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More than Worthy

I am pleased to be able to recommend Ellen Michaels and Meredith Gaffney for re-election and election, respectively, to the Branford Board of Education.

Ellen is eminently qualified for re-election. Not only has she filled multiple, short-term seats on the Board of Education, she is also a retired special education administrator with years of professional service in another Connecticut school district. Her knowledge and experience are a huge help to the work of the board. She brings a calm, practical approach to deciphering the complexities of serving our neediest children. As chair of the board’s Policy Committee, she has proven herself to be a hard-working leader of one of the board’s least popular but most important jobs.

Meredith has made herself known to the board like so many Board of Education members around the state, i.e., as a fierce advocate for her own children in our schools. She has brought a critical voice to meetings in a civil and intelligent way that has proven to be effective in getting the attention of the board and administration. She brings a solid knowledge of the needs of Branford children having served in a key capacity on the landmark Community Report: Status of Branford Children project made possible by the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund and the Greater New Haven Community Foundation.

These two committed women are more than worthy of the opportunity to continue to contribute to the work and progress of Branford’s schools. I encourage your readers to join me in supporting their candidacies with their votes.

John Prins

Branford

Democrat John Prins serves on the Board of Education.