Letter: Nathan Williams leads school board with experience and collaboration
Re-Elect Nathan Williams, president of Paso Robles School Board, District 3
– Mr. Williams’ track record includes his entire adult life in service to our community, starting as a Firefighter for 24 years. His father was a Paso Robles High School teacher, so he understands personally what teachers need to succeed and how they can be effective Mentors to our students while nurturing their love for learning.
As a parent to three current PRJUSD students and one Bearcat graduate now at Fresno State, Mr. Williams knows the perspective of being a parent, albeit one who jumped into leadership with both feet. Mr. Williams’ long list of service as a parent for 18 years includes:
- Currently serving in his 4th year on the board and 2nd as Board President
- Completed the Master’s in Governance program through CSBA and has an associate degree in addition to continuing pursuit of his Bachelor’s degree
- Former PTO President at Flamson for 3 years
- Former President of Bearcat Boosters for 2 years
- Volunteer Athletic Director at Butler Elementary
- Coach and volunteer with local youth sports for many years (basketball, baseball, cross country, track and field, football, flag football and more with PRJUSD Elementary for both girls and boys, PRYB, PRYFC)
- Volunteer at Paso Robles Youth Arts Center and Girl Scout Troop leader for his daughters for one year
- Volunteer at Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation and the Muscular Dystrophy Association as well as Central Coast Burn Relay during his career as a firefighter
Perhaps you know about the securing of a permanent location for the Georgia Brown Dual Immersion program or the building of a pool at Paso Robles High School, both high-stakes issues with good outcomes that serve our community. Mr. Williams has been guiding the School Board to such good decisions for the last two years as President.
Mr. Williams has the receipts to show for successful collaborations with Board members who may not see issues the same way. As Mr. Williams said in a KPRL interview on Sept. 5, our community is “purple”, not red or blue. The Board reflects such divisions in our community. He sees each member’s role is to keep an open mind and find balance. Problems get solved by such collaboration, not by shouting one point of view. Mr. Williams reshaped how School Board meetings are run so that members are respectful. He is proud of the seamless way the new Superintendent was hired and has a commitment to improving the financial footing of our District to meet more teacher and district needs.
If you read Mr. Williams’ Commitment to Excellence statement on his website, https://nathanwilliamsforprjusdboard.godaddysites.com, in part he says, “Continue the pursuit of academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and helping make PRJUSD a destination district. I want to build relationships with all that have a vested interest in our schools and our children so I can be a vessel of growth and change.” Mr. Williams even branched out as a guest columnist at the Paso Robles Daily News in 2021(https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/author/columnist-nathan-williams/), so his views have been known in our community for some years.
On the other hand, when I attended several board meetings a year or so ago, I listened to public comment speakers. When a young man speaking started lecturing the Board, I asked who it was, and they said it was Mr. Breese. I hope Mr. Breese gets more experience in service to our community beyond 4-H and a tractor restoration project, and learns the art of collaboration before he takes on such a crucial position in our community. Life experience beyond being a Bearcat is critical in such an important role.
How can we pass up electing someone with this extraordinary level of motivation, experience, and leadership? We can’t! I support Mr. Nathan Williams, the current board president. Please vote to enrich our students’ futures!
Dr. Cynthia Lewis, Cal Poly graduate and retired college Professor
– Cynthia Lewis
Templeton
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