by Abby Schwartz, student representative on the School Committee 

This morning I received an email from Eileen Jay, current candidate for the Lexington School Committee asking for my endorsement as the student representative to the School Committee. After researching her and the other candidates I have decided to give her my endorsement. First let me say that I did not find anything wrong with the other candidates, and I think it is important to keep local politics less divisive than national politics. The following are the reasons I am endorsing Eileen Jay:

• She is a parent of recent LHS graduates and seems in tune with the academic and social climate within the schools.
• She is already working to reduce stress withing the schools.
• She favors having the education system in Lexington focus on learning, and instilling a love of learning, rather than on getting into the most exclusive college.
• She is in immediate action to alleviate overcrowding, and is in favor of the budget override. She also favors doing something beyond modulars to fix overcrowding at the high school.
• She has a background in education research around critical thinking and creativity, and worked with Howard Gardner.
• She is able to explain her positions eloquently and clearly without using excess jargon and acronyms.

Abigail Schwartz
School Committee student representative
Concord Avenue

by Barbara Manfredi, Former Principal at Bridge Elementary School

I am writing to endorse the candidacy of Eileen Jay for School Committee.  She is an outstanding candidate and I can personally attest to her excellent qualifications.  As a Bridge parent, Eileen volunteered for years in her two sons’ classrooms and enhanced the curriculum.  Her passion for the Lexington Public Schools was apparent from the beginning. Eileen demonstrated her commitment to students and how they learn.  Eileen has a rich background in educational research.  She understands the challenges facing Lexington.  Eileen is a thoughtful, reasonable woman who advocates for all of our students.

There are many important educational and fiscal decisions to be made and Eileen has the leadership and executive skills to be involved in those decisions.  Eileen is smart and collaborative.  She will provide the necessary balance that the School Committee needs in order to be successful.  Eileen understands the key areas of need and will work toward accomplishing the mutual goals of the group.

I wholeheartedly support Eileen Jay’s candidacy and hope you will join me in casting one of your two votes for her on March 1^st.

Barbara Manfredi, Retired Bridge Elementary School Principal
Taft Avenue

by Olga Guttag

This year we have strong candidates vying for two seats on the School Committee. I am most impressed by Eileen Jay, whom I met during last year’s election campaign season, and with whom I have worked on assorted school-related issues ever since.

Eileen has devoted her life to education, has a graduate degree in an area of education that is most important, and – most of all – has worked as a volunteer in our schools for about 20 years. She did not just stick to the classrooms that her children attended. She offered her considerable skills system-wide. This background gives her an excellent understanding of the programs we offer at all levels in our schools, and their strengths and weaknesses.

A School Committee candidate who has solid working knowledge of school system operations can be an effective elected member from the start.   Eileen will have enough knowledge to understand what questions to ask, and how to evaluate proposals the administration will bring to the School Committee. From my talking to her I know that she will use her rich background to ask the tough questions and, applying her considerable analytical skills, will help her colleagues and the Superintendent strengthen our already excellent schools. 

Since Eileen is and always has been a collegial, supportive and modest person, she will be a true asset to the School Committee.  I expect that our new superintendent will appreciate taking some of Eileen’s ideas and running with them in her usual energetic way. I can’t wait to see the positive energy Eileen will bring to the School Committee.

On March 1^st please join me in casting one of your School Committee votes for Eileen Jay!

Olga Guttag, Former School Committee Member

Emerson Road

by Harvy Simkovits

I’ve known Eileen in many school and town-related capacities over the years. She brings to her School Committee candidacy a PhD in Education, an involvement in the Lexington elementary, middle and high schools, and a desire to help students and parents manage the challenging demands of the Lexington school curriculum and system. She has been very involved with site-based school councils and with school committee members, especially participating in the search and decision to bring on our new superintendent. These varied experiences put her in a great position to represent our community well on the SC. What particularly stands out about her is a desire to listen and learn, and to engage our parents and community in the issues and challenges that face our already great schools. She has her own strong beliefs and works to seek understanding and consensus among parents and peers. She understands and takes into consideration the diverse views and needs of our town. Our Lexington community would be well served by engaging and leveraging her talents for our schools. Do stand with me to vote for Eileen on March 1.

