My name is Ashli Dreher, and I would like to ask for your vote on Tuesday, May 16th for reelection to the Grand Island Board of Education. I have the experience in the field of education needed to ensure our children receive a quality education and that we are getting the most out of your tax dollars. I have served as New York State Teacher of the Year for 2014 and have been teaching for 27 years. As a Lewiston-Porter teacher working in special education, I understand how important it is to have diverse programming to meet student needs. I have earned two National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certificates as a Middle Level Generalist and Exceptional Needs Specialist, and I am an active NBPTS educator serving on the NYS Teacher of the Year Council and Orleans-Niagara Teacher Center Board. In 2017, I was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, and I have a wealth of knowledge in the field to continue to bring to her position as a Grand Island Board of Education Trustee. 

As a mom that has had two daughters at Sidway, Kaegebein, Veronica Connor Middle, and Grand Island High School, I have a good understanding of what each school has to offer and what is needed to improve our educational opportunities for students. Heavyn, my oldest daughter, is a 2014 graduate of Grand Island High School and 2019 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (PENN). She is currently a medical student at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Skye is a tenth grade student at Grand Island High School. I enjoy watching Skye play indoor travel and school volleyball and beach volleyball for the AVP with Santa Cruz Volleyball Club in California and Optimum Beach in Tampa, Florida as well as basketball for school and travel teams. Both of my daughters have participated in the Grand Island music program and DECA business program at our schools, and I know how important music education and the business program is to our school-community.

In 2002, I earned a School District Leadership Certificate from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and I completed a doctorate at the University of Rochester in the Teaching and Curriculum Program in 2022. This higher education, along with a master’s degree from D’Youville College in special education in 1998, makes me uniquely qualified to serve on an educational board. Finally, I was selected for the Canisius College Distinguished Alumni Award where I earned an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and English in 1995 while participating in three athletic programs and appearing on stage in Little Theater and chorale performances. 

The educational experiences I have had will continue to make me a much more informed board member. This is why I am asking for your vote on Tuesday, May 16th and for you to join me in supporting our public schools on Grand Island.