By Patty Burns Harwood

Having lived in East Greenwich for most of my life, first in my youth as a K-12 student and now as a parent of two sons who have attended EG schools, I am proud of this town’s commitment to provide high quality education. I had the privilege of serving with Nicole Bucka as elected chairs of the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) for two terms. Actually, it was Nicole who inspired me to pursue that leadership position, because she is a fearless and tireless advocate for the children in this town. Many have seen her attending nearly all School Committee and Town Council meetings, effortlessly typing what is being said, nearly verbatim, on her laptop and later sharing these notes with the community on social media. She also regularly participates in these discussions using her expertise in education to inform school leaders about best practices using data driven metrics as evidence. Nicole has been selected to serve on a number of important EGSD committees, including School Reopening, Strategic Planning, and the Superintendent Search. I cannot tell you how she manages to do all this and work full time, while raising two amazing, school-age boys with her husband Jim, who is also an educator.

I support Nicole Bucka for EG School Committee because she is one of the most gifted and selfless people that I have had the pleasure of getting to know through our shared commitment to high quality education and love of the Town of East Greenwich.

Please vote on Oct. 5 at Swift Community Center or in-person at Town Hall on Monday, Oct. 4 from 8:30 to 4.

Patty Burns Harwood lives in East Greenwich.