`When I ran for office two years ago, I knocked on a ton of doors and talked to countless voters from all over Ward 3. The more voters I spoke to, the more convinced I became that School Committee was the perfect role for me. Over and over again, I saw people positively respond to my platform: I told them I’m not running to engage in partisan nonsense, to play political games, or to do anything except strive my absolute hardest to do the right thing for Attleboro. I even sent out a mailer with some concrete promises:`
- Be a reasonable, non-partisan voice.
- Be responsive to emails, phone calls, and text messages
- Put the needs of Attleboro students first.
- Maintain a positive and cordial relationship with other elected officials.
- Defend the freedom and independence of our schools’ libraries.
Now, I’m about 75% through my first term and running for re-election, so I thought I’d start by revisiting those things. I think it’s clear that I’ve never played political games, that I’ve been responsive, and always put Attleboro first. My track record includes multiple calls and visits with our State Senator and both of our State Representatives, and I’m in frequent contact with multiple members of the City Council. I’ve defended the freedom of our school libraries while working to protect parents’ rights. It’s clear that I am what I said I was: a reasonable and rational person who is able to disagree with empathy and to work within the structure of the School Committee to advance policies important to the voters of Ward 3.
But that’s not all. I found, as I started doing this work, that I absolutely LOVE it. I love all of it: from spending hour after hour with my fellow Policy and Personnel Subcommittee members wordsmithing policy, to meeting City Councilors at 8:00am on a Sunday to show them the water dripping through the roofs of Thacher Elementary and Coelho Middle School. I love seeing kids I’ve coached in basketball sitting in the audience because their sister has artwork included in a student showcase. I love that if I have a question, I can drop an email to the Assistant Superintendent knowing that I’ll get an answer. As a curious and inquisitive person, I have lots of questions.
I’m unopposed this fall. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I’m not afraid of competition — on the football field, basketball court, or anywhere else — but I view running unopposed as a vote of confidence from the people of Ward 3. I know exactly how hard I’ve worked the past two years and I don’t think you’ll find a member of the School Committee who has put more time in than I have. A few things I’m proud of:
- Library Policy. I believe this is a fair and reasonable policy that accomplishes my stated goals: Parents are free to tell their kids what to read, but not to tell other peoples’ kids what to read.
- Cell Phone Policy. We took cell phones out of the classroom while allowing teachers the flexibility they need to use them as teaching tools when appropriate. This gets us out ahead of potential regulations from the State of Massachusetts, keeping us proactive and eliminating a serious obstacle to learning.
- Defended the right of Willett Elementary School to use the Willett Field, which is owned and maintained by the city.
- Evaluating the Superintendent is one of the most important things that we do. I worked really hard with the Policy and Personnel subcommittee on this and I’m pleased with the result. An email evaluation process has been replaced with a form-based evaluation that generates a consistent and thorough, evidence based report from which the Chairperson, the Vice-Chair, and the Secretary can use to synthesize all of the members input to generate the final evaluation that is delivered to the Superintendent every year.
- I know that it doesn’t move the needle significantly, but I’m proud that Chairperson Geddes and myself were able to secure an extra $100,000 in funding for Special Education by meeting with Senator Paul Feeney. School Funding is an extremely difficult topic, but I consistently work to remind our friends on the Municpal Council that Attleboro remains in the bottom ten percent in the entire state on both per-student spending and spending over the state defined “net minimum.” For more on this: https://abward3.com/budget-talk-or-what-would-you-do-with-10000000/
- I was one of the School Committee members who worked with a wide cross-section of parents, administration, and teachers to develop Pathways to 2030: Nurturing Our Potential and Cultivating Connections. This was a ton of work and it was really, really fun. Seeing parents, teachers, and administrators working collaboratively to think about where the schools need to go and how to get there was incredibly rewarding.
However, most of the work that we do doesn’t necessarily generate headlines or tangible outcomes. Most of what we do is listen carefully to the reports that the Administration offers each meeting and ask insightful or pertinent questions and pay attention to the answers. To really get it, you have to watch the School Committee meetings. I don’t blame you for not watching! It’s our job, not yours, and you can trust me to represent the interests of every resident of Attleboro — not just Ward 3.
I’ll be out on the street this fall knocking doors, so if you see me, don’t hesitate to speak your mind. And if you don’t see me, please, please, please reach out if you ever have questions or concerns about anything that you see or hear. I will listen. I will answer your questions if I can, and if I can’t, I’ll find the answers and I will tell you the truth.
Thank you all for your support! See you in September and October and of course, at the polls on November 4th.
