I am running for School Committee to share my experience with the public school system, and to help ensure that Wellesley continues to deliver on its promises to students and families and our town with clarity, direction, and responsiveness.
Commitment to Strong Fundamentals
Our public schools should deliver the educational experience we promise, and ensure that resources reach students where they matter most. We are fortunate that our schools are staffed with excellent educators and are well-funded. We must prioritize investments that directly support student learning and well-being, while managing administrative needs efficiently and responsibly. We must support our teachers who do the most important work every day to prepare students for the next phase of their lives.
I am a parent, not an education professional, but as a parent I have learned the importance of strong alignment across our school system. Students should be well prepared as they move from one class to the next, from one grade level to another, and across key transition points. Despite all of the changes around us, the fundamental work of the classroom to build strong skills in reading, writing, analysis, math and science, remains at the heart of what our educators do. We must be solid on the basics. How do we work towards academic excellence?
The state has very sobering data that shows that students are still behind where they were pre-pandemic. Too often, families hear that students are “not prepared” for a course (for example, at the transition from 8th grade to 9th grade), or students avoid certain classes altogether out of concern for grading rather than learning. In some areas, such as world language, students can spend many years in a program yet find progress slow, raising questions about consistency and goals.
Whether these challenges stem from curriculum gaps, inconsistent implementation, training needs, or learning loss from the pandemic, they deserve thoughtful attention. Ultimately teachers should get the information and support they need to close these gaps. The School Committee’s role is to ask the right questions, ensure accountability, and support the district in strengthening horizontal and vertical alignment so that students build the right foundations and can progress with confidence.
Responsiveness
The school system needs to be responsive, across many different dimensions: to insight and data about what is and isn’t working in the classroom or more broadly, to the science of education and child growth and development, to changing real world conditions and demands for knowledge and skill sets, to a variable job marketplace and college admissions criteria, to questions and needs of families.
Families deserve timely, accessible information as they navigate the school system. When parents and caregivers have questions—about assignments, academic challenges, course pathways, or extracurricular opportunities—they should receive clear and responsive answers that guide them to a solution.
We can do better. Responsive schools that listen, communicate clearly, and address concerns promptly create stronger partnerships with families—and allow students and educators to succeed.
Belonging and Connection
The culture of our schools should foster belonging and connection. These are essential factors that get students into schools every day in a state of mind receptive to learning. School can and should be hard work, but it should also be fun. Connections don’t just matter for students–a strong school system relies on connections between students, between educators and students, between educators, between administration and families, between WPS and the greater community.