Here are my answers to the STDC Forum questions – I also ad-libbed a bit, but this was my written response:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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QUESTION 1: What do you believe is the most pressing challenge facing Sutton schools right<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n now, and how would you address it via your role on the committee?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I mentioned this last year, but one of the most critical issues facing public education is on the question of college or career readiness. When assessments like the National Assessment of Educational Progress show 8th grade science scores falling by 4 points since 2019, and 12th grade reading and math scores falling by 3 points during the same period; or when schools like Harvard are offering remedial mathematics courses \u2013 we have a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mission of the public schools, fundamentally, is about creating an environment where everyone can learn, thrive and succeed \u2013 and by succeed that means both on a college track and into the workforce if that\u2019s what students choose. So, what does success look like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It looks like students who are exceeding the state average for reading, science, and math. The state baseline for these, at least on MCAS, is under 50%. It looks like more than just a competency determination in which, according to an April 18th opinion piece in the Boston Globe by former education secretary James Peyser \u2013 2\/3rd<\/sup> of districts say a D- is satisfactory completion!<\/p>\n\n\n\n These low expectations filter down and cause people to reconsider whether Sutton is the right place for their kids or whether they need to choice out to a different district or to homeschool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a small district like ours, we should be well above benchmark in most of these common assessments like MCAS\/etc. I\u2019m excited about the newly approved K-5 ELA curriculum as I think this will help us \u2013 but we need to do more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I suggested that teaching and learning be a standing agenda item for the school committee, because if we don\u2019t talk about it, we can\u2019t improve it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n QUESTION 2: With ongoing budget constraints, what values guide your prioritization<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n regarding programs for struggling learners, foreign languages, arts, early childhood education,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n and sports?<\/strong> Candidates currently serving on the committee are asked to include a specific<\/em>\u2013 <\/strong>example from their time on the board. Candidates not yet serving are asked to cite a decision the<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n board made that they either supported or strongly opposed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was surprised during the budget debate when there was talk about eliminating and increasing class sizes in the early grades. I view those years as crucial, kids are just coming into the system they are learning how to learn and having smaller class sizes there, in my opinion, is critical for kids to build a solid foundation and to continue successfully in the district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stood up along with 2 of my colleagues and argued in favor of keeping the resources directed at the elementary and early learning center. I was surprised at the opposition from some of our members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, I prioritize the whole district and especially those classrooms which are welcoming new kids to the schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of special education, I also made the point at a committee meeting to seriously look at costing out a co-teaching model in one of our buildings. Out of district placement and costs are hindering lots of districts, but especially smaller ones like ours. If we can invest a bit of funding up-front, we might be able to keep some students in district saving some of the dollars we currently send out. At a higher-level SPED costs do need to be addressed by the state and I\u2019m personally in favor of a trust fund at the state level which could alleviate some of larger 100k+ \/ year costs for some of these placements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We need to be strategic in what we offer, creating articulation agreements with neighboring colleges and universities – this will allow us to expand our offerings and give kids both high school and college credit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think we are sort of in a situation like Apple Computer found itself in 1997 offering multiple product lines with no clear distinction between the products. The company was hemorrhaging money and talent. In the end Jobs cut 70% of the products apple was offering to align focus on the core competencies of the company \u2013 computers! So, what does this mean for Sutton?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It means a strategic plan with crystalized focus on what the Sutton advantage is, it means saying no to some things and yes to others \u2013 it means engaging and aligning stakeholders to a clear vision, stakeholders both with and without children \u2013 and this is the kind of work I\u2019ll set myself to do on the committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n QUESTION 3:<\/strong> How will you navigate and represent the diverse \u2014 and sometimes conflicting<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2014 perspectives of families across the community?<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, we need to approach things with humility and a growth mindset. I remember a quote from High School attributed to Socrates \u201cThe wisest man in the world knows that he knows nothing\u201d \u2013 approaching issues with an open mind helps a lot. Researching issues and developing opinions informed by all sides helps too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I brought up curriculum at a school committee meeting, I was attacked during one of the public forums. I ended up meeting with the member of the public for coffee and having what I thought was a productive conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we stop talking to people or shun them because we might not agree with their perspective on an issue or their political beliefs it creates some detrimental effects on society and more locally our town. My opinion of someone doesn\u2019t hinge on whether they think like I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, for me, I am open to having conversations with all \u2013 whether you agree with me or not. I\u2019m also a big believer in having a growth mindset and understanding different viewpoints because that\u2019s how good ideas are formed. Hegel calls this Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis\u2026 that\u2019s how I navigate life and that\u2019s how I\u2019ll navigate and represent the various viewpoints in our community. QUESTION 4:<\/strong> Do you view public schools as a community investment, and how do you<\/p>\n\n\n\n communicate their value to residents both with and without children in the system?