IPN Backs Two For School Board Seat

Desiree Galassi and Donna Monteleone Randle have submitted their names for consideration by the Board of Education as candidates for the newly created seventh seat on the school board. Both women have been recommended by the Independent Party of Newtown (IPN).

“Desiree and Donna are both excellent candidates to fill the new seat on the Board of Education,” said Bob Murray, IPN Chair.

Desiree Galassi is the current Middle Gate PTA president and vice chair of IPN. She ran for the school board seat last November on the IPN ticket and received more than 2,000 votes. Ms Galassi is a parent of Newtown school children and an educator who is highly committed to moving the educational system forward with a long-term vision for Newtown students to achieve success in a competitive global market while balancing the needs of the community as a whole, according to the IPN announcement of her candidacy, which also notes that she is highly respected by the Middle Gate community for her strong leadership skills, her work ethic, her knowledge of educational issues and her capacity to communicate effectively the issues affecting the educational system and the town.

Donna Monteleone Randle is an active participant of the Sandy Hook PTA and is the IPN Outreach Committee chairperson. Ms Randle ran for the two-year position on the Board of Education against Anna Wiedemann as a write-in candidate last November. She recently organized the IPN silent auction fundraiser for “A New Pound in Newtown” and raised more than $2,000 for this worthy cause. She also organized “Valentines letter for the service members” event at Sandy Hook Elementary School where over the past three years, more than 1,000 letters were written by the students and sent to the troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Okinawa, Kuwait, Germany and England.

Newtown voters approved the charter changes that increased the Board of Education from six to seven members on April 22. The school board will interview candidates for the post and then appoint the new member. The new member of the school will serve until a new member is elected to a full term in the November 2009 local elections.