Although incumbent Beth Jones of Lyme is unopposed and cross-endorsed as the candidate for the Lyme seat on the Region 18 Board of Education in tomorrow’s election, she has chosen to answer the questions we posed to the Old Lyme candidates. We are pleased to publish her responses today and apologize for the delay in their publication due to an oversight on our part.
Beth Jones – (Incumbent – Democrat) – Cross-endorsed by the Republicans
Beth Jones has represented Lyme on the BOE for the last 6 years. She is the Chair of the Human Resources Committee and serves on the Policy and Enrollment Committees. She is married to a local pediatrician and has 3 children all of whom were students in Region 18 since preschool or kindergarten. Two are recent graduates of the LOLHS and a third child is still a student at the High School. Dr. Jones is on the faculty at the Yale School of Public Health, Yale School of Medicine. She is a cancer epidemiologist whose teaching and research focus on health disparities.
Name the three characteristics (one word for each) that you believe will make you an effective member of the board of education? Expand on the one that you feel should be most significant to the voters.
I aspire to be open-minded. While I hope that I bring other positive qualities to the BOE, I believe that it is this quality that is most critical for effective board membership. Open-mindedness generally requires that one listens with the intent of understanding a different perspective, respects the individuals who represent a different point of view, and is willing to make concessions when necessary. Admittedly, when one’s general inclination is to be opinionated- as is true for almost anyone who is interested in serving on the BOE- it isn’t an easy task.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing Lyme-Old Lyme Public Schools in the next four years?
Maintaining creativity in teaching, in learning, in thinking, in planning, while dealing with the march toward standardization of …teaching, learning, thinking, etc.
If you could achieve one objective — and only one — during your term on the Region 18 Board of Education, what would it be?
I would like to see the BOE and administration reframe the discussion on declining enrollment into an opportunity rather than a problem. While there are some logistical challenges in determining the best strategies for maintaining the same breadth of academic and extracurricular activities with fewer students, I have great faith in the ability of our administrators and staff to develop creative solutions. However, with a relatively small student body, there is a unique opportunity to ensure that every child not only meets academic benchmarks, but finds something to love, whether it be sports, art, leadership, community service, politics, etc. The challenge for the Board will be to see beyond the cost per student issue and make the case that the best long-term strategy for protecting property values and assuring the economic and social viability of our towns is to continue to invest in an excellent school system.