To the Editor:

I’m writing in support of Eleanor Hubbard’s candidacy for the Board of Education. I’ve known Eleanor for many years. I’ve always been impressed with her, and over the summer I urged her to run for the Board of Education. Eleanor’s experience, commitment to researching pressing issues, and good judgment make her the candidate we need.

Her experience: Eleanor is closely involved with the Princeton Public Schools. She has three kids enrolled at PPS. She has been an active parent in the PTO. She has experience as an educator: she was a public-school teacher before getting her Ph.D. and then taught at Princeton University for 11 years.

Eleanor was a board member of UNOW, the University-affiliated childcare center. Eleanor was president of that board for one year, and served on it for eight years. These years saw UNOW double in size, move into a new building, and navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. UNOW has emerged from these challenges as a strong and thriving school.

Her commitment to researching pressing issues: Our community has been debating what it means to take equity in math education seriously, and how we can do well by all our kids. This debate has been heated and confusing. Throughout, I’ve been very grateful to Eleanor, who did the hard work to become informed about the state of math education in Princeton and shared what she learned with me and others. Now, math education at PPS is on a good trajectory. I’m grateful to people like Eleanor who pressed the school district to be open about what policies were being put in place, and who pressed for sound evidence-based improvements.

Her good judgment: Recently a crisis emerged with the afterschool program. Starting this year, PPS contracted with a for-profit company, Right at School, which hired incompetent employees. This is a scary time for those of us who rely on this care. Fortunately, the contract with Right at School is being ended. But how did we hire this company in the first place?

I find myself wishing that Eleanor had already been on the Board of Education when this decision was being made. Eleanor helped to spearhead a movement of parents and board members who resisted the University’s idea that the UNOW childcare center, in order to expand, would have to partner with a for-profit company. This would have destroyed UNOW. We needed a voice on the Board of Education last year to say that for-profit childcare companies do not do well by children. Eleanor could have been that voice.

Our school district needs leaders who are ready to dig into hard and difficult questions, to research when new problems and issues arise, and to use good judgment to handle difficult challenges. We need leaders like Eleanor Hubbard.

Elizabeth Harman
Western Way