Between a hotly contested mayor’s race, charter vote and contested city council contests, it’s easy to see how this year’s Newton’s School Committee elections are in danger of attracting little attention.
That’s a shame because this year’s match-ups may be the most interesting in years and certainly offer a more diverse array of candidates than the other contests.
In total, there are four contested races. (Plus one uncontested contest for an open seat in Ward Seven where newcomer Kathleen Burdette Shields has no opponent.). At minimum half (and potentially five) of next year’s eight elected committee members will be new, plus a new mayor who also sits on the committee. All School Committee seats are elected city wide, meaning we can all vote in every contest.
Here’s the lineup.
Ward One: Bridget Ray-Canada vs. Kathleen Kathleen Marchi
Ward Two: Cyrus Vaghar vs. Margaret Albright
Ward Three: Anping Shen vs. Eileen A. Sandberg
Ward Eight: Gail Spector vs. Matthew Miller
For those of us who are still trying to figure out these contests, who are you supporting and why? Or if you are running, tell us who you are and why you are running?
I am supporting in Ward 1 – Bridget Ray Canada – she is an independent voice that has a child in the NPS. I have known Bridget since 2013 and she will not be afraid to speak up and have her opinions heard and do what is best for all of our Children in the NPS.
In Ward 2 I am supporting Margaret Albright who has done a great job on the SC in advocating for better communication and will continue to do great work for our children.
In Ward 3 I am supporting Eileen Sandberg – who will be great advocate for our SPED students as she has first hand experience with this.
In Ward 8 – I dont know him personally but will be supporting Mathew Miller who has been involved in the NPS and has children currently in the NPS.
I’m supporting Matthew Miller in Ward 8. As evidenced by his years of service in various PTO’s and for the Oak Hill Park community, he is someone who gets things done and understands the give and take of making difficult decisions. I think his dedication to the community, passion for improving our schools, creativity and empathy will help him make significant contributions to the committee. He is also abundantly approachable and is a listener – two qualities I think are fundamental to having success as an elected official.
Thanks for this thread as there are important SC races this year. Great people are running in all races. Here are my own personal choices, with some shout-outs to non-contested candidates who are all-around superb Democrats:
Ward 1 – Bridget Ray-Canada
Ward 2 – Margaret Albright
Ward 3 – need to meet with the candidates
Ward 4 – Go Diana!!!
Ward 5 – thank you Steve Siegel for continuing to serve the schools
Ward 6 – Ruth Goldman – awesome job introducing Sen. Ed Markey tonight.
Ward 7 – Congrats Kathy Shields
Ward 8 – Matthew Miller
Good luck to all candidates.
So far, I like Bridget Ray-Canada and Matthew Miller a lot. I’m not sure about the rest at the moment. I do think the SC needs some new blood and there are incumbents that I’d like to see replaced.
@Mary: As Logan points out, Cyrus Vaghar is the only candidate challenging an incumbent (Margaret Albright).
Cyrus!
Matt Miller is who we need on the School Committee. He is creative (see Destination Imagination, a program which he brought to Newton and continues to direct), energetic, bright, empathetic, and truly CARES. He has 3 kids currently in Newton schools so he has up-to-date information on what is happening daily in our schools. It is exciting to see someone like Matt willing to jump in and make a difference!
Cyrus indeed. We need a recent Newton student and someone with a clear vision on the school committee.
Unless you just moved to Newton, you know the name Gail Spector from her years with the TAB, fearlessly digging in, finding the truth wherever it may have led. She’s now a candidate for School Committee from Ward 8 and she brings a very serious set of skills to the job. You can’t BS Gail. She has a journalist’s instincts combined with a Newton Mom’s passion for the Newton Schools. She has been through the system and knows it’s strengths and weaknesses.
Gail offers Newton a clear-eyed analysis of the Newton Schools… with no cheer-leading. A results oriented view from the School Committee seat.
Gail Spector will be a School Committee member that makes a difference.
Well said Terry!
I’m voting for Cyrus. Students deserve a vote on the School Committee.
I’m still disappointed that Cyrus chose not to respond to questions posed in his candidate guest column on Village14:
http://village14.com/2017/05/21/next-generation-leadership-for-newton-students/
Cyrus claims there are easy solutions to parts of some of the biggest challenges facing Newton’s schools. From his web site: “I know solutions to the mounting issues they face are just a former student’s opinion away”. That’s a big claim, a boast even, that begs evidence. There are plenty of subtleties and downsides to his “solutions” that he doesn’t seem to want to address. Ducking hard questions from the public is not a good sign for a new candidate.
Being a former student offers the opportunity to bring a new perspective to the table, but I think it’s up to the candidate to prove the value of that perspective as part of a body filled with experienced and dedicated parents, educators, and professionals. No free lunches (truism, not school policy statement :). We can’t assume that Cyrus represents the voices of current Newton students, since they speak as individuals and not just a stereotype.
On the other hand, I have seen Margaret maintaining focus on long-standing issues like full-day kindergarten and later start times. Progress by the SC may not have been rapid enough for some, including me (yea, full time kindergarten in time for my son to move to first grade), but Margaret understands the subtle and confounding details and is willing to discuss them every time I’ve asked. Hard problems don’t get solved by just declaring the solution “one former-student’s opinion away”.
I am also happy that Margaret is taking the time to learn more about Newton’s greater transportation issues while helping shape the schools’ long-needed transportation plan. The schools represent one of the largest contributors to neighborhood traffic in Newton, and Margaret has been one of the regular faces at transportation and Safe Routes to Schools meetings, both to learn and to contribute.
I truly hope Cyrus can find a way to continue to contribute to the Newton community. As a parent, though, I have to value a person who knows the questions (and talks with me about them) more than someone who claims to have the answers.