To the editor:

In her recent letter to the editor (“Bouchard favors Foster’s candidacy,” Oct. 7), Ms. Linda Bouchard chose to actively distance herself from one of the candidates running for the school board seat that Ms. Bouchard herself is vacating.

Instead, she endorsed a friend of hers who is also running and that is, most certainly, her right. However, the rationale she expresses for her endorsement of Diane Foster points up precisely the reason that the residents of Suffolk’s Chuckatuck Borough should elect Sherri Story.

Given the challenges faced by Suffolk Public Schools and the shared goal of strengthening our local educational system so that it better serves our children and our community, I would suggest that the last thing our School Board needs is more of the same. Intending no disrespect to Ms. Bouchard or Ms. Foster, being a friend of the incumbent and having served on the board in the past does little to demonstrate that a candidate possesses the understanding and commitment to drive meaningful change. Further, the notion that anyone would “instinctively [know] what it would take to make Suffolk Public Schools strong and viable” should give pause to anyone who appreciates the complexity of the issues involved. Informed decisions about the policies and practices of Suffolk Public Schools need to be driven by facts and critical analysis, not instinct.

Frankly, it’s simply not reasonable to expect different results if we keep doing the same things and electing the same faces to represent us. Fresh voices, with direct, recent, frontline experience in the types of issues and concerns that confront today’s students, teachers and staff, are what’s needed. Sherri Story will be that voice. She’s intelligent, experienced and a fearless advocate for the students, teachers and staff who depend upon the Suffolk City School Board to make the best decisions for our community.

R. Gregory Kilduff

Suffolk