I would like to take this opportunity to announce my support of Phyllis Byrum for the City of Suffolk School Board representing the Whaleyville Borough.

I see a number of challenges within the Suffolk school system. One is the lack of support of a community school located in the village of Whaleyville. Currently we have Robertson Elementary, but there doesn’t appear to be any support in the current school board to keep a school in Whaleyville.

Further, a lot of the students at Robertson are bused in from outside Whaleyville. This strategy doesn’t foster school based community spirit. Maintaining a school in Whaleyville, and building more community based school spirit would be a positive direction.

Another concern is safety in schools. The middle school for Whaleyville is John F. Kennedy Middle School. On the JFK Middle School website, there are statistics on the violence. It’s very disconcerting of the amount of violence reported on the website. Education is a privilege, not a right. I should expect a safe and quality education for my daughters, for the tax dollars that I spend. Unfortunately, that is not currently the case in Suffolk.

I think a new voice is needed on the Suffolk School Board. Mrs. Byrum has been involved with education for the past 30 years as an educator, as well as a supporter, participating in Robertson PTA. She also is an active member of the Whaleyville community with the numerous volunteer organizations that she is a part of, including the Whaleyville Ruritan Club, Whaleyville Historical Society, and the Whaleyville Village Initiatives Committee to name a few. I hope that this endorsement also encourages other citizens of the Whaleyville Borough to support Mrs. Byrum.