The Budget

All budget discussions begin with the issue of judgment. Do we trust those that vote on the budget to exercise sound judgment?

Fiscal responsibility means more than being able to balance finances by raising revenue or cutting costs until a mathematical equilibrium has been reached. It also means being honest and forthright about the decisions we make. Placating parents and taxpayers with rhetoric and platitudes never closed a budget gap.

Fiscal responsibility means not exposing our budget to unnecessary costs and other liability. Skyrocketing legal fees during a period of unprecedented fiscal crisis, is just one area where we can improve our bottom line. Squandering the equivalent of 20 or more teacher positions to pursue a personal dispute is a notion so repugnant to our educational mission, that it should be summarily rejected as a matter of course.

Given that maximizing teachers and minimizing class sizes are paramount, I will explore every alternative to cutting teacher and staff positions. For example, I have been approached with a suggestion to leverage the experience of our retired teachers as mentors. I have also been a long time proponent for redistricting our schools in a prudent manner that does not change the rules in mid-game for any families already in a particular district. This plan would help maintain class sizes and provide potential efficiencies while also providing potential savings for possible re-builds.

I also hope to work with town side officials to try to solve long standing budget hurdles such as the cost of insurance.

No one has a magic bullet. However, as someone that practices in the area of mitigating risk and fashioning solutions to difficult problems, I will approach the budget with a keen eye intent on ensuring that the School Committee fulfills its fiduciary duty each step of the way.

Legal Expenses

Beyond the almost $1million that a current School Committee member has forecast for the well-publicized Ottoson litigation, we are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on grievances by teachers and on special education litigation. Fighting these battles on the back of our children is no way to resolve conflict. Litigation should be a last resort, not a starting point. We need to end this ideological combat and restore trust between administration and staff. We need to implement a culture of resolution and compromise. Like any other organization, public or private, the culture starts at the top.

Superintendent Search

To be sure, there are lessons to be learned from the last superintendent search. The next committee will be charged with hiring a new superintendent. As a School Committee member, I will endeavor to provide cautious guidance and tempered moderation to a sometimes overly exuberant process that promotes "outside the box" thinking over credentialed expertise.

Special Education

I would like to explore creating a Special Education Task Force to explore the manner in which other towns are coping with the necessary and laudable, but burdensome cost of complying with state mandated special education policies.

Elementary School Rebuilding Project

I believe that anyone serving on the School Committee has a moral obligation to use the power of his/her position to continue to advocate for the rebuild of the Stratton and Thompson schools. The economic climate is such that these are difficult conversations to have. I ask, when is a good time to have these discussions?

Admittedly, funds are scarce and recently the state has changed the rules of the game related to reimbursement. However, construction costs will only continue to increase. Not long ago, we had sufficient funds to cover half of the cost of renovating one elementary school. I believe we need to continue to try to find ways to fund these rebuilds.

As our bonding obligations on existing projects expire, we should explore whether we can take on new capital obligations. As we near the end of the current five-year fiscal plan we should consider ways in which the rebuild of the Stratton and Thompson may fit into the plan for the next 5 years.

MCAS and No Child Left Behind

I have been opposed to MCAS since its inception. MCAS and its Federal cousin, No Child Left Behind, are bureaucratