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Strength, Commitment, and Experience

I write this letter to express my continued support for Erica Gelven in her candidacy for re-election to a position on the Clinton Board of Education. Dr. Gelven deserves the continued support of the community in her ongoing efforts to make the academic lives of the children of Clinton rich and fulfilling.

As the father of two school-age children attending the Joel School, I am keenly aware of our ongoing need for strong advocacy and constant support of our school system to ensure the continued funding and overall progressive direction necessary for our students to be competitive at the local, state, and even the national level. This past year has seen further examples of a hostile government and state legislature seeking to gut our local and state education systems. More than ever, our schools are in jeopardy of losing funding and support from our leaders in Hartford and also from our own community. Our leaders must be passionate in their resolve to move beyond the status quo and keep pushing our children to reach for the stars—not hope for the best.

We need leadership on the Board of Education that can argue for the needs of our children. Dr. Gelven is such a candidate. As a parent, she knows all too well the importance of well-rounded education and has fought long and hard in the past to advocate for the needs of her family and community. She is also an educator with personal experience in the competitive atmosphere of higher education. We need strong, committed, and experienced leaders who will advocate for the needs of our children—in Erica Gelven, strength, commitment, and experience is exactly what we will get.

Glenn Coffin

Clinton