Re-Election Campaign Announcement 2023

Aug 22, 2023

Exactly four years ago, I announced my candidacy for Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education District 2. It seems fitting to officially announce my intention to run for re-election today. Santa Fe is my home. These schools are where I learned lessons that informed who I am and where I built relationships and connections that have endured throughout most of my life. Although I was born and raised here, I acknowledge that I should not exist in this community. It is a gift and an opportunity that I never take for granted. I have chosen to raise my children here in the place I love and I am inspired to serve our community, in whatever capacity I can.

I was seated on the school board in January of 2020. None of us knew the unprecedented challenge we would face in just a few months as we learned to navigate a global pandemic. As a nurse, I brought a unique and qualified perspective to the board. Even so, it was incredibly difficult - for the board and district leadership, for teachers and school staff, parents and families, and most of all our students. As a mom of four children, I was acutely aware of the impact the novel virus had on my children and how devastating it was for their world to change so much and so quickly.

We are all grateful for the general sense of normalcy that has returned in the last two years and the opportunity to return to more traditional governance of schools. In July of 2021, the board hired a new superintendent for Santa Fe Public Schools. I think we all agree he is a great leader for the district. Superintendent Chavez demonstrates a high level of innovation, courage, and collaboration that aligns very well with this Board’s dedication to reimagine public education in Santa Fe.

One of the most poignant realizations I had during the onset of covid was that it was really going to take a village to get things back on track. Decades of public education being underfunded nationwide left schools on fragile ground. That “village” in Santa Fe has really risen to the occasion, so to speak, as we also quickly came to understand how critical schools are to the functioning of our society. SFPS is working collaboratively with city, county, and state government as well as a large number of local businesses and stakeholders to provide holistic solutions for a multitude of issues in our community. Because the cost of living, particularly the cost of housing, is so exorbitant in Santa Fe, we sought to find creative ways to keep more money in the pockets of both employees and families. For SFPS staff, that includes starting the Early Childhood Center where teachers and staff pay a small fraction of traditional childcare costs for their young children to receive high quality childcare ($150-250 per month). It also includes the Boards’ ongoing commitment to cover the cost of increased health insurance premiums. For the past two summers, we’ve provided free summer programming for SFPS students which is an incredible savings for families who would otherwise normally pay around $1000-1500 per month per child for summer camps. These camps emphasize learning in a fun environment and reached nearly ⅓ of our student population this year.

We know a lot of what’s been done in education isn’t working. The world is a very different place than it was 30 years ago and we are required to respond and adapt to the changes taking place. I am willing to do the work to make schools safe, engaging, relevant, equitable and inspiring places for the children in our community. Some of the many ways we’ve already started to address these issues include the student internship program, career pathways, standards based learning, social emotional learning days, upgraded HVAC systems (for cleaner indoor air), and safety patrol robot pilot program at Santa Fe High. The board recently passed a robust student engagement resolution to ensure students have a clear path to bring their voices to the board to inform decision making in the future.

As we look forward, there is much work still to be done. A year into our official Reimagining process, we’ve identified some key areas on which to focus. I think I’m most excited about the opportunity to find ways to keep students engaged with SFPS through magnet or innovation programs, especially in middle school. A key piece of this involves an equitable school transfer policy and transportation access for students and families.

During my first term, I served as Secretary, Vice President, and now as Board President. I attend local and national school board conferences to learn about best practices, legal updates, and effective governance. I continue to be committed to comprehensive health and wellness for students and staff. Safety and security, connection, support, and lack of hunger are all key to fostering environments for learning to happen. Equitable grading and high quality instruction are underway. We must continue to collaborate with our staff, in large part via NEA-SF, our students, and our community partners to guarantee continuous improvement for the thing we all want - opportunities for our kids to have meaningful lives.

It’s been my honor and privilege to do this hard and important work and I hope you will support me in continuing to do it for another 4 years.

Yours in service,

Sarah

Jan 12, 2023

Santa Fe school board picks new leadership

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The Santa Fe school board picked new leadership during its first meeting of 2023 Thursday evening.

Sarah Boses, the board’s former vice president, will serve as board president through 2023, while Sascha Anderson will serve as vice president. Roman “Tiger” Abeyta, the board’s newest member, who began his tenure in July, will be secretary.

All three were unanimously elected to their new positions.

Former board President Kate Noble, who held the position for the past four years, announced plans to leave the role in December, citing new work responsibilities.

“I feel truly honored and ready to not be the president anymore,” Noble said.

Boses addressed her fellow board members, saying she hopes to lead the board toward a “holistic” and community-based approach to serving students and families in Santa Fe Public Schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the essential role of schools within a society, as well as the ways in which families, businesses and other stakeholders can strengthen schools and encourage students, Boses said.

She hopes to focus on these community partnerships during her tenure as president to better support the district’s more than 11,000 students.

“We started many years ago in education thinking about the whole student — their social-emotional well being, their nutritional status, the kind of supports they had outside of school — recognizing the factors traditionally outside of teaching and learning,” she said. “This is a holistic approach: thinking about how we can affect these factors to better care for students.

Boses, Gonzales win seats on Santa Fe school board

Sarah Boses and Carmen Gonzales, first-time candidates who voiced support for alternative solutions to Santa Fe Public Schools’ declining enrollment and aging buildings, breezed to victory in Tuesday night’s school board election.

Boses, an oncology nurse, defeated John Triolo, a retired educator, with nearly 68 percent of the vote in District 2...

The new board members will start four-year terms Jan. 1.

“I had parents from those schools on the chopping block reaching out to me to see how they could help and then reaching out to voters in my district asking them to support me,” said Boses, who has children at El Dorado Community School. “Parents want somebody who understands the issues that their kids are facing. What I’m here for is better representation for those people. I’ll be ready with ideas on Jan. 1.”

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Nov 5, 2019

Campaign Announcement 2019

August 22, 2019

Dear Community of Santa Fe,

My name is Sarah Boses and I am writing to announce my intent to run for the School Board District 2 seat. I’m thrilled to take this step because I love this community. I was born and raised in Santa Fe by parents who were both successful, passionate and engaged Santa Fe business owners. I moved away after graduating from college and moved back almost three years ago with my husband and children so they could grow up in Santa Fe’s diverse and multicultural environment in which I was raised.

I love Santa Fe but I am not blind to the issues and to the areas in which we need help. I am ready to step up to the plate and serve this community and believe the best way for me to that at this time is to focus on the following priorities:

  1. Mental and Physical Health - Support and Resources for Students and Staff

  2. Equity in Education - Fair and Inclusive

  3. Open Communication and Accountability which includes transparency and community engagement

I believe the last 39 years of my life, of being a wife, a mother, an oncology nurse, and a sewist (sewing artist) has prepared me to take on this important role of serving our community and public school district. Being an involved PTA member at my childrens’ school and raising children that range in age from 4 - 21 has opened my eyes to the needs of our children and the gaps that exist in education. As someone who is passionate about patient advocacy and fixing the broken healthcare system, I’ve dedicated my time to visit Capitol Hill to share stories and advocate for a better healthcare system. My experiences have led me to this decision.

I am concerned about our planet, but I am even more hopeful in our city and our community because I see that though we have our challenges ahead of us, we have a community full of amazing children who are getting prepared to face the challenges of our planet.

My passion for preparing our children to face the challenges of the future is the reason why I'm officially announcing my candidacy for the school board in district two. Election day is November 15.

Thank you so much for your time, and I hope I can count on your vote and support.

Sincerely,

Sarah Boses

Sarah for Santa Fe