Opinion: Pam Lutfy supports the needs of our students best

To the editor:

In response to Diane French’s letter (click here), I would remind her of the fight Pam Lutfy has waged for 12 years while sitting on the DV School board to implement new reading and math programs, especially at the middle school and high school. How convenient that Diane French does not remember this. Perhaps Ms. French’s pathetic attempt at power has caused a memory lapse.

⇒ KEEP READING

Pam Lutfy has worked to get DV to implement research based reading programs for far longer than it has been trendy under IDEA. Over the years she has attended learning disability conferences, reading conferences, special education conferences and model schools conferences bringing back her clear vision for change, mingled with her unique background in speech and language and early childhood education. She has met with legislators and education experts from all over PA and the country investigating and questioning.

Year after year administrators and other board members had turned a deaf ear to closing the reading gap at DV, so necessary for children to succeed in our modern society. Ms. French has probably just forgotten the long fought fight that Pam won to add special education teachers, reading specialists, smaller resource rooms, research based programs and a special education principal at the high school. Pam was responsible for DV’s implementation of Special Education Roundtables which allow parents to bring concerns and suggestions to administrators. Before this, parents were often shut out of the process with their special needs children.

Ms. French probably doesn’t even know of the hours Pam has spent with parents going over IEPs and counseling. She has not counted the more than 50 roundtables Pam attended or the hours and days she has spent fighting for our kids all at the expense of her own time, family, and business.

Just recently, Ms. French selected to forget that at the April 16 board meeting, Mrs. Lutfy was the ONLY board member to remind administrators of the fact that there still remains a “black hole” in the reading program at DV. She has forgotten that Pam Lutfy continues to fight for the programs that would have allowed the 142 seniors who didn’t pass the reading PSSA and the 182 who didn’t pass the math PSSA this year to graduate with a chance of succeeding in college and beyond.

I encourage all voters to cast their vote for Pam Lutfy on election day and eliminate Goldsack and Marasa who along with Diane French and the other Taxpayer United Candidates will continue to ignore the needs of our children.

Sincerely,

Mary G. Gordon
Milford, PA