Huntington Candidate: Deniqua Crichlow

Patch asked candidates for the Huntington and South Huntington school boards to identify the most important issue facing the district.

Deniqua Crichlow, who is running for a seat on the Huntington school board, gave this response:

The biggest issue currently facing the Huntington School District is the ability to continue to provide excellence in education while building new programs that meet the needs of all families and help distinguish Huntington as a desirable, competitive district in the region.
 
 The proposed STEM school represents an opportunity to provide targeted learning opportunities for children, as do programs such as the dual language immersion, specialized courses at the high school and the extraordinary music, art and athletic programs available to children.

 While we learn as a district to operate within the tax levy cap and while the economy is diminished, the district must continue to ensure that tax dollars have a direct benefit to the well-being of our children and families.  Within this context, the restoration of full-day kindergarten must be a priority of paramount importance because the lack of a robust early learning program directly impacts school readiness and achievement. 

We also must seek to identify new opportunities to engage the community and promote our schools as community schools: centers that bring people together from across the district, celebrate our diversity and respond to emerging learning needs within our school and parent community.

  When we are providing the richest educational opportunities available and children and families are thriving, the impact goes beyond the individual success of our children. It contributes to community health and well-being, the value of our homes and the success of Huntington. 

The current fiscal challenges facing districts in our region represent an opportunity to look closely at how we deliver educational programs, develop community partnerships and work collaboratively to plan for a successful future for Huntington's remarkable school district.