Dear Neighbors

I have just filed my petition to run for re-election to the North Shore Schools Board of Education. Please mark your calendars for the election and budget vote on May 17th.

Here is the letter I have submitted to our local newspapers announcing my candidacy:

Sara Jones for North Shore Schools

To the Editor,

I would like to announce my candidacy for re-election to the North Shore Board of Education. Through my experiences as a board member over the last three years, I have gained a great deal of insight about the workings of public education both on a local and national scale. I believe this experience makes me an even stronger candidate now than I was three years ago, and I hope to have the opportunity to put my knowledge and skills to work for the North Shore community for another term.

During my tenure on the Board of Education, I have advocated for a curriculum that focuses on creating life-long learners and engaged citizens. As such, I authored the board’s Resolution on High Stakes Testing which argued for limiting the impact of government mandated testing on our high performing schools.

My work on the Board has also focused on promoting and protecting the overall well-being of our students. I am a Board representative to the Wellness and Health & Safety Committees and have also initiated a review of our student data privacy policies.

As a CEO and business owner, I am very conscious of the duty of a school district to be fiscally responsible. For the past 16 years, I have owned and run a national, catalog-based company, an experience that has honed my skills in long term planning, budgeting, and creative problem-solving. I also bring to the Board a significant background in fundraising and public/private partnerships through my work for Citymeals-on-Wheels.

In addition to serving on the Board of Education, I have greatly enjoyed volunteering in our schools and community. Most recently, I co-founded the volunteer run, nonprofit Sea Cliff MAKEshop which brings new opportunities for the children in our district to learn coding, math and engineering.

My wife and I have lived in Sea Cliff for 16 years and currently have a daughter at North Shore Middle School and a son at Sea Cliff School. We consider ourselves lucky to live in a community where so many residents, even those without children in the schools, are such staunch supporters of our district. I believe our strong schools contribute to the value of our homes and our community, and I ask that you vote on May 17th to re-elect me to the Board of Education.

Thank you,
Sara Jones
Sea Cliff

Sara Jones is Running for Re-election to the North Shore Schools Board of Education

Sara is:

•  Currently a Trustee on the North Shore Board of Education committed to public education and to providing a rich, meaningful curriculum for all of our students
• Owner and CEO of a successful national catalog company for over 16 years now serving over 100,000 customers
•  Co-founder of the nonprofit, volunteer-run SC MAKEshop providing coding, science and engineering opportunities for children in our district (www.scmakeshop.org and fb address)
•  Previously a director of fundraising at the public-private partnership Citymeals-on-Wheels where she was responsible for raising several million dollars annually through direct response and small dollar donations
• Formerly: Treasurer and fundraiser for Friends of the Sea Cliff Village Library;  Webmaster for Sea Cliff Elementary’s parent organization (PCA); Founder of the SC PCA Book Swap; Chair SC PCA Nutrition Committee
• Graduate of Princeton University, A.B. cum laude
•  Resident of Sea Cliff for 16 years
• Mother of a 7th grader at North Shore Middle School and a 3^rd grader at Sea Cliff Elementary and Former Roslyn Coop parent

As Trustee, Sara has:

•  Continuously and consistently advocated for a well-rounded curriculum and educational experience that focuses on creating life-long learners and engaged citizens.
• Co-authored the Board’s Resolution on High Stakes Testing which articulated the North Shore Board of Education’s support of authentic student assessment and effort to limit the impact of government mandated testing on our high performing schools. (http://www.northshoreschools.org/Board_of_Ed/Policies/ResolutionHighStakesTesting.pdf)
• Focused on the well-being of students by serving on the Board’s Wellness and Health & Safety Committees.
• Helped lead the long-term planning that contributes to the fiscal well-being of the District through the Construction Steering Committee.
• Initiated the review of the district’s student data privacy policies.

Budget Vote and Board of Education Election: May 17, 2016