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Melissa Rizzo-Holmes
Board of Education

Melissa Rizzo Holmes was born and raised in Windsor, Connecticut and is a 2002 graduate of Windsor High School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UConn and her law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She practices law in Hartford with the firm she co-founded in 2012. She currently serves as the Secretary of the Board of Education and is seeking election to her second term. 

Melissa was raised to place a great deal of importance on civic engagement and has watched her parents and grandparents devote their time to bettering the Windsor community. She seeks to continue this tradition during her second term on the Windsor Board of Education. “When my
husband Mark and I decided that it was time to buy a house, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to stay in Windsor. This town is where my family is, where I was raised and where my parents were raised. I have always been so proud of the level of civic engagement our citizens have, as well as the diversity of our town – both of its people and its ideas. As a child I remember watching Town Council meetings and seeing issues of local importance being hotly debated, but then remember seeing those same citizens who were on opposite sides of an issue get together and enjoy a sense of community and comradery at events like the Shad Derby. To me, that is what a town like Windsor is all about.”

During her first term on the Board of Education, Melissa has served on the Policy Committee, Curriculum Committee, District Improvement Committee, Long Range Planning Committee and Contract Negotiation Committee. She has dedicated many hours to attending meetings, school events and professional development opportunities and prides herself in being an active Board of Education member.

One of the focuses of Melissa’s first term on the Board of Education was helping to bridge the gap between town leadership and the community as a whole. In order to do this, Melissa believes all Board of Education members must be actively involved in the work that they do, and make an effort to engage both school administration and the community in an honest discussion about the state of our schools. “Board of Education members should be more than a rubber stamp. I have heard Board of Education members say that they will never question or doubt the choices of the Superintendent. While I believe that it is important for the Board to have a good working relationship with our school district administration, we must not forget that our ultimate obligation is to the children and community members we are elected to serve.”

In her second term, Melissa would like to continue working on engaging Windsor residents in conversations about education, but all work on bridging gaps within the education system itself, such as those between the Board of Education and the educators they employ. “As policy makers, we should strive to hear more from the teachers and staff who work directly with our students and can provide us with invaluable information as to what is going on in our classrooms every day. Obtaining this information is vital to working effectively as a Board and adopting policies and procedures that are responsive to the needs of both our students and our teachers.”
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