TIME \@ "MMMM d, yyyy" December 8, 2006
Dear Friend of the Madison School District,
For over twenty-five years I have had the honor of teaching in Madison Schools. I am proud to have been part of school system that has managed to decrease the achievement gap while still increasing our top SAT/ACT scores. However, we are coming to a crossroads. Madison schools will again have to cut millions of dollars worth of programs, and the next school board will make these agonizing decisions. As a taxpayer, parent and retired teacher, I have to help. For this reason, I have decided to run for an open seat on the Madison school board, in the spring election. The school board must have members who understand how classrooms function and who know which programs are crucial for learning to occur. My recent classroom expertise is what I can bring to the board. I will also work closely with organizations that are attempting to replace our state revenue caps with a more equitable means of financing our public education.
I have a BA from Hunter College in New York City, majoring in history, with a joint minor in political science and high school education, and an MA in 18th century British history from Boston University, with research at Harvard’s Weidner Library and further studies at UCLA. I earned my K-8 teaching credentials at U.W.-Madison. I will bring strong academic qualifications to the board.
I subbed at Leopold Elementary and began full-time work at Marquette Elementary. I taught at the Franklin/Randall and Midvale/Lincoln pairs, then ten years at Lincoln Elementary School and ten more at Cherokee Middle School. My teaching career has taken me from an inner city New York high school, to elementary schools in England and China, and finally to a middle school in Madison. From my earliest teaching years, I have been in schools with diverse populations, and I have never wavered from my core belief: All of our students have needs that must be met. This includes the students at both ends of the spectrum, as well as those in the middle.
I received the Madison Metropolitan School District Distinguished Service Award, a Distinguished Teacher of Teachers Award from the University of Wisconsin, and a Crystal Apple Award from NBC News. I published one book, First Steps With Basic, A Gentle Introduction to Programming, and have just finished a second, My Side: Reflections of a Public School Teacher.
Since retiring, I have become an active advocate for Madison schools. I have been mentoring first year teachers, and served as treasurer of CAST (Community and Schools Together), an organization that endorsed the recent successful school referendum. I will build on the citywide goodwill for our schools so evident in this recent election.
My husband of 43 years, a mathematics professor at the University of Wisconsin, and I have two married children and five grandchildren. Our children attended Leopold, Cherokee and West High School, and obtained a marvelous education where they learned both from a rigorous curriculum and from the life experiences of their diverse classmates. My goal is to guarantee that today’s students and tomorrow’s students will have this same opportunity.
I ask for your support and a donation to “Marj Passman for School Board”. With your help, we can make our schools work for all our children. If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at home 271-0645, on my cell 334-2043 or email me at HYPERLINK "mailto:mpassman@uwalumni.com" mpassman@uwalumni.com. I am certainly interested in any school issues you might have. A forthcoming website “Passmanforschoolboard” will be up and running soon.
Thank you,
Marj Passman
Authorized and Paid for by Marj Passman for School Board
Don Holec, Treasurer
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Please make checks payable to Marj Passman for School Board and mail to:
Marj Passman for School Board
2935 S. Fish Hatchery Rd. #234
Madison, WI 53711
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