I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for Nanette Melkonian for Board of Education.
In a crowded field of candidates, Nanette stands out for her deep knowledge of educational policy, her long history of advocating for our district’s children, her commitment to strengthening the parent-school partnership and her track record of achieving change through collaboration and consensus-building.
Nanette’s knowledge of educational policy is rooted in her professional background as an elementary and special education teacher, which imbued her with a strong belief in the right of all children to a challenging and appropriate public school education that meets their needs and empowers them to reach their fullest potential.
This core belief has animated all of the volunteer and advocacy work that Nanette has done ever since – as an outreach teacher at the Parent Resource Center, as a co-founder of Port Washington Advocates for Public Education, as co-president of AGATE, and as a member of the district’s Vision and Mission Committee.
In each of these roles, Nanette developed a reputation for asking questions, listening to multiple perspectives, doing extensive research, and working in partnership with others.
Through sustained advocacy, Nanette has accomplished meaningful changes, including increased staffing for enrichment, enhanced professional development, improved access to Spanish language interpretation at parent meetings and strengthened parent engagement with the school district.
But what is most admirable about Nanette is not just what she has achieved but how she has achieved it – by building partnerships based on trust and pursuing solutions based on consensus.
At a time of great division in our school district, Nanette’s capacity for working collaboratively and building trust is just what our Board of Education needs.
On Tuesday, May 18, I hope all Port Washington residents will join me in voting for Nanette Melkonian and supporting the district budget.
Kim Keiserman
Port Washington
