I am writing to offer my support to Rosemarie Weber for re-election to the Granby Board of Education. Rosemarie and her husband, Dr. Chris Weber, moved to town in 2005. Both Rosemarie and Chris have served our country as officers in the U.S. Army and now they serve our town—Chris as a veterinarian, and Rosemarie as a member of the Board of Education.
My two sons have gone through Granby public schools and received the finest education here. Their Granby education got them to the colleges and career paths of their choice. I can think of no better benchmark of success than to see their education pay off in their adult life.
Rosemarie’s common sense approach and fiscally responsible decisions are what we need to keep Granby schools strong. Go Bears!
Brad Field, former President GMHS Football
We would like to voice our family’s support for Rosemarie Weber for the upcoming Board of Education election. Over many years, it has been a pleasure to know her and to live in a community where our elected officials are so dedicated and accessible. Rosemarie exemplifies those qualities. Our daughter served as a liaison to the BOE during her senior year of high school, and Rosemarie helped to make her experience a positive and educational one. Please consider voting for our good friend and neighbor, Rosemarie Weber.
Glenn and Karen Cusano
With the combination of state mandates, unpredictable special education costs, and a primarily residential tax base, it’s challenging, to say the least, to find the right balance of educational spending. Despite these challenges, thanks to the hard work and partnership of our teachers, administration, and Board of Education, Granby students continue to excel while touting one of the lowest costs per pupil in the state.
Over the years, I have had the pleasure to work with Mark Fiorentino and have seen firsthand how instrumental Mark has been in helping drive these results. As a parent, volunteer, and a board member, Mark is committed to providing quality education at a reasonable cost. He recognizes the need to compromise, is open to new ideas, and seeks creative ways to solve our educational budget challenges. Mark is very approachable, listens to town residents, and is willing to make tough decisions. I want to thank Mark for his continued leadership on the Board of Education and hope you join me in voting for Mark on election day.
Kelly O. Rome
I hope that you will join me in voting for Lynn Guelzow for the Board of Education. With two terms on the board, Lynn consistently advocates for good student outcomes, smaller class sizes especially at the elementary level, and for teachers’ assistants in the primary school. She also pays particular attention to budget issues, asking good questions that get to the heart of the issues.
While I have not always agreed with board decisions, Lynn has been consistently responsive to my questions and concerns. She is well versed in research about curricula and is very committed to maintaining high standards and creating an equitable culture for students, families, and teachers. Her focus on student outcomes and fairness to taxpayers has resulted in her voting against proposed education budgets at the board level on more than one occasion.
As a mother of three children who went through the Granby public schools, she well knows the triumphs and pitfalls of the system and is steadfast in her mission to make our schools the best they can be. Lynn looks out for our students, our community, and our taxpayers. Please vote for Lynn Guelzow on Nov. 5.
Kim Becker
I write this letter in support of incumbents Mark Fiorentino, Lynn Guelzow and Rosemarie Weber for re-election, and in support of educator Dave Peling for election to the Granby Board of Education.
Mark, Lynn and Rosemarie bring a wide skill set, deep sense of community and volunteerism to the BOE. They have lived in Granby for a collective 50+ years, and their backgrounds include serving our country in the U.S. Army, involvement in our horse and farming community, educational advocates and student athlete supporters. From STEM programming, 1 to 1 computing, doing more for our highest achievers, support for robotics and drama, negotiating union contracts to serving on the Equity Task Force—these are dedicated public servants who spend hundreds of hours a year in service to the Granby BOE. Rosemarie, Lynn and Mark are passionate advocates for our rigorous curriculum and continual improvements to our high achieving school system all while never losing sight of being fiscally responsible to Granby taxpayers.
The facts speak for themselves—Granby’s cost per pupil is in the lowest quartile in the state, yet student achievements consistently place Granby Memorial High School in the top of rankings. U.S News and World Report ranked our high school #21 in Connecticut, and in the top 10 for the Hartford Metro area (2019). We have a fantastic community and school system! As the Board searches for a new superintendent to lead our schools, board stability, commitment and experience is critical.
