Support Serena Rice for State Board of Education!

Please support State Board of Education nominee Serena Rice.

Dear [elected official],

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I'm writing you today to support the appointment of Pastor Serena Rice to the State Board of Education.

Rice has been a pastor at Abiding Peace Lutheran Church in North Jersey for more than seven years, holds a Masters of Social Work from Rutgers University, and is the mother of two children in New Jersey's incredible public schools. Pastor Rice also brings an impressive array of experiences to the State Board of Education, including years of policy work addressing chronic poverty, structural racism, and education as a means of breaking the cycle of poverty.

Last year, Governor Murphy nominated Pastor Rice to serve on the SBOE, a role she is evidently well-suited to fill. During her Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in early March, Pastor Rice faced harsh questioning from Republicans regarding her social media posts. Specifically, they honed in on a photo of her and her family on their front porch with a Pride flag. As the parent of a trans high schooler, the query was particularly pointed.

The committee approved Pastor Rice's nomination along partisan lines, meaning her nomination is up for a full vote on the floor of the Senate. All Pastor Rice needs to be seated on the board is a simple majority vote.

Pastor Serena Rice will bring both policy expertise and personal experience to her seat on the State School Board of Education. She deeply values collaboration, careful listening, and deliberative decision-making, and I urge you to ask Senate leadership to put her up for a full floor vote.

Thank you, [Your information here]