Here’s the video from the NewTV and the Newton League of Women Voters debate featuring mayoral candidates Scott Lennon and Ruthanne Fuller
Voters citywide will on Nov. 7.
VIDEO: Lennon and Fuller for mayor
by Greg Reibman | Oct 18, 2017 | Mayor's race, Ruthanne Fuller, Scott Lennon | 4 comments
I’m at a loss how this race is even close. Hopefully it is not!
The most important issue in the city is the public health disaster that we are subjecting our children to through high school start times. There were absolutely NO questions on this topics–just like the School Committee ward 3 debate! Can someone in the League please tell the leadership that this is an important topic? Why are we asking both candidates about the charter, when it is not a decision the mayor will make, and both candidates have already said that they support it?
Kudos goes to Ruthanne to bringing up start times without prompting. 31: 15. “I also support late start times for our high schoolers… For late start we need it for the health of our kids. The studies show it. As mayor, I will make sure we have the financial resources…”
This statement, to me, is huge. It means if Ruthanne is mayor the school committee has NO excuse.
Full Day K & Late State HS
Round of Applause for Ruthanne Fuller – at approx 31:48
“I support full day kindergarten AND late start for high schoolers” …”As Mayor, I will make sure we have the financial resources to not only do those initiatives but other initiatives that are important…” …”we are going to have to step up and as Mayor I will” RAF
#Fuller4Mayor
Leadership that will deliver
Jeffrey is correct. The most important issue in Newton is high school start times, because early morning start times have been linked to serious health consequences in teens. Newton is subjecting 4000 kids to sleep deprivation every day, unnecessarily exposing them to depression, suicide, drug abuse, eating disorders and a host of other horrors…
All of this because successive school committees have been incapable or unwilling to change. My belief is that the School Committee will not change high school start times until they are forced to change them. But Newton’s Mayor has the authority to initiate that change independently…
The City Charter [both old and new version] give the Mayor authority over all municipal buildings, and thus the power to control what time NNHS and NSHS open their doors in the morning. The next Mayor should use that as leverage to “force” the School Committee to change start times for the beginning of the next school year…
If I thought either of these mayoral candidates were going use the power of their office to bring about this important change, I would be voting for that candidate. Regrettably, I don’t think either of them is willing to stand up to the School Committee in order to get this done. It pains me to say it, but [barring a change in State law] I suspect early morning start times will remain a point of contention through the next mayoral term.