Working Together

Advancing educational opportunities for the children of our community will require collaboration, trust, and a willingness to put personal beliefs and differences aside so we can work together toward a shared goal. Our teachers play an enormous role in the lives of our kids. They have spent years becoming experts in childhood education and have dedicated their careers to serving our children and our community. We need to trust our educators, respect their experience, and I believe it is essential that the school board work closely with them.

That is why I am proud to be running alongside Troy Lampen and Paul DeLeeuw. Both are actively involved in our school system, and both have also earned the endorsements of the Allendale Education Association and the Michigan Education Association. They understand the importance of collaboration and believe that our focus must remain on doing what is best for all students, not serving our personal beliefs or those of a political organization. Together, we can build a stronger school board and create the opportunities our students deserve.

Troy Lampen

I'm running for the Allendale Board of Education because I believe serving on the board should mean being engaged, informed, and always willing to keep learning. For more than four years, I've attended every Board of Education meeting, served as a parent member on school leadership teams, volunteered throughout the district, and worked to make what happens at the board level easier for our community to understand.Our students are at the center of that work. Every student is different, and every student deserves the opportunity to succeed. I want APS to be a place where students are supported and challenged, where they have opportunities to discover what they're capable of, and where exceptional educators want to work and stay.

I'm running because I believe we can respect what's working in APS without settling for where we are today. We can keep learning, keep asking what could be better, and thoughtfully invest in what can make our schools exceptional.

Learn more about Troy here: https://lampenforaps.com/

Paul DeLeeuw

I grew up just down the road in Hudsonville, but Allendale has always been home. Both my parents earned their degrees at Grand Valley State University, and so did I — where I met my wife Tina. When we decided to raise a family, we chose Allendale on purpose: a down-to-earth community that stays culturally connected to education. Our daughters Evie and Mila are in the schools today.

After graduating from GVSU in 2007, I co-founded the West Michigan Food Co-op, connecting online shoppers with local farmers. Today I'm on the leadership team at ddm marketing, heading up Performance Services — building websites, apps, and digital campaigns that help organizations reach people effectively.

I've spent my life building things that connect people to resources they need. The world our kids are walking into is fundamentally different from the one we grew up in — and our schools need to change with it. That's why I'm running.

Learn more about Paul here: https://www.paulforeducation.org/

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