Harvy Simkovits, Angier Road

by Patricia Valda

I met Eileen Jay during a Site-Base School Council/PTA’s joint effort to get parents from our different communities more involved and active in our schools. Right from the start, she impressed me with her incredible experience in our town’s and schools’ related issues, as well as her leadership skills. I have witnessed her drive in embracing responsibilities and commitments with passion, dedication and intelligence, throughout our work together.

Not only an effective advocate of our schools, Eileen has also been a major force behind the efforts to stop one of the biggest problems that our schools face today: Student stress. She was one of the leaders behind a presentation to the School Committee on student stress that lead to the creation of the Ad Hoc Committee for Youth at Risk.  She is the lead author on the report produced by the committee, which had much needed recommendations about stress reduction and management for the schools, town, and community. 

All her years of experience as a parent volunteer, as a Site-Base school Council, and as an academic in education field make her the perfect candidate for our School Committee.

As a mother of three children who currently are in the Lexington schools, as well as a very active Lexington resident, I truly believe that Eileen Jay is the independent, smart, decisive, level-headed leader that we desperately need in the Lexington School Committee.

I ask that you join me in voting for Eileen Jay to the Lexington School Committee on March 1st. If you want to know more about Eileen Jay, visit her website: jayforschoolcommittee.com 

Patricia Valda Luzio, Follen Road

By Van Seasholes

Eileen Jay has the personal qualities, professional qualifications, and history of service to our community to make her a first-rate member of the School Committee.

I first met Eileen when we were members of a committee planning a memorial to Michael Fiveash, Lexington High School teacher of Latin and mythology.  We were in agreement that Michael was one of the very best teachers we had ever known.  Eileen contributed much to our work.  She listened carefully to other members and made thoughtful comments and suggestions.  She was always willing to take on tasks large and small that needed doing.  The end result was a memorial program in January 2014 at Cary Hall attended by nearly 300 former students, colleagues, parents, and other members of the community.

Eileen, who has a  doctorate in education from Harvard, has worked for twenty years as a parent and community volunteer to help make the Lexington Public Schools the strong institution it is today.  Continue reading →

By BJ Rudman

Eileen Jay would be an excellent member of the School Committee and I urge Lexington voters to cast one of their two votes for her. I have worked with Eileen for several years on efforts to reduce the unhealthy stress being experienced by Lexington youth, most recently on the School Committee’s Ad Hoc Committee on Youth at Risk, which I co-chaired.  Eileen played a key leadership role in the development and preparation of the Ad Hoc Committee’s report and has been actively involved in the follow up to the report, most notably with the Lexington Community Coalition. She is intelligent and knowledgeable, and strongly committed to both high quality education and the emotional well being of the students.

BJ Rudman, Flintlock Rd.

By Gwen Wong

I could not support a candidate more strongly than I support Eileen Jay, School Committee.  She is the full package: she’s intelligent, thoughtful and a great listener; she means what she says, and she is a deep and independent thinker with a wealth of experience. Eileen got her doctorate in education at Harvard, worked and wrote about improving classroom teaching and culture. In 2014, on the Ad Hoc Committee for Youth at Risk, she was a lead author of a detailed, comprehensive report on student stress for the School Committee. Eileen believes we can always accomplish more through professionalism and collegiality, and has consistently demonstrated that she works well with fellow committee members. Continue reading →

By Bob Ruxin

Lexington is incredibly fortunate to have so many highly qualified residents willing to devote countless hours to volunteer public service. One such individual, Eileen Jay, would bring unique credentials to the School Committee.

With a Doctorate in Education from Harvard University, Eileen focused her academic and professional research on how students learn and how to foster critical and creative thinking. As a mother of two children who attended Lexington elementary, middle and high schools, Eileen shared her knowledge, her passion for high quality public education, and her compassion for students, families, and teachers by volunteering in a variety of school-related roles. Continue reading →

By Weidong Wang

I am writing to support Eileen Jay for her election to the School Committee.

I came to know Eileen a few years ago when she started to work with CAAL (Chinese American Association of Lexington) on various school related projects, including the PTO/PTA forums and issues on Asian student stress. Later she joined CAAL Executive Committee and headed the CAAL Education Committee. I can tell from interacting with her that she cares about the schools and students whole heartedly. As we worked together longer, I got to know that she has professional experience as an educational researcher with a PhD degree from Harvard, that she has actively involved with schools for a long time, and that she has continued to do so even after her kids have all graduated from Lexington school system. Continue reading →