Who Am I? Why Should You Vote for Me?

Who Am I?     

My name is Samuel M. Roth, and I am a husband and a father of two daughters who attend NJSD.  I've lived in Neenah, Wisconsin since 2019, previously living in St. Louis, Missouri.

    My professional career has had me hold positions in Service Operations, Marketing and Data Analytics for varied industries including Life Sciences, Consumer Packaged Goods and Language Training.  

    In my spare time I like taking my dog to the dog park, playing pickleball, reading, watching football, playing music (piano and choir), and playing video and board games.     

    But my career and hobbies don't really tell you, a potential voter, who I am that is relevant to why you should vote for me.  Below I lay out my philosophical hopes for our public school district.

Who Am I, that I want you to remember when you consider whether to vote for me?

    I'm just a normal neighbor of yours who cares about our children, and their future impacts on our society.  I intend to be a representative taking into consideration the varied perspectives of our community stakeholders.  Realistically I know that most constituents don't have the time to be engaged in regular feedback with School Board Members; after all, they elect them because they trust that their judgement will be acceptable in the minutiae of the role.  So, as I think about being fiscally responsible with our taxpayers' money, my considerations for NJSD, and education at large, are underpinned by the following beliefs and desires: 

• Security & Health
• First, and most paramount, I want our children to be secure and healthy in our schools.  The sense of security is a requirement for children to be in the right condition to learn well.  To fully realize the freedoms our society promises, our children must feel safe to explore the world intellectually, physically and emotionally.  I will advocate for programs that develop a sense of security within our school and community to have our children in the best conditions to learn well.  Additionally, our children must be healthy.  This extends not only to their physical health where buildings must be maintained well and food must be nutritious, but also our students' emotional and mental health; the policies and norms within the school should consider the wellbeing of our students.
• Literacy, Communicative
• I want our public school system to promote literacy-- the ability to read, write, speak, and listen effectively.  Our public school should be on a mission to enhance our children's ability to communicate, understand the world, and participate in society by applying critical thinking, digital skills, and comprehension in various contexts.  Our children should have a foundational understanding of our world's history-- the events, ideas, conflicts and successes-- of the past that have led to the reality of the present.
• Literacy, Mathematical
• I want our public school system to promote the ability to use, understand, and apply mathematical concepts, reasoning, and tools in real-world situations to make informed decisions, solve problems, and function as an engaged citizen.  I expect our school district to teach foundational basic arithmetic at younger ages, and be able to train our kids to interpret data, manage finances, and understand patterns before graduating high school.
• Skills and Societal Preparedness
• I want our school district to promote respect amongst peers and fellow neighbors by providing opportunity to develop skills needed in our society.  Our society needs people with applicable skills in realms like at-home, blue-collar employment, white-collar employment, and academia.  I believe our public schools should make efforts towards providing children opportunity to develop those skills, as well as gain a respect for the interconnectedness between members of our society using those different skills.

 I would be very happy to discuss these ideas in more detail with any constituent who has an interest.  Feel free to email me, or post responses on this blog.