Our AB Community is very divided right now and the School Committee has a lot of work to do to rebuild trust and foster a positive transition   We need to ensure everyone affected feels supported and knows they will eventually get to a place of stability.  I will do everything I can to ensure that the reorganization goes as smoothly as possible.  I have already reached out teachers about how best we can support them in the coming year, and I will listen to feedback and suggestions from families.  I support the Common Thread Taskforce that the School Committee has already created, and I am happy to join that initiative if needed. 

If elected, I will have the very important task of deciding who our next superintendent will be.  We need to conduct a robust external search with key attributes in mind.  I believe that our next superintendent should understand our community, be able to build trust, and can work well with the people in our district. They should be honest, open, and willing to listen to many different voices. It is important that the new superintendent knows how to develop, support, and retain educators, and that they help create a workplace where people work well together. They should have experience managing a complex budget under fiscal constraints, and plan ahead for what our schools will need in the coming years. They also need a robust understanding of curriculum and instruction, along with a history of helping students make real, measurable progress.

‍ ‍

Acton-Boxborough, like many other school districts in the state, is under very tight financial constraints.  We must work together to balance the needs of the district with an understanding of the financial challenges facing the town and its taxpayers. The district has made significant cuts over the past several years and there is not much more room for additional reductions. I would not support cutting additional teachers; we need to make them feel supported and know they have stability.

‍We need to continue to advocate for funding for our schools.  At the town level, we should be encouraging responsible development that will increase the town’s tax revenue to support both the schools and the town.  At the state level, we should be regularly talking with our state representatives and state senator to ensure that they are doing all they can to help secure funding.  Though it is not a long-term solution, even requesting a state budget earmark for a capital expense can be helpful.  I think we should reach out to other school districts and band together to put pressure on the state.‍

If elected, I will strive to be as transparent as I can be about the budget and other matters.  It is not always clear to parents and residents where to find answers about the budget, so starting with a question to the School Committee is a logical place to start.  While I don’t expect to be able to answer all questions on the spot, I will respond within a reasonable timeframe and refer the requestor to the appropriate documents, presentations, meeting minutes or other sources.

‍ ‍

‍ ‍

As my family is moving through the district, I am seeing potential areas where we can make our district even stronger. 

1. Executive Functioning:

   This skill is essential for our students especially as they receive increasing amounts of homework and exams, and as they make the transition to RJ Grey.  Unfortunately, it is not integrated into the elementary curriculum, and I feel this is a missed opportunity.  We should send our 5th and 6th grade teachers to Executive Functioning training so that they can integrate these skills into their classrooms.  Additionally, Executive Functioning could be an intervention taught by a teacher during the FLEX/MTSS block for those students who need it.  It could also be offered during Ensemble for those 5th and 6th graders who do not participate in Chorus or Band. 

2. School Calendar:

   If elected, I would like to revisit the school calendar before it is voted through again.  This 2025-2026 school year has been exceptionally long because of several snow days, with our last day being June 25th.  Not all schools are air conditioned or inconsistently so, making it very difficult for teachers and students to be in their classrooms on hot days.

   The way the calendar has been laid out the past several years encourages some families to take advantage of the time off for personal vacations and miss additional school days bordering the school holidays (while at the same time the district is concerned about attendance). I believe the sentiment behind adopting more holidays was to be equitable, however, it is not fully.  Many caregivers have full time jobs that do not allow them to have such flexibility to take these holidays off or work from home; this in turn forces some families to leave kids by themselves or with siblings at home.  There are still holidays celebrated by families in the district that are not recognized, for example Orthodox holidays.  I believe all students and educators have the right to celebrate holidays that are important to them.  I would support the district exempting those celebrating holidays from attendance, homework, and exam requirements for those particular dates.

3. Student Fees

   In speaking with other parents, I have learned that students at the high school who are elected as a Class Officer are required to pay a $50 fee.  The class officers fundraise, organize events like the Junior Prom (which they worked hard to bring back this year), and encourage school spirit.  Additionally, many heard at the April 9, 2026 School Committee meeting that the Recycling Club that collects trash around the campus pays an activity fee.  We should be encouraging students to give back to their community but not require them to pay to do so. 

   If elected, I will work to understand why these students are required to pay a fee, what the money is used for and how can we support it by other means.