*ANDREA'S CANDIDATE VIDEO PROFILE*
Check it out below to learn more about Andrea and her visions!
MEET ANDREA
NEW LEADERSHIP DELIVERING RESULTS FOR OUR COMMUNITY
Hi Lynn Residents,
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Andrea Satterwhite. I am a lifelong Lynn resident, Lynn Tech graduate – current Nurse Practitioner and mentor to youth, mother of three; two in the LPS system and I am also a former Lynn Public School Nurse seeking office as a Lynn School Committee Candidate. I have personally walked all over the city and those I have not been able to connect with I wanted to extend my contact info if you had any questions or would like to get to know me further. I kindly request 1 of your 6 votes on Nov 7th for election.
My vision for the Lynn Public School system is to provide the tools and support our educators need to educate all students to the highest level of academic achievement; to enable our students to reach and expand their potential, and to prepare our students to become productive, accountable, ethical, innovative, and compassionate members of our society.
Ensuring safety will be my top priority. Without ensuring student and staff safety, research has shown that when a student feels unsafe at school, this has a significant impact on educational achievements. Unsafe environments make for a difficult learning environment causing distractions. Unsafe environment is such a broad term, but we have many needs in our district that allow for the broad use of “unsafe environment” (IE Violence, age of building and technology, dated policies). Buildings that are old and dilapidated also cause significant distractions and put children at risk for safety concerns. Lack of AC or working fans in 90-degree weather conditions makes it hard to focus and puts children and teachers at risk for heat stroke. Improper ventilation and asbestos are a health hazard and need immediate attention. Improving public education from the inside out must include structural improvements.
Promoting student achievement/educational training includes adequate resources; enhancing management assets and providing necessary equipment such as technology, curricular materials, and adequate funding for all students to succeed including special education needs. Our budget must reflect what our district views as necessary for our educators and students. This also includes improving relationships and support for our community, such as PTO/teacher’s union. Community partnerships and a regional approach are options to help aid in supportive measures such as hiring SROs for all high schools (using officers from neighboring police forces to fill the void temporarily), however, consistency is likely to be more effective given the ability to form student relationships. All the above-mentioned topics play a huge role in retaining teachers in addition to support and competitive wages. Teachers do not want bare minimum wages, unsafe environments, structural deficits, or below-average education with a lack of resources or funding. We have a great community in Lynn, and we need to work hard to address these concerns to foster retaining more teachers. I plan to address these inequities with clear communication and negotiating collaborative solutions. I will advocate for the proposals I trust in by openly stating so (no surprises), providing evidence-based research, asking and answering questions, and most importantly – not giving up. We need to learn to harmonize instead of struggling to balance. Once we do the right thing as leaders for our educators and staff, our work will harmonize, and our students will benefit.
I am dedicated to excellence in our ever-changing world. We need to continue to strive for a safe and supportive environment and provide a relevant, high-quality education that prepares our diverse student body for future endeavors. It is important to honor achievement and promote pride in ourselves, in our schools, and in our community and that is my vision for the Lynn Public School system.
**Please consider me for 1 of your 6 votes – NOV 7TH general election! Thank you to all who have supported me thus far, we are almost there! **
Sincerely,
Andrea Satterwhite
RECENT ARTICLE POSTED BY THE LYNN ITEM - FRONT PAGE
MEET THE SATTERWHITES: A HUSBAND AND WIFE ON THE SAME LYNN BALLOT
LYNN — If you see the last name Satterwhite twice on your ballot in this year’s election, don’t worry, it’s not a mistake. Spouses Michael Satterwhite and Andrea Satterwhite are both running for municipal office — Michael Satterwhite for City Council and Andrea Satterwhite for School Committee.
After consulting with four Lynn election observers, it was deemed that this is the first time a married couple has run on the same ballot in the city.
They hadn’t planned to run at the same time, Michael Satterwhite, who is running for Ward One city councilor, said.
Andrea Satterwhite, a nurse practitioner, decided to run for her kids, she said.
The couple has three children, one in High School, one going into kindergarten and one in preschool. Both Michael Satterwhite and Andrea Satterwhite attended public schools in Lynn growing up.
“We have at least another 15 years in the Lynn public-school system,” Andrea Satterwhite said. “I think that we both, being a product of the Lynn public-school system, can see the challenges that we face currently.”
Michael Satterwhite hadn’t even planned on running at all, he said.
It was the late Gordon “Buzzy” Barton, an at-large city councilor who died in April, who encouraged him to.
“He pretty much bluntly asked me, ‘Why aren’t you running?’” Michael Satterwhite said. “‘He said, ‘I think that if you run for [Ward One] you can get elected.’”
So he pulled nomination papers.
Michael Satterwhite is an attorney and has been in politics for around six years now. He was elected to the School Committee in 2017, and ran for mayor in 2021.
From his four years on the School Committee and his mayoral race, he said the people of Lynn know his stance on wanting to help the city.
“I think that when you’re a leader in the community, you’re a leader in the community whether you’re elected or not,” Michael Satterwhite said.
Michael Satterwhite has lived in Ward One since he was 21.
“This is the place that I call home, this is the place that my kids go to school. I have a vested interest in what’s going on here, I own multiple buildings and properties in this area,” he said. “And I want to make it a fun, safe place for families. And I want it to be accessible.”
A main focus of his campaign is making Lynn affordable.
“Lynn is so heavily reliant on residential-property taxes for revenues. It hurts us,” Michael Satterwhite said.
Andrea Satterwhite listed key points for her platform, such as safety improvements, educational training, student achievement, and community partnerships.
“Safety is number one, with my kids in the school system and the current experiences that I’ve had with safety, we do not have a safe environment, not for our kids or the teachers,” Andrea Satterwhite said.
This is her first time running for office, but she said she is not new to the school system or Lynn.
“And I’ve had a great role model here,” she said, gesturing to her husband. “He’s super intelligent, data-driven, and he has definitely inspired me in making my decision to run for Lynn School Committee.”
Andrea Satterwhite said that they both have the “motivation” and “diligence” to take on the two roles of leadership.
Their campaigns, Michael Satterwhite said, are completely separate.
“Just because we’re married doesn’t mean we’re disqualified from trying to do better for our city,” he said.
When asked if there would be a conflict of interest if they are both elected, he said their paths in these roles will rarely cross.
“I think that if anything, people realize that we both have a solid foundation,” Michael Satterwhite said. “And if you think that I’m an honest person that will do the right thing, I would hope that they would think the person I married and trust would do the same thing, and vice versa.”
