As we approach the conclusion of a school year like no other, having successfully met and mastered challenges each day, I express my profound gratitude for the collaborative, innovative, passionate, committed members of our community who, working together, made possible what at first seemed impossible — for our schools to remain safely open for in-person instruction.

I write not as the president of the Roslyn Board of Education but as a resident member of an amazing vibrant community that I have loved so dearly that I devoted much of my life to serving and helping to rebuild it after its devastation years ago.

For those of you who can remember, back then it was unknown if what was so broken was even fixable. It was only believed that no one could enjoy living here or schooling children here without a concerted effort to do so.

Turns out, after all, it was fixable — and then some. But it wasn’t easy. It took years of time and hard work to do so. With steadfast tenacity, our schools moved forward.

Leaving it better than the way it was found would have been true long ago—but how much better, and for how long? Leadership development is a development too. This is true of every organization.

What do the best do? How do the best become and remain the best, consistently? Having read “Good to Great,” “Great By Choice,” and “Built to Last” I can tell you that to me those are not merely book titles by Jim Collins, they also embody dreams for our schools that become more real each year.

There have been changes, many changes, not accidental, but thoughtful, necessary, purposeful, meaningful, deliberate and synergistic, and, as such, have been fully embraced by our community.

Fiscal responsibility and sound policy require ongoing critical strategic planning. Renovations and innovations have been the product of many years of contemplative research and collaboration.

Attracting and retaining the best talent, bringing initiatives to successful completion, as well as building upon them logically, sensibly, with the appropriate scope and in sequence requires consistency and stability. In this environment, change for the sake of change is unwise.

Consider a motto that resonates: “We learn that we may serve; we learn therefore we teach.”

The ship is steady and the waters are calm. Don’t rock the boat.I wholeheartedly support the re-election of three of our proven leaders for a governance team serving our community energetically, responsibly, and respectfully, with great pride and distinction: Mike Levine, David Dubner, and David Seinfeld.

Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy

Roslyn