Ladue School Board Candidate Q&A With Nancy Goldstein

On April 3, voters in the Ladue School District will elect two candidates to the board of education. Three people are running for office. Each of the candidates provided the district with brief autobiographic informtion and indicated why they are running for office and what they think are key issues facing the district in the next few years. 

We will republish one of those profiles here each day between today and Thursday, with permission, starting with Nancy Goldstein.

I am a lifelong St. Louisan. I earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education from Washington University, and my Ph.D. in Education from Saint Louis University. I have learned most of what I know about education, however, from spending over 40 years in the classroom, teaching thousands of students at the elementary, secondary, and college levels. While I taught students reading, study skills, academic strategies and other topics, they taught me the transformational power of a positive student-teacher relationship. Now, I want to use my experiences to help maintain Ladue Schools as among the strongest in the region and the nation, for the sake of our children, not to mention our property values.

My late husband Stanley and I have valued public service and public education throughout our lives. We raised three children in the Ladue School District, each of whom has used the knowledge and experiences they gained at Ladue as a springboard to attending outstanding universities and engaging in fulfilling careers. With respect to public service, Stanley served for 11 years as municipal judge in Olivette, and we have both served in countless organizations, both religious and secular.

In short, I know firsthand the value of a great Ladue Schools education, and I am willing to work hard to ensure the district’s best days lie ahead.

Why are you running for Ladue Board of Education?

I have seven important reasons to serve on the Board: my seven grandchildren who currently attend, or will attend Ladue Schools. Through many years of classroom teaching, I distilled my experiences into two core principles: (1) I believe every child can learn; and (2) I believe it is the responsibility of our society to give every person the opportunity to reach their full potential, to contribute their talents to keep our country great. I would work to help ensure the leadership and educators in the district continue to put these beliefs into practice.

What do you think are key issues facing the School Board in the next two or three years?

Ladue Schools have long provided a model for other schools to follow, in terms of curriculum, extracurricular activities, post-graduation success rates, and overall educational experience. These achievements were made possible by the implementation of reasonable budgets, together with the employ of supportive administrations and talented, caring teachers. Ladue’s position as a leading educational institution is threatened, however, as class sizes increase, and both in-school and extracurricular opportunities decrease.

Maintaining the highest levels of educational programming is not an out-of-reach goal, but in the current financial climate will require striking the right balance between a disciplined administration making wise choices as to how to utilize the district’s limited resources, and an involved community, willing to support its district financially. The Board’s most important role, and greatest challenge in the years to come, will be to reach out to both sides of the equation, and help find that balance.

TOMORROW: Meet Audrey Mack