We-Ha.com is offering our readers the opportunity to meet the candidates running in the Nov. 7, 2023 municipal election. 

Compiled by Ronni Newton

We-Ha.com is offering our readers the opportunity to “Meet the Candidate” – designed to help them get to know the candidates running for office in the 2023 municipal election.

Identical questionnaires have been sent to all candidates, and each profile received has been submitted directly to We-Ha.com by the candidate or the candidate’s campaign management. The responses have not been edited but have been formatted to match our publication style. Questions left blank have been deleted.

As profiles are received, they will be published on We-Ha.com under the “Government” tab. We-Ha.com is not making endorsements of any political candidates but we are publishing this information in order to assist voters in being informed and prepared when they go to the polls on Nov. 7.

If you are a candidate and wish to submit a profile, please return it by email to Ronni Newton at [email protected] as soon as possible.

BOARD OF EDUCATION CANDIDATE

Name: Ethan Goldman

Party affiliation: Republican

Family information: Married with four children – have lived in West Hartford for over 30 years

Primary occupation: Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for a mid-size international manufacturing company

Previous political experience: Have spent the last two years as a member of the West Hartford Board of Education

Other relevant experience that may be related to your desire to serve the community, and further qualifies you for the office you are seeking:

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Have served on the Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford for approximately 8 years and served as its Treasurer for more than 4 years.
• Have served as the Treasurer of West Harford Youth Soccer Assn for more than fifteen years.

Why are you running for office? I am running because I believe I can add value to the Board of Education by being collaborative/constructive and adding a different perspective to the discussions and decision making of the Board.

What issue(s) are your primary area of focus? My primary focus is on the academic performance of the students and how we (as a Town) can make sure that all students are able to get the best education experience that will positively impact their future (throughout life).

My secondary focus is managing the costs in a way that will allow us to get the best educational experience for all of our students while keeping  overall costs down for the West Hartford taxpayers.

West Hartford Public Schools, like districts throughout the country, has had the benefit of ESSER funds for additional services and staff to assist students with learning loss and other pandemic-related issues, but those funds will soon disappear. How should the BOE prioritize which, if any, services to continue to maintain and to fund in the future? While the Esser funds of $7 million are not large on a relative basis to a $191 million annual budget, they have been important in terms of having provided additional resources for the school system, in a difficult time. With Esser ($2 million going away at the end of FY23 and $5 million going away at the end of FY24) going away and inflation still a macro problem, the Board needs to spend more time looking for ways to optimize its funding. That is why I believe that the Board needs to set up a Board Finance Committee, that can spend more time on the analysis with the School Finance Department, looking for additional ways to save money that could possibly be used elsewhere in the School Budget.  

What is your opinion of the role of parents in shaping curriculum for West Hartford Public Schools? I believe that a curriculum committee that included parents would be extremely positive. It would make the curriculum process much more transparent and help parents understand the development of the curriculum. It has been my overall experience that the more discussion that takes place on a subject – the better the output. The feedback from parents would not only create a more open system but would be an important sounding board for the school system in identifying where improvements to the curriculum could be made.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing West Hartford Public Schools today, and how do you plan to address it if elected? Two large challenges – (1.) Working with the West Hartford school system to maintain and improve academic results which have been negatively impacted by the Covid years. (2.) Optimizing the Education Budget in terms of the taxpayers, but also in terms of delivering the best education for the students.

What do you feel differentiates you from the candidates from other parties also running for this position?

• Financial Background – CPA (worked in two of the major national public accounting firms). Currently working as the CFO of a mid sized international manufacturing company.
• Have a Masters in Business Administration (Harvard Business School) and Masters of Science in Accounting and Taxation (University of Hartford Barney School).
• Undergraduate degrees – Bachelor Science in Economics from UPenn Wharton School and Bachelor of Arts from University of Pennsylvania College.

Anything else you would like to share relevant to earning votes on Nov. 7?

Background outside of work –

• Spent over twenty years in the United States Army Reserve (retired as a Major in the Field Artillery)
• Treasurer of the West Hartford Youth Soccer Assn.
• Coached for more than 15 years in the Boys and Girls Soccer leagues
• Treasurer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.

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