BOE candidate Dave Peling and his family have lived in Granby since 2005 and have two students in our schools. Dave is the only candidate who has worked as both a teacher and public school administrator in Connecticut. Dave’s experience and passion for public education and “other side of the coin” view from leading high quality school districts would be an invaluable addition to our BOE. Dave has bachelors and masters degrees, has taught internationally, and is currently a doctoral candidate in educational leadership at the UConn NEAG School of Education. You can find Dave in his spare time coaching Little League and Bearcats Youth Football.
Melissa Migliaccio
We write today in support of Jenny Emery’s candidacy for reelection to the Board of Education because we believe that Granby is best served by volunteers who step forward, not to push any ideology or agenda, but to bring relevant experience, to listen and learn, and to then provide leadership and solve problems. Now more than ever we need thoughtful leaders who will work hard to find creative solutions to the issues facing our town. This is what Jenny Emery has done and will continue to do as a member of Granby’s board of education.
Jenny and her husband, Dave, have lived in Granby since 1982 and their three children attended Granby public schools. Jenny recently retired from a career in insurance, where she worked with thousands of towns and schools across the country. This experience has proven invaluable in her eight years on Granby’s BOE. Jenny also has developed a deep understanding of our particular issues in Granby and in the State of Connecticut and she has worked hard to maintain the quality of our schools while finding cost-saving measures, keeping fat out of the budget and even finding new revenue sources for the school system. (Jenny worked to bring the planned solar installation to Granby, which is projected to reduce operating costs by more than $350,000 annually.)
All she has accomplished in her career and in her time on the BOE has required commitment, creativity, intelligence, and integrity—qualities Jenny has in abundance and qualities we should demand in our elected officials. We are lucky to have her and we’ll be voting for her on Nov. 5. We hope you will too.
Rick Orluk and Trish Percival
Granby’s municipal elections are coming up on Nov. 5 and there is some healthy competition for Board of Education: four seats are open and seven candidates are running. While I wait to hear more from them all, I already know that one of my votes will be cast for Jenny Emery. Here’s why.
Jenny is finishing her second four-year term on the BOE, which is responsible for setting policy that touches Granby families every day and manages costs that account for the largest part of our local tax dollars. Every decision requires judgments that weigh the interests of every Granby citizen, with short- and long-term consequences. I’ve followed Jenny’s work on the BOE including, as its Finance Committee Chair, taking the initiative to close Kearns school in light of the then-predicted declining enrollment, and working to educate voters about the value of the investments approved in the recent bond referendum—Jenny has been a real leader. As the search for a new superintendent unfolds and more scrutiny is aimed at school and town budgets, I’m certain she has the public’s best interest in mind and I’m glad she is willing to serve another term if elected. I hope you will join me in voting for Jenny Emery.
Toby Proctor
I am writing to voice my support of Dave Peling as a candidate for the Granby Board of Education. Having known Dave for nearly a decade, I can unequivocally say that there are few who possess his caring and kind demeanor coupled with a passion for lifelong learning and an impressive educational resume. I believe these attributes make Dave a clear choice for the Board of Education on the Nov. 5 ballot.
An educator by trade, Dave is committed to excellence both in and out of the classroom. Having served as a classroom teacher, building principal, and current doctoral candidate in educational leadership, Dave would bring a “boots on the ground” perspective to the Board of Education. During his tenure as principal at East Granby High School, the school received numerous recognitions for academic excellence. Outside of the traditional educational setting, Dave has years of coaching youth baseball and football, as well as being a proud “dance Dad,” under his belt. Personally, Dave is incredibly honest, has impeccable ethics, and is always looking to provide the best learning opportunities for all. He and his wife, Colleen, have called Granby home for 14 years and currently have two children in the school system.
Please join me in voting for Dave Peling for the Granby Board of Education on Nov. 5.
Sarah Thrall