I am writing to express my strong support for Philip Stemler for Newport-Mesa School Board in Trustee Area 3.
As a parent of two young children currently enrolled in Newport-Mesa schools, my family is deeply committed to supporting our public education system. I am a proud alumnus of NMUSD, and when my husband and I started a family, we made a conscious decision to move back across the country to enroll our children in Newport-Mesa schools.
Philip’s commitment to both maintaining academic excellence, but also facilitating real transparency, is exactly what we need to drive positive change in our school district.
I am most encouraged by Philip’s dedication to parental empowerment, as well as his commitment to families being the solution and not the problem to many of the issues facing students today. He will maximize communication between parents and students on all issues.
In stark contrast, Philip’s opponent has a well-documented history of voting against open communication between schools and parents. It is hard to trust a candidate that claims to represent the best interest of students, but then habitually and consistently votes against the rights of parents to have a say regarding those same students’ best interests. After all, who cares more for the health and welfare of a child than their own family? It would require an outrageous level of hubris to claim otherwise.
I believe Philip’s values and goals align perfectly with the majority of our community, and his presence on the board would drive positive change in our district.
It is clear why Philip has the support of Mayor Will O’Neill, the majority of our Newport Beach City Council, and the Newport Beach Police and Firefighters Associations: his policies will ensure that Newport-Mesa schools continue to be a bastion of academic excellence, while also fostering greater parental involvement.
Please join me in supporting Philip Stemler for Newport-Mesa School Board.
Cole Butler / Newport Beach