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, schools are certainly a community investment in as much as roads and police and fire are also a community investment. All of us benefit from all those services. Similarly, there\u2019s also a correlation between good fire and police service and higher property values Housing Matters, an initiative of the Urban Institute published an article in 2020 called. Police Budget Increases Are Linked to Local Housing Market Growth and Declines in Social Service Spending <\/em><\/strong>\u2013 which illustrated this correlation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the same way there is certainly a correlation between high performing schools and property values \u2013 in fact there was a 2026 study in the Journal of Statistics and Data Science called: Housing Prices and School Quality: A Quantitative Exercise Using Greater Boston Housing Data<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This study showed a high correlation between the quality of the school and its effect on housing prices \u2013 higher quality schools, particularly elementary corelated to higher property values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, I\u2019d suggest that quality<\/strong> means more than funding and per pupil expenditures \u2013 for example the Lawrence public schools at least according to DESE for 2024 spent $20,878 per pupil yet it\u2019s MCAS scores are significantly lower than Sutton\u2019s (example grade 8 math Lawrence = 37% meeting\/exceeding vs Sutton 43%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quality to me is the strength or our parent organizations, our booster clubs, our volunteerism, the involvement of parents in their child\u2019s education. And for me because the school is such a large part of the town\u2019s budget (over 50%) I encourage community members to get involved whether they have kids in the system or not \u2013 because when everyone is involved that\u2019s how we invest in our system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n QUESTION 5:<\/strong> How would you ensure Sutton schools are adequately funded to meet the<\/p>\n\n\n\n community’s needs, both now and as the town’s development landscape changes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, we need to control the things we can control and that\u2019s our labor costs. This year I had the opportunity to be part of the negotiating team for the contract between the school and the STA. This contract delivered a fair COLA to the teachers, but more critically created a new salary grid for all new hires after July 1st<\/sup>. This grid has more steps 10 vs 6 \u2013 which will effectively slow down the rate of growth there. In addition, the lane change language was tightened \u2013 restricting what counts toward a lane change to courses taken in your field of study vs the previous language which counted any course. Early retirement incentives which I and some of the other committee members championed will also help \u2013 this rewards long serving teachers and allows us to then hire, new teachers on the new grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, we need to scrutinize our operations for any opportunities to share staffing and resources with the town, things like physical plant, grounds crew etc. for any possibility of sharing costs with the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Third we need to focus on our core competencies and look to the outside for things to compliment us \u2013 what do I mean: We need to focus on giving our kids the best traditional education in English, History, the Sciences and Mathematics. We can offer other things sure \u2013 but focus on those core things first. We can and SHOULD expand our articulation agreements and early college programs. I talked about this last year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We ought to have an articulation<\/strong> agreement with every college in the area (BVT does by the way), in this way if a course isn\u2019t offered in Sutton we can allow our kids to take classes at a local college \/ university \u2013 the kid gets the college credit and they get the high school credit as well, it\u2019s a win for everyone. And by the way \u2013 there are grants for this from the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fourth things like Innovation Career Pathways will help, if the Sutton Academy Grant from Senator Fattman becomes part of the annual budget this could help create a pathway for kids to school choice into the district and graduate with a valuable career certification in addition to a high school diploma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fifth, we need to continue to work with our legislative delegation to insist that the state fund schools and towns adequately. It is inexcusable that unrestricted general government aid has not kept up with inflation, similarly Chapter 70 Aid needs to be increased, first to fix the inflation gap, and second to keep pace with inflation. We send a significant portion of our dollars to beacon hill and we need to demand more of them back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, we need to grow smartly. We ought to work with the town on a standard community partnership agreement with language that clearly articulates our needs as a town for all departments including the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think the committee has done a good job this year of balancing the budget and being more realistic and we need to keep that progress going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bonus Question (time permitting): <\/strong>What do you think the role of AI is in our schools, for both<\/p>\n\n\n\n students and teachers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think AI fits into a good digital literacy curriculum. Students need to understand the benefits of AI such as the ability to quickly surface and summarize a large volume of sites and literature, but they also need to understand the dangers of AI \u2013 such as its tendency to hallucinate or provide false information based on the way a question is asked or prompted. Where I think there\u2019s a great niche for AI now is as a more advanced interface for surfacing a variety of websites for people, for example \u201cShow me three or four sites that contradict or support the following idea\u2026\u201d AI will do that in a way that a normal search engine cannot. This allows students to be exposed to a broad source of information in a relatively easy and frictionless way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a similar way I think AI can help a teacher, it can surface lesson plans, create lesson plans, create study guides, help the teacher focus on what really matters \u2013 working with students. When you can help take away some of the more burdensome work and free up a teacher to actually teach \u2013 I think we\u2019ll see better outcomes for students \u2013 higher test scores, more individualized attention and generally more high achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Block #4 \u2013 Candidate Closing Statement (all candidates<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Please prepare a 1-minute closing statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sutton is at a decision point \u2014 not just about budgets, but about what kind of schools we want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past year, I’ve worked to bring results. I was part of the negotiating team that delivered a fair contract with a new salary grid and tighter lane-change language \u2014 saving real money long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stood up against eliminating early-grade classroom resources because those early years are critical to kids and creating a foundation for learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also advocated to explorer co-teaching models as a smarter alternative to help as many kids as we can without sending them out of district for services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what’s my agenda going forward?<\/p>\n\n\n\n First \u2014 raise the bar academic outcomes. We should be well above the state average in MCAS reading, math, and science \u2014 not settling for our current state. We have a small district \u2013 everyone should be a high achiever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second \u2014 build articulation agreements with every college in the area \u2013 not just QCC. Investigate early college programs and dual enrollment. Other schools do this \u2013 we can give our students more options and college credit without expanding costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Third \u2014 strategic focus. We can’t be everything to everyone; we need to focus on what our core competencies are and supplement as appropriate \u2013 let\u2019s do the small things at a high level and move into bigger things!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fourth \u2014 grow the pie. Tri-board collaboration, smart pursuit of grants, collaborating with our state delegation for increased funding…<\/p>\n\n\n\n For that you need someone who can work with our delegation I\u2019m honored to have the endorsement of both Senator Fattman and Representative McKenna. And I\u2019d be honored to have your vote on May 26th<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here are my answers to the STDC Forum questions – I also ad-libbed a bit, but this was my written response: QUESTION 1: What do you believe is the most\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","cat-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3236"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3238,"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3236\/revisions\/3238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vote.matera.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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