Received this letter to the editor from current Portsmouth School Committee member Marge Levesque.

What makes a successful School Committee Member? A Member must first be dedicated to the students not just in words but in actions, secondly, s/he must understand or investigate all issues brought forward, in other words s/he does her home work, and thirdly, s/he listens to all sides before making a decision. Every decision that is made makes some happy and others not. As you, the voters, have been bombarded with this stuff let me cut to the chase; the records of Terri Cortvriend and Sylvia Wedge stand committed to the students. You need only to look at our new gym and the recently completed mezzanine for proof.

On the other hand, Ms. King and Ms. Volpicelli, the school committee candidates, have not done their homework. Let me give you a few quick examples and I will limit myself to a couple of straightforward issues.

The minutes of all meetings are part of the public records and at every meeting the Assistant Superintendent gives a report on "teaching and learning." Ms. King, on one of the cable events, talked about introducing "co-teaching" in Portsmouth schools. The problem? Co-teaching has already been implemented in all our schools and improvements to the model have been a frequent topic of discussion at most of our meetings for the last 4 years.

Another issue discussed on one of the cable events was the Prudence Island School. The two new candidates promised to keep Prudence Island open. The projected number of students for next year at this juncture is (1) one. Granted, a new family could move in and that number could change, however it is irresponsible, I think, to guarantee the island school will remain open. Being honest about this issue cost Terri a primary victory.

There are a number of important issues facing the schools and it will take people who are willing to work hard and devote the necessary time to understand the issues. When you vote, I ask you to think who is steady, hard-working and up to speed. If this is what is important to you, write in Terri Cortvriend (don't forget to connect the arrow) and vote for Silvia Wedge. That's what I'll be doing!

Marge Levesque