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Additional Endorsements for Mandy LowellCandidate for |
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Four newspapers--the Palo Alto Daily News, the Palo Alto Weekly, the San Jose Mercury News, and the Campanile--endorse Mandy Lowell for the school board of the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). The text of those endorsements follow. Mandy Lowell is strongly supported by professors, business and community leaders, and parents. A partial list of our supporters may be found at the end of this file. Join them in voting Mandy Lowell for school board! To learn more, visit our website at lowell4schools.org.
Palo Alto Daily News TUOMY, LOWELL, SPRENG FOR PALO ALTO SCHOOL BOARD Two issues rise above all others in this year's Palo Alto School Board race--curriculum and crowding caused by growing enrollment. While test scores are high, overcrowded classrooms will threaten the quality of instruction. We need school board members who are capable of solving our crowding crisis and who have a solid understanding of curriculum. ... MANDY LOWELL is the kind of person you would want on your side in a battle. She's pragmatic, serious, energetic and she does her homework. This 42-year-old Harvard-trained attorney has retired to raise her three children. She has two sons at Duvenek and a daughter at Bing Nursery School. Her husband, Charles Munger, is a physicist at Stanford. And she's paid her dues as a member of the Palo Alto PTA Council Executive Board. Lowell has the most extensive knowledge of curriculum of all the non-incumbents in the race. She said the district's curriculum should focus heavily on the basics in the early grades, and concentrate more on critical thinking skills and conceptual learning in the upper grades. Lowell said she places a premium on writing skills at all grade levels. And she will work to see that all students develop what she calls fluency in numbers. She's also the only candidate who has brought up accountability during the various candidate forums. She has some excellent ideas along those lines. For instance, she wants to evaluate performance by comparing Palo Alto's public schools to other top schools nationally, not just "average" California schools. We feel that Palo Alto is fortunate to have a candidate the caliber of Mandy Lowell running for school board.
The Palo Alto Weekly TUOMY, LOWELL AND SPRENG FOR SCHOOL BOARD. In the ever-changing world of school politics in Palo Alto, this fall's race for three seats on the Palo Alto Unified School District board of education is a far cry from two years ago, when three dropped out of the race, leaving only two active candidates. The surprize then was that one of the two write-in candidates, Mandy Lowell, received 4,000 votes. It wasn't enough to edge out second-place finisher John Barton (with 6,000), but it showed how much the community wants choices when electing board members. ... Lowell, 42, is a corporate litigation attorney and Harvard Law School graduate who recently made the decision to stop practicing law. We weren't ready to support her as a write-in candidate two years ago, but she has since done her homework and become more involved in the schools. Lowell has the support of many in the school community who have pushed the school board to adopt a more back-to-basics, direct instruction curriculum, but she articulates a more balanced approach and emphasizes she will use her mediation skills to bring those with differing viewpoints together. We believe she will bring a refreshing new voice and perspective to the board.
San Jose Mercury News
FOR PALO ALTO SCHOOL BOARD The Palo Alto school board is managing a major building program, grappling with a middle-school crowding crisis and facing projections of even more students at all levels and considerable staff turnover. With two veterans stepping down from the board, voters Nov. 2 need to choose candidates who have vision, experience and the ability to make informed decisions. Fortunately, the field contains more than enough qualified candidates. ... Lowell, 42, ran as a write-in candidate in 1997 and made a respectable showing. Since then she has retired from her law practice to devote more time to her three children and community work. She has served on PTA Council and a district task force that looked at ways to help kids performing below grade level. She's smart and energetic. She would bring strong analytical skills to the board.
The Campanile VOTE LOWELL, PRICE, AND SPRENG FOR SCHOOL BOARD The Campanile supports the election of Mandy Lowell, Gail Price and Barbara Spreng to the Palo Alto School Board on November 2. ... Lowell, a recently retired corporate litigation attorney, pushes teaching fundamentals (especially writing skills), relieving overcrowding and recruiting and retaining qualified teachers. She is the candidate who most obviously has spent time talking to those directly affected by the decisions of the board--teachers and students--to pinpoint their needs and concerns. Lowell plans to compare statistics from the district with top schools nationwide to prevent the current trend of lowered standards. Though this plan sounds bureaucratic, a board member who can step back and analyze is essential.
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PUBLIC OFFICIALS INDIVIDUALS (partial list)
Stephanie & Mark Agnew To learn more visit lowell4schools.org |
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