To the editor:

No one reading the article about Sherri Story’s candidacy for School Board member (Wednesday, Oct. 3) should confuse the mention of my name in that article for an endorsement of or support for her candidacy.

My constituents in the Chuckatuck Borough have known for several years that I believe in term limits and would not stay longer than eight years serving on the School Board. In fact, I encouraged Diane Foster, my friend and colleague, to run in my place.

Diane joined the School Board in 2009, but she had to resign her position when she moved into the Chuckatuck Borough to be near her aging mother. Her constituents missed her and encouraged her to return to the board as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Diane was highly respected for her decisions supporting both teachers and students. While she constantly pressed us to concentrate on higher wages for teachers, she never favored cutting the programs that ensured young kids would be reading fluently by the third grade. Diane instinctively knew what it would take to make Suffolk Public Schools strong and viable.

I am humbled that the residents in the Chuckatuck Borough have supported me as a School Board member for these past eight years. In January, at the end of my term, I plan to return to the schools as a substitute teacher, back into the trenches where the real work takes place, where kids and dedicated teachers make the miracles of learning really happen.

Linda Bouchard

Suffolk