Contributed by Lori Berrigan
My name is Lori Berrigan and I am running for School Board in District 1 in the Mat-Su Borough
I grew up in Anchorage starting 1st grade at Oceanview Elementary School and graduating from Steller Secondary School in 1987. I also attended O’Malley Elementary, Hanshew Junior High, and Service High in Anchorage. I have a Degree in Chemistry from Colorado College. I worked as a field chemist on the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline in the 90s. After realizing living in a lab was not my dream job, I went back to school to become a Massage Therapist, specializing in Sports Therapy. Later, after I had children, I went back to education and earned a certificate in Waldorf Early Childhood Education. I have lived in the MSB since 2004. I have 3 children who attend/have attended MSBSD schools. All 3 of my children attended BIrchtree Charter School (BTC) and Palmer High. Prior to BTC, we were a homeschooling family. My two oldest children are students at UAF, both UA Scholars.
Since living in the MSB, I have worked hard to bring choices to other MSB families by leading the effort to start BTC. After BTC was approved in 2010, I turned my attention to starting my own business, a Waldorf-inspired childcare and preschool. I remained on the BTC Academic Policy Committee for many years. BTC and my business, Palmer LifeWays, are now entering their eleventh year.
In addition to my work with BTC, I have been a member of the Mat-Su Ski Club Board and the Palmer Moose Nordic Ski Team Booster Club. I also serve as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the State of Alaska.
My goals on the School Board are:
· To plan for the growth in the MatSu so classroom sizes can be kept small.
· To serve all children in the MatSu. No one child is more important than another.
· Foster partnerships and relationships between schools and parents.
· To be fiscally responsible and provide transparency of public funds.
· Improve proficiency in students that are below proficiency levels.
· Maintain, create, and promote programs that give students choice, including college prep and vocational education tracks, and make public schools available to home schoolers.
· To keep schools open and buses running.
To do all of this, we must invest in the teachers, staff, and students of the MSBSD. I recently read a teacher saying that teachers this year are “April tired” and it is only October. Without support from the administration and School Board, I worry that we will lose many great teachers and staff and will have trouble recruiting great teachers and staff. We see this already in our sub pool, bus drivers, and support staff. Teaching is a calling, but to be a great teacher you need manageable classroom sizes, support staff, and administration support.
I look forward to bringing my years of experience working with Charter Schools and budgets, running my own business, working with foster kids, and non-profit board work. It is time we all recognize we are on the same side, the side of teaching and supporting children in our schools and community.
Please Vote November 2nd, 2021.