Please provide a brief biographical background on yourself. What should voters know about you?
I have been a social worker for the past 25 years. I have also volunteered my time extensively in the community. I was president of the Shrewsbury Child Development Committee for 5 years, Secretary at Coolidge PTO, President of the Coolidge PTO for 2 years and currently have been President of the Sherwood/Oak PTO for the past 4 years. I have two kids, a son in the 5th grade and a daughter in the 8th grade. I volunteered my time extensively in their classes in elementary school and I’m passionate about making Shrewsbury a wonderful community.
Why are you running?
I’m running because I’m passionate about ensuring that our children’s educational needs continue to be met. Additionally, as a social worker for the past 25 years, I can provide a much needed perspective to the School Committee. Mental Health is at an all time high, and I can provide some information, resources and my experience in the field to help mitigate the mental health challenges that we are seeing. I have volunteered in the schools since 2013, when my daughter was in kindergarten and have continued since that time. I feel my knowledge and expertise would be very beneficial to the School Committee
What specific skills/experience/expertise would you bring to your role?
My social work/mental health history, an understanding of the needs of children and students from a professional and personal background. I also feel my years of volunteering has provided me with the knowledge and understanding of student needs that I can bring to the role on School Committee.
What do you see as three issues facing the Shrewsbury Public Schools?
Mental Health, the rising cost of educational services and class sizes
How do you plan to address the issues identified?
As a social worker, I can offer a perspective on mental health; how to understand it, what measures can be taken and what resources are available. As far as the cost of education and class sizes, I can offer a way to look at how services are implemented to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all students, so they continue to feel supported.
How do you think schools should address potential learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I believe the schools should do their best to meet a student where they are at. There are some students that were more affected than others during COVID. Its challenging, because teachers have a set of standards they have to meet, in part because of state mandates and MCAS testing. However, I also think that providing additional time for students to learn or repeating some information might be needed to ensure the students have the fundamentals needed for future classes.
Schools have identified mental health as a topic of concern especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. How should the Shrewsbury Public Schools address this issue?
I think that Shrewsbury is doing a great job bringing in speakers and having meetings and events to address mental health. I think additionally, it would be helpful to identify adults/staff/teachers etc that are “safe” people for kids to talk to whenever they need. Parents are usually the last to know when their child has a mental health challenge. If kids know they an go to someone in the school to talk to during times of need, aside from the adjustment counselor, they may be more apt to open up. Also maybe putting together a voluntary support group that kids can attend to connect with others. I think the partnership that schools have with Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services is wonderful, but not enough parents are aware of this connection. That information should be provided throughout the year, so that parents know where they can turn if their child needs assistance.
