As a resident of North Smithfield and a parent of three school-age children, as well as the chair(person) of the North Smithfield Special Education Advisory Committee (NS SELAC,) I am writing to express my support for Chris Simpkins and Jean Meo for the North Smithfield School Committee. Chris and Jean are both compassionate and level-headed candidates who have the best interests of our children at heart.
Chris, along with his wife Deirdre and their two sons, were the first to welcome us to town eight years ago through their involvement in Cub Scouts. Chris’s ongoing dedication as a Scout leader for many years was crucial to my son’s success in the program. His ability to connect with children and guide them through activities at their own pace demonstrates patience and understanding, essential qualities for a school committee member. Chris’s commitment to the community through volunteer work with Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and the North Smithfield Little League underscores the value of parental involvement in children’s activities. He recognizes that parental involvement shouldn’t be limited to extracurricular activities, as crucial decisions impacting our children are often made within our schools. I am confident that Chris would be a valuable addition to the North Smithfield School Committee, prioritizing the best interests of all children when making decisions.
I first met Jean in person when I introduced myself to the School Committee and volunteered to be chair(person) to rebuild NS SELAC. Jean, a parent of a child with disabilities who received special education in North Smithfield years ago, immediately introduced herself, offered her support and became the liaison between NS SELAC and the School Committee. Her continued involvement with NS SELAC and understanding of the needs of students with disabilities show a dedication we rarely see from elected officials. Jean’s tenure on the School Committee brings valuable experience and background that ensures the well-being and best interests of our children are always the priority.
Although I typically prefer to stay out of the spotlight, I felt compelled to speak up after hearing some uninformed statements from other School Committee candidates. It’s crucial for the community to get to know the candidates running for School Committee on a personal level, as we want them to consider our children’s well-being when making decisions about their education. I strongly believe that there are many important areas that our School Committee focuses and/or needs to focus on beyond what typically makes the news. I have full confidence that both Chris and Jean genuinely care about the welfare of our children, and I trust that they will approach every discussion and decision with an open mind, prioritizing the best interests of the children.
I fully support Chris Simpkins and Jean Meo for the North Smithfield School Committee. I encourage you to vote for candidates who are knowledgeable, compassionate, and dedicated to meeting the needs of all children in our community.
Sincerely,
Nicole Lavoie
I am happy to hear Votta is not seeking re-election. She should not be serving as it is a conflict of interest with her working at RIDE. Simpkins is not one that you want on SC. Meo has been on SC for far too long, with very little improvements to the schools. If I had children of school age, I would never send them to NS schools and would take advantage of the School Choice and send them elsewhere. Simpkins and Meo are two candidates you do not want on SC.
You have said it perfectly. All 3 individuals have done nothing to improve the educational quality in NS. I am also glad that Jim L decided not to run.
So what are taxes, a jobs program with poor services and no results. So the town should not measure performance? So let’s not pick up the trash, plow the streets, or police the town if results are meaningless. Why take tests or keep score in a game since results are meaningless. So let’s look at Ricas scores, 45% of the students in NS are not meeting or exceeding expectations which means 45% of the students are failing. But I guess I will just talk to parents and teachers about the perception of performance for the union based non scientific poll. So I think the Patriots are a good team this year even though the record is only 1-5. I measure performance on scientific results and not anecdotal perceptions. Keep fooling yourself with non facts based perceptions. I think its time for a change in leadership a move on from union St. Jean and Mrs Meo for a lack of facts based results.
You stated that NS’s state ranking decreased and implied that indicated a decrease in quality, which isn’t the case because quality can go up but if the quality in surrounding areas goes up faster, our ranking goes down.
Yes, over 55% of students in North Smithfield are meeting or exceeding expectations, the state average is under 30%. The only failure that indicates is your failure to understand basic data science. If the results were skewed much higher, they’d have to retool the grading scale.
Can anyone really blame the teachers solely for the value of each student?
One needs to look at parental influence and assistance, and the student motivational aspect and abilities as well.
So much goes into a student that to blame a teacher or teachers solely for student performance needs to be reconsidered. Look at the totality of who is involved.
I beg to differ with your assessment. While Jean Meo may care about the welfare of our children she is failing in that area. Mrs. Meo has increased the budget each your by the near 4% and the NS state ranking has decreased which means the educational quality has diminished. So Mrs. Meo past performance shows she is not the leader that can increase educational quality which will benefit students welfare. I think it is time for a change of leadership at the NS school department as the taxpayers of NS are not seeing a positive return on investment.
Your calculus is bad. Ranking =/= quality. Towns aren’t businesses, taxes aren’t investments. If you’d like to learn how the schools are actually performing, you’re going to need to speak with parents & teachers of current students.