Falmouth voters have a clear choice on June 13: reelect school board members Jen Libby and Matt Pines. Each candidate possesses credentials as child educators and willing volunteers. In June 2020, during the onset of the pandemic, each of these professionals emerged to provide leadership and insight to the board to stabilize our most precious asset: our schools.

Over the past three, difficult years, both have helped our educators navigate challenging teaching conditions while also balancing larger district priorities. Developing an annual school budget and delivering a new teacher contract are examples of their work. The ability to collaborate with educators, administrators and their own school board are requisite skills that each possess in surplus.

There is a “campaign” being fomented by write-in “candidates” who espouse transparency and process. Their platform that Falmouth “mismanaged the teacher contract” and “misguided the master plan” is rhetoric. The timing of their announcement is alleged to be the result of months of frustration. If each was truly concerned, they had the opportunity to pull candidate papers in March, thus following the process. To date, neither individual has been transparent and reached out to the candidates that followed the process and whose names are actually on the ballot.

It is easy to cast lots based on hearsay and speculation. It is another thing to appreciate the individuals that completed the board’s most recent work. That is why I will be voting for Libby and Pines June 13.

Tommy Johnson
Falmouth