Dear Friend,
As the governor of Montana, I know that my home state and Colorado face many similar challenges when it comes to education policy.
That's why I'm writing to tell you some great news: You have the opportunity to support a bright, talented and dedicated mom who is running for the Denver Public Schools Board of Education right now - Emily Sirota.
I first met Emily many years ago when she was working on Capitol Hill - and I was as impressed with her then as I am now. When I was elected governor of Montana, I was thrilled when Emily agreed to work in my Economic Development office on many of the very education challenges you are facing in Denver. She worked collaboratively with the business community, workforce leaders, K-12 leaders, the university and community college system, and government leaders to improve educational opportunities for Montanans.
Emily spearheaded the effort through the Economic Development office to increase access to quality, affordable early childhood education. Thanks to the work of Emily and others in our administration, we were able to enact full day kindergarten across the state in my first term as governor.
When Emily left our administration and moved to Denver to get her degree in social work, it was a big loss for our administration. But we knew our loss would be your community's gain. She is a brilliant, motivated and compassionate person who has an incredible breadth of experience. If you elect her to the school board, she is going to bring the same skills and independence to the job that she brought to us here in Montana.
So when you cast your ballot for school board in the upcoming 2011 election this Fall, vote for Emily - and then tell all your friends to vote for her, too. And if you can volunteer for her campaign or make a donation to her campaign, do that too at www.sirotaforschools.com.
As someone who knows Emily well and who worked with her on many of the education issues that the Denver School Board now confronts, I can tell you she's the right person for the job.
Sincerely,
Gov. Brian Schweitzer
P.S. Save the date - I'll be in Denver in mid-October for an event to support Emily's candidacy. In the next week, go to www.sirotaforschools.com for details about the event.
