding opportunities.

We also need improved communication with the public. The taxpayers need to understand the bottlenecks in our budgets. We must have transparency in our spending. One of the programs I launched two years ago during the budget cycle was neighborhood coffees klatches. I worked with the Board of Education, community members and school administrators to hold small get-togethers to explain why it was so important that the budget get passed.  

I am currently the vice-president of Avon Community Recreational Neighborhood (ACORN), now charged with the task of rebuilding the Avon Middle School tennis courts. ACORN is a 501(c) 3 set up around 15 years ago as a vehicle to raise funds for Avon community projects such as the Roaring Brook School playground and Avon High School track. I was also a co-founder of Coalition of Citizens 4 Avon (CC4A). A small group of parents met a year and a half ago because we were frustrated in watching our funding deteriorate. It was the perfect meeting of the minds to raise awareness and mobilize to get the budget passed.

I have been successful in my projects and I feel passionate about Avon education, especially since Avon Public Schools has given my children the tools to become successful in life. Please vote for me on Nov. 8.