Western New York Students First is proud to announce our endorsement of Steve Barlette and Kati Ibarra for the Board of Education in Orchard Park. Steve and Kati have been passionate advocates for parent involvement in schools, and will bring a new set of ideas to the Orchard Park school board.
About Steve: Steve and his wife, Kelly, are native Western New Yorkers who moved to Orchard Park over 17 years ago to begin their family. They chose it for the lovely community and the school district’s reputation for academic excellence. They currently have three kids in the district. Steve has a degree in Finance with a minor in economics. He has well over 20 years of private sector experience within sales, marketing, training, and business development. He also served for seven years on the Board of Directors for a local non-profit, serving three as its President and another three as its Vice President. About Kati: Family information: Husband- Nathan. Kids - Isabella. Kindergarten at Ellicott and Celeste, Preschool Education: Masters in Social Work - Saint Louis University (MO) Bachelors in Fine Arts - Stephens College in Columbia, MO Career: Licensed Clinical Therapist and over 14 years of Mental Health experience in Oncology, Bereavement, Substance Abuse, PTSD. A message from Steve: Parents deserve a voice on School Boards. Their concerns are being ignored. Special interest groups and organizations aren’t prioritizing parents, but their own agendas to undermine them. I will be an advocate for parents and their children, first. A message from Kati: I want to represent and advocate for our students, parents, taxpayers, and teachers. I am committed to preserving the academic excellence of our district, and will proactively address concerns related to policies impacting our schools. Steve Barlette and I will provide a voice for our community, and remain independent thinkers who will stand up for the best interests of our children. As a licensed clinical therapist, I can add valuable insight to the severe learning loss and negative impacts to mental health (MH) due to the pandemic restrictions. Depression/anxiety and suicidal ideation are up at least 50%. A thorough assessment of our students’ MH should be available, and an increase in MH counselors is needed. As summer programs are added to address learning loss, my background would add great value to a panel that reviews strategy, goals, and outcomes. As a proponent of full transparency, I would advocate that results be presented to the community. To support the candidates or learn more: Fundraising Links: https://www.barlette4board.com/contribute Social Media Links: https://facebook.com/Barlette4Board.com Website: https://www.barlette4board.com Contact Information: Barlette4Board@gmail.com Comments are closed.
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