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Rauh, a Democrat, is vying for one of three available seats with fellow Democrat Dolores Burgess and Republicans Jonathan Hoch, Jerry Pia and Lorraine Olson. Two Republicans have to be elected to the board.
Rauh, 79, moved to Stamford in 1964 and says she is “approaching being a Stamfordite.” She has three children. “Mrs. Education” is a retired teacher and principal in Stamford. In addition to the Board of Education, she is on the Board of Representatives, is the director of Stamford Partnership and is on the School Readiness Council and Energy Improvement District. In her free time, the former art history major likes to collect art, travel and read.
The Daily Voice: What are the biggest issues facing the school district?
Answer: Enrollment and facilities are two of the biggest issues facing the school district, Rauh said. The facilities are in bad shape and have not received the funding requested and needed, she said. About $15 million has been allocated to the buildings, when a recent study said they would need $174 million by 2015, she said.
“You band-aid and then you have a crisis,” she said, adding that, with cheap bond rates, the city should be doing more building and fixing of the schools, especially because it interrupts the flow of education when problems occur.
She also wants to stop using the portable classrooms, which have been used longer than recommended, and the district has had to rebuild those as well. “You can hear rodents gnawing on wires in the ceiling,” Rauh said.
She also hopes to improve literacy throughout the district, especially at the high school level; help more children get pre-kindergarten education; and that the Common Core State Standards will help the district.
Q: What were your biggest achievements on the board?
A: One of the biggest achievements she has been a part of, she says, is the financial success the board has had, particularly when it comes to not cutting any staff in recent years. Stamford has been one of the few districts not to let people go, Rauh said.
While the board can’t necessarily take credit for some of the success in the classroom, Rauh said, she is still proud to see the impact from the grant the district received from the GE Foundation and how it has helped math and science. She added that she is looking forward to seeing how it helps literacy.
Q: Is the school district going in the right or wrong direction?
A: Overall, Rauh believes the schools need to stay the course, and that the board knows where it needs to be. Although it is headed in the right direction, she said, the board cannot stop tweaking and looking into what is being done.
“You can’t accomplish it overnight, Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Rauh said.
She also said the district needs to address the growing diversity in the student population, and needs to assess the bilingual program. What would really help the non-English speaking students, she said, is pre-kindergarten, and Rauh would like to see such a program placed in the elementary schools so children can get used to the building as well as increased education.
“But that is space, that is personnel, and that is money,” Rauh said.
Q: What would you do to involve your constituents in your decision making process?
A: While she likes doing community forums, Rauh believes it is sometimes preaching to the choir.
“You’ll see many of the same faces wherever we are,” she said, adding that more needs to be done. The board needs to go to churches and community groups and the schools need to become community places, she said.
While she was the principal at Roxbury, the school had pajama nights, and when the kids would go with their teachers, the parents would be able to get together and talk and take pride in their school. She said parents would get involved in talking about the school needs. Board members can go and talk with the parents at such events, she said.
Q: Why should people vote for you?
A: Rauh believes her experience and expertise when it comes to the schools and various situations that may arise set her apart from the others running. She also has an energy and drive to do what’s best for the city and the children and their future, she said.
“You will be voting for a person with no agendas other than the children,” Rauh said.
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