To the Editor:
I write to endorse Beth Behrend for Princeton’s Board of Education and to encourage Princeton to vote for Beth on November 7.

I have worked closely with Beth as a fellow board member of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association where Beth is Board secretary, on the Executive Committee, and also serves on the Education and Development Committees. Beth put her legal skills to work in helping to update the organization’s by-laws and drafted a planned giving policy. She also helped expand the breadth of the Watershed’s environmental education programs to address next generation science standards and helped connect John Witherspoon Middle School’s classes with the Watershed’s outstanding environmental education programs. Beth has been a dedicated board member and the Watershed is a better organization thanks to her service.

I also am a member of Princeton’s Citizens Finance Advisory Committee and consequently am very familiar with our town’s financial picture, including the burden that high property taxes place on the community. In many conversations about town and school finances over the years, I have found that Beth is committed to fiscal prudence as a priority in decisions affecting the taxpayer’s wallet.

Beth is a clear-thinking, level-headed, experienced leader who wholly commits herself to excellence and equity. Through her career in corporate law she advised on financings, acquisitions, governance, and regulatory matters. As a leader of the Riverside PTO she raised over $50,000 for the school gardens. She understands finance, understands governance, understands organizational decision-making, and understands strategic planning. With these skills, I am confident that Beth will ensure that our schools deliver the highest quality education for every student while simultaneously honoring citizens’ concerns about higher taxes.

Princeton’s schools and taxpayers would both be well served by having Beth Behrend on the School Board.

Scott Sillars
Patton Avenue