Why are you running for office? A combination of gratitude and duty to my community energizes my desire to serve on the Board of Education. As the parent of a seventh grader, I am grateful that he has the opportunity to attend schools where every teacher and administrator we have met takes a genuine interest in their individual students. Our schools provide an opportunity for all students to excel, and to do so with a student body that often faces economic challenges not seen in the surrounding towns to which we are often compared–very favorably. As someone with a strong commitment to civic engagement and public education, I could not turn down the opportunity to help to protect our community’s most valuable public resource.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing West Hartford Public Schools today, and how do you plan to address it if elected? Over the course of this campaign, I’ve become convinced that various aspects of student mental health are emerging as the most serious challenge for the West Hartford Public Schools. Our secondary level students in particular are inundated with anxieties that we never had to imagine, with any number of social media apps standing at the ready to magnify those issues. Technology assures that any mistake made by a kid can live forever and spread near-instantaneously. None of this is conducive to learning. If elected, I would explore policies like those adopted in other nearby districts that require students to secure their mobile devices during the school day, to provide them with relief on that end – at least when they’re on our watch. I would also prioritize the hiring of school psychologists and social workers who can meet our students where they are.

West Hartford Public Schools, like districts throughout the country, previously had the benefit of ESSER funds for additional services and staff to assist students with learning loss and other pandemic-related issues including mental health support, but the loss of those funds created budget pressures over decisions to maintain positions and services. How should the BOE continue to prioritize which, if any, services to continue to maintain and to fund in the future? We have to begin by identifying our obligations under state and federal law, including the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act. These obligations to our students should help us prioritize which services to fund and maintain. We also should prioritize those services that we can provide most efficiently to the largest number of students. Of course, none of this will be easy as we seek to do more with less, with no help on the way from the federal government.

What is your opinion of the role of parents in shaping curriculum for West Hartford Public Schools? I believe that the Board should hear the views of parents as we implement a curriculum consistent with state requirements. Ultimately, I’m going to rely upon the judgment of our professional educators in implementing that curriculum, knowing that every parent who comes before us is going to have their own view of what should be included or excluded.

What do you feel differentiates you from the candidates from other parties – or your own party – who are also running for this position? All of us share qualities of professionalism and a deep commitment to maintaining the high quality of West Hartford’s Public Schools. We will all approach things a little differently given our life and family experiences, but ultimately be guided by our dedication to stewardship of West Hartford’s Public Schools. If I had to choose one point of difference, I emphasize my personal commitment to a robust curriculum of civics education and engagement across all grade levels in the District.

Anything else you would like to share relevant to earning votes on Nov. 4? I am honored to be a candidate for the West Hartford Board of Education, and have enjoyed meeting and hearing from fellow parents and school employees while out on the campaign trail about what can make our schools even better. I’m looking forward to continuing these conversations after the election.

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