Letter: Bushman will bring fresh perspective to school board

To the Editor-

If you are paying close attention to the upcoming elections, you will certainly be familiar with the name Jennifer Bushman. She is currently running to be on the local school board.

In fact, her name has quite the buzz factor lately in the community. She has the support of many who know her and her character. She also has a group of individuals who have hypercritically and relentlessly commented on social media.

It is curious why so many people are intensely focused on Jennifer Bushman. Perhaps it is because they feel threatened that someone would have the audacity to challenge the status quo. People are often uncomfortable with change but without it, everything stays the same. We should all be absolutely thrilled that we have such a stellar candidate, like Jennifer Bushman, who is willing and committed to serving on our school board. In fact, we should be grateful to all the challengers. This gives us choice and makes us feel adequately represented. A healthy, strategic board turnover should be welcomed, and fresh perspectives and energy should be embraced.

It is this energy and fresh perspective that we are currently witnessing in this election. We have never seen a local school board election quite like this one. It is clear from her tireless campaign efforts that she is responsible for raising the bar for everyone. There are countless yard signs, big and small, billboards, meet and greet opportunities, videos, flyers, online articles, public forums, and campaign pages. This has required her opponents to follow suit and put forth more effort than usual. If this amount of effort and tenacity is being made in an election, imagine what Jen will bring to the school board.

I have known Jen for nearly a decade, and she is not only my dear friend but a fellow member of the Stevens Point Junior Women’s Club (JWC). Jen effectively served many roles on JWC, but it was her three-year presidency where she made monumental and innovative changes that greatly increased the benefits to our community. I witnessed firsthand what a difference the right leadership makes. She possesses qualities that make her a leader and true team player. She is diplomatic, decisive, receptive, positive, analytical, and an exceptional communicator. She is also dependable and the go-to person to contact when you need help. There have been many instances when people reach out to Jen to ask her for help. She always helps without hesitation.

Now Jen wants to help and bring her professional knowledge and experiences to be on the school board. She has a personal stake as she has three young children currently enrolled in the district and will be for the next decade. This motivates Jen to be a true champion for our children as she believes all kids deserve the best education and should be given the opportunity to reach their maximum potential.

Jen has been successful in her personal life and professional career, and there is no doubt she will be an effective school board member. I urge you to take the time to meet Jen or visit her campaign page instead of making assumptions. As we are nearing the end of this election and campaign, some of us need to remember that we do not need to put others down, to bring ourselves up. It is time for our community to come back together and instead of acting like children, be advocates for them.

Please join me in voting for Jennifer Bushman in the upcoming school board election on April 5.

Caroline Scaccia
Stevens Point