Stowe committed to quality education for all

To the editor,

When I first moved to Greenwich, I immediately met Kathleen Stowe as a parent in my daughter’s class. She was warm, welcoming and soon after, she became my daughter’s first softball coach. We quickly realized that we both shared a passion for education, and I was ecstatic when she was elected to serve on the Board of Education for Greenwich.

I am a former special education attorney, public school teacher, and an advocate for families of children with special education needs. Over the years, I have engaged in several discussions with Kathleen about providing quality special education services to all students.

Since I work in a private special education school, I have the perspective of how an independent school meets the needs of students with learning disabilities. I shared my experience and knowledge about a proven program with her, and what impressed me about Kathleen was her willingness to listen. She is practical, bright and gets things done; her willingness to consider varying approaches on many topics, including education in this example, make her an appealing candidate to all, despite their political affiliation.

Kathleen values a range of perspectives and opinions; when discussing my own family's experience with remote learning with her for example (positives and negatives), she was all ears, and while she respected the efforts of the educators, she was equally committed to addressing real parent concerns. As a politician, and as an advocate for our students’ education, Kathleen has my utmost admiration and enthusiastic support. It is not her care for the community alone that makes her an attractive candidate, but her committment to making our community in Greenwich and Stamford, better for all of us, especially the future generations.

Lara Damashek Greenwich