Stamford Parents for
Educational Excellence

Vote November 8th!

Why We're Running

We are running for the Stamford Board of Education and believe in the following

Educational Excellence for All

We are parents in Stamford who deeply value our education system and believe that potential is universal. We want to provide all Stamford Public School students with the opportunity to achieve their academic goals and excel in their studies. We strive to stretch students to reach for new highs, to grow & develop into well-rounded people who can dream and accomplish their life’s vision - whatever it is that they set for themselves.

Raising the academic bar, providing opportunities to help students get to that bar, and holding students accountable is imperative to future success. Stamford’s students deserve that from us.

Invest wisely today to bring brighter days tomorrow.

In the upcoming fiscal year, we will invest nearly $310M through the Board of Education’s operating budget. Will this investment return brighter futures for all SPS’ students? Stamford Parents for Board of Education commit to financial accountability and spending where it makes a difference and brings tangible results.

Whether students are moving on to college, trade schools, or direct-to-work, it’s on the Board of Education to make decisions that ensure our students have the critical skills needed to be successful and lead fulfilling lives. We are committed to making smart decisions with our budget to deliver improvements in key performance metrics.

Together, we will bring a much needed balance to the Stamford Board of Education. We will put our students and teachers first, ensure a quality education and safe environment, and reinstill objective evaluation and consideration for policies moving forward. This November, vote Stamford Parents for Board of Education!

Driving Academic Success starts with Safety & Wellness

Our students, faculty and staff should not have to worry about whether their schools are safe. Students shouldn’t have the undue stress of contemplating whether they can go to the bathroom without injury or whether they are surrounded by toxic mold. They should come to class knowing their attention and focus will be on the curriculum taught by our dedicated teachers and building long-lasting friendships with their peers.

In today’s environment, we need to do everything to keep our students safe. That starts with equipping our schools with increased security and creating better safety measurements, making appropriate use of the ESSER Funds to provide emotional support outlets for students, and improving the air quality in our buildings.

Did You Know?

Did you know?

  • In the latest district performance reports, Stamford’s percentage of students that are chronically absent have increased year over year (YoY) for the last 5 years - with the 20-21 school year nearly doubling pre-COVID rates. Unsurprisingly, graduation rates have declined YoY with the 20-21 school year seeing a 6.5% decrease from the graduation rate of the 16-17 school year.

  • SPS students consistently underperform in Math, Science, and English Language Arts compared to the State averages and targets. Comparatively, Stamford Charter School for Excellence spends 45% less per pupil than Stamford Public Schools and outperforms against both Connecticut State averages and targets.

  • 48.5% of Stamford’s FY 2023 Adopted Budget goes to the Board of Education. This is the single largest category of where your tax dollars go. Elect members that will cut spending on line items that don’t return tangible results, and invest in things that will.

Who We Are

Joseph Andreana, Jr.

Joseph (Joe) Andreana, Jr. was born and raised in Stamford. He is a passionate individual and proud member of this great city, where he and his wife, Erica, have chosen to raise their family of three children: Giada (11); and twins Matthew and Alexander (8), who each attend Stamford Public Schools.

Joe graduated with a Bachelors of Mass. Communication and Journalism from St. Bonaventure University, where he was a Division I baseball athlete. He continued to play baseball, with the help of members of the NY Yankees organization, in a Dominican and Puerto Rican Class A league – La Liga Caribe. After baseball, he has worked in companies focused on information technology, telecom, and advertising and marketing.

His professional career highlights

- 20 years of project management with experience managing budgets, timelines, and bringing people together for a common goal

- Currently employed as a project/program manager in a Stamford based company

- Employed in Stamford-based companies over the last 11 years

- Certified Scrum Master, Product Owner and Product Manager, and also Lean Portfolio Management from Scaled Agile Framework

He has been involved in the community

- Coaching youth sports at Stamford Stars (past) and Stamford National American Little League (presently)

- Participant of the Chili Cook-off for the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County

- Volunteering at the Lathom Wider Community Center

- Volunteering by beautifying and fixing houses in Stamford in the South End through Rebuilding Together

His family has been active members of the Stamford community for around 50 years

- His father, Joseph Sr. was a past Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission

- His sister, Cristina was a member, board of directors, on the WPCA

- His mother, Caroline was a para educator in Stamford Public School in SpecialEducation

- His brother-in-law, Mark was a former Director of Operations of Stamford

Diane Melchionne

Hi! I’m Diane. I’m an enthusiastic, incredibly proud, lifelong Stamford resident, first generation American, and a graduate of Stamford Public Schools (Springdale Elementary, Dolan Middle and Stamford High). My husband, Anthony, and I are high school sweethearts and we have two beautiful children together - Rylynn (4) and Anthony V (2.5). I went on to study and graduate from the University of Connecticut - Stamford. Upon graduation, I joined a small tech start up and climbed the corporate ladder to the executive level at one of Stamford’s greatest employers. This year, I also began serving as an advisor to other tech startups. I recently acted as treasurer for my brother, Danny Melchionne’s, campaign for State Representative which ignited my interest in taking a more active role in our community and ensuring those making policies represent the people affected by said policies.

I’m honored and excited to be running for Board of Education for this great city. To say Stamford is my home is an understatement. I’ve always envisioned my children attending the same Stamford Public School system that provided me with lifelong friends, a great education, and unique experiences which all prepared me for a happy and successful life. I want to do my part to ensure all of our Stamford students get that same experience now and in the future. Today, our education system is not working for our students and I can’t sit idly by. I respect the time and dedication that goes into this critical role, and expect to work collaboratively alongside all Board members where we take off our political party hats, and implement decisions that deliver educational excellence to our students by appropriately investing in areas that will bring them success and provide safe environments for them, and our teachers, to thrive.

Lisa Butler

I am the parent of three children who attended Rogers International School, the former Trinity Catholic and Stamford High School. Given the critical importance of education and the school environment to our children, I immediately became an active parent leader, serving for 7-years on the Rogers PTO board for 4-years on Trinity Catholic’s Home-School Association board and from 2018 to present on the Stamford High School Governance Council, in addition to serving as parent liaison for the Stamford HS Boys Lacrosse Booster Club and Stamford HS Girls Lacrosse team.

In 2019, I was among a small group that worked to convert an overlooked, overgrown and unused courtyard area at the Stamford High School into a modern and useful outdoor space for students to gather for lunch, social connections and classroom learning.

I am running for a seat on the Board of Education so that I can make sure the Stamford school system works for all students. It is critical to equip our youth for lifelong success post high school, whether they go to college, direct to work or attend a professional or technical school.

We need to raise the bar to ensure that all students earn a quality education. Issues that have concerned me over the recent few years include school safety, elimination of mid-term and final exams in our high schools, optional Summer work packets and the Grading for Equity Test pilot at Westhill High School. We must also work to improve the moral and support of our critical educators as well as fiscal responsibilities that are required.

About Us
Read more!

Linked below is an article we authored to help inform parents about one of the many issues facing the board and the students they represent.

Students, teachers and parents protest against the school district’s proposed block schedule in front of the Government Center in downtown Stamford, Conn...

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