Editor, The Smithfield Times:

I encourage voting (early if you can, by Nov. 7) to keep proven Mark Wooster (District 2) on the Isle of Wight County School Board because Wooster delivered! 

In 9.5 months in office he fulfilled his 2022 campaign pledges: removal of sexually explicit materials from our schools; support more parental input; support for Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order No. 1 to end use of inherently divisive concepts such as (Marxist) Critical Race Theory being forced on kids; and pushing for improvement in educational basics, reading/writing/math, rather than cultural indoctrination. 

In 9.5 months Wooster got great things done:

• Wooster authored, then got board approval of, a new school policy IIA that prohibits sexually explicit material from being used in kindergarten through eighth grade and only with parental approval in grades 9-12. 
• Wooster assisted in the rewrite and passage of school policy INB that brought the teaching of controversial issues in line with Gov. Youngkin’s executive order.
• Wooster fully supports the current state Board of Education’s model policy on ensuring privacy, dignity and respect versus the previous administration’s equity, diversity and inclusion divisive agenda.  
• Recently, Wooster (a certified EMS instructor) was chief instructor to 90-plus JROTC students and teachers in a “Stop the Bleed” course.
• Wooster added a goal: Expand career and technical education program offerings.

Wooster’s opponent in November is a director-level executive in the Norfolk City Public Schools. The Virginia Department of Education reports much lower performance for NCPS than IWCS for graduation rate, school district rankings and Standards of Learning grade-level proficiencies in reading, math and writing. Wooster’s opponent opposed removal of sexually explicit materials on school-issued iPads at the April 21, 2022, School Board meeting. 

Vote (early if you can and by Nov. 7) for Mark Wooster for IWCS School Board (District 2) to continue his legacy of getting great things done for our children and our community.

 

Betsy Egan

Smithfield