Though she had been approached to run before, Nanette Melkonian said this year is the “perfect time” to run as an independent candidate for the Port Washington Board of Education.
Melkonian, along with her husband, Matt, moved to the area in 2000, with all three of their children passing through the Port Washington school district. She has spent time as an elementary, secondary and post-secondary special education teacher.
Since she moved to Port Washington, Melkonian said, she has kept herself informed on various programs in the school district. She touted the role that a Board of Education member plays in a school district and community and said she felt this year was the right time to run.
She is one of seven candidates competing for three seats on the board in the election on Tuesday, May 18.
“I really don’t engage in anything that I consider a really important responsibility unless I feel that I can give it exactly what it needs and deserves and what the community deserves,” Melkonian said in an interview with Blank Slate Media. “And I feel that it is a perfect time in my life to run for a seat on the board.”
In 2015, Melkonian said, her concerns with state and national policies on high-stakes testing began to grow. She said she thinks the policies had a “detrimental impact” on both students and teachers.
“It was impacting how teachers were evaluated because these tests were being used in a very strong way in those evaluations,” Melkonian said. “Unfortunately the psychometrics were studied, and the indication was that the tests were highly unreliable, and not valid.”
As a result, Melkonian worked with three other parent leaders in the district to establish the Port Washington Advocates for Public Education. The group is dedicated to researching prominent education issues specific to the Port Washington community and providing information to the community.
One of the ways for the district to evaluate success is by the graduation rate.
“We can bring up our graduation rate and it would definitely be a focus of mine, in terms of indicating our success,” Melkonian said. “What we provide as a school district can be strengthened to keep the students engaged with our schools to achieve a high school diploma.”
Despite concerns with the policies and mandates that go along with general standardized testing, Melkonian acknowledged that there “absolutely” is a role for testing. She said the tests should become more “educationally sound” to be the most effective way to evaluate a student’s level of academic achievement.
Melkonian cited work she has done throughout the school district, but attributed grassroots change in the district to the connections she has made with other community stakeholders she has partnered with. Other initiatives Melkonian touched upon were the district’s Vision and Mission and Equity and Inclusion committees to cultivate a change in the curriculum, hiring, and access to programming and disciplinary policy.
While she recognized and expressed her appreciation for the current board members, she noted a few things she felt were lacking. Whether it is a lack of communication or a need to streamline information on the district website, Melkonian said there is always room for improvement, something she looks forward to contributing to if elected.
“I would like to see a greater focus on the communication between our community and our district overall through our board leadership and through our central office,” Melkonian said. “There needs to be more of an exchange and a feeling of parents and families feeling heard and understood.”
Board President Nora Johnson said she has answered “hundreds of emails” over the past year on behalf of the board, and cited the district’s ability to communicate with community stakeholders.
“By law, we are required to keep much information confidential,” Johnson said in a statement to Blank Slate Media. “Other times an email gets redirected to the administrators who can answer.”
Melkonian said her fresh eyes and the perspective she could provide to the Board of Education, along with her three decades of experience in education, would be a welcome addition to the Port Washington community.
“I have a history of spurring change in the district,” she said. “I developed relationships and trust among teachers and administrators and families who understand that I have the interests of all students as my focus.”
Those in the district who are registered to vote for the three trustee positions and the $167 million budget can go to the in-person polling location, in the all-purpose room of the Flower Hill section of the Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School, located at 52 Campus Drive in Port Washington, on Tuesday, May 18.
