Why are you running for School Committee?
I’m running for school committee to give back to the system and community that gave so much to me. Westborough has incredible schools; I graduated from WHS in 2016, and I have a lot of pride in the public education that we provide. It would be a tremendous honor to be able to volunteer my time to contribute to the strong reputation of our school system. I would use my time on the school committee advocate for increased civic education. We do well preparing our student’s for the workforce, but I think we can do more to help produce the next generation of engaged participants in our democracy. I am also running to promote a more proactive approach to how we respond to our student’s mental health needs.
What are the three biggest issues facing Westborough Public Schools?
The three biggest issues facing WPS are balancing financial needs as cost of living rises, combatting the learning loss caused by the pandemic, and addressing the mental health epidemic gripping our students. I’ve been out knocking on doors to hear from as many of you as possible, and there are a lot of people who love our town and schools but are struggling at times to afford living here. Spending on our students is the best investment we can make in our community, but we need to always be thoughtful with how we use our resources. During the pandemic our teachers worked tirelessly to continue learning, but the data shows that our students lost ground while out of the classroom. We need to ensure these students receive the attention they need to reach their full potential. Finally, the state of our student’s mental health is a serious problem. I think we need to foster more connection and community amongst the student body, add additional supports for teachers, and work to identify mental health needs before learning is disrupted.
For the first time in 10 years, Westborough will have a new superintendent. What would be your approach working with the new superintendent?
I want to work collaboratively with Allison Borchers to establish open lines of communication to form a productive partnership with the shared goal of achieving the best outcome for our students. Amber Bock did an incredible job for our schools, and if a new superintendent is to fill her shoes, it’s going to require a strong working relationship with the school committee. She and I would both be starting our service to the Westborough schools around the same time, and I think this provides extra opportunity for the two of us to form an efficient dynamic. I look forward to working with the new superintendent to continue to build on the quality of our public school system.
This school year, Westborough leaders have voiced frustrations with busing. What would you prioritize as a new bus contract is negotiated?
It’s imperative that we have a functional school bus system that families can rely on. A student’s school day starts at the bus stop, and when they run into issues just getting to school, they are being set up for failure. I want to prioritize strong performance guarantees in a new contract to ensure that our students are making it to school as they’re supposed to. I would like to see a clause added that states when our bus company is not meeting its contractual obligations, WPS can penalize them and use those funds to hire another bus company to temporarily fill the need. I also think we need to make sure there is transparency with the hiring and retention data of drivers built into the contract. Additionally, I’m excited for the chance to work with the electric bus subcommittee to explore other potential routes for getting our students reliably to school.
What experience do you have to be a member of the School Committee?
I was born and raised in town and am a product of the Westborough schools. Understanding the needs of students is critical to serving on the school committee and having recently been a student here, I can bring that perspective. Additionally, I have relationships with many of the teachers from my time in school system who are still teaching in Westborough. I graduated from the UConn School of Business, which I believe will be useful when crafting a budget and negotiating contracts. Lastly, I feel my current job working for a Representative in the Massachusetts Legislature has helped prepare me for the work of the school committee. I am the only staffer in my office, so I have to manage a wide range of responsibilities. Handling school related constituent cases, researching and understanding education policy, and interacting with the state budget process are a few of the relevant activities I currently perform.
Editor’s note: These are the statements as submitted by the candidate and have been unedited. Claims made by the candidates represent their own views and have not been fact checked by our editorial team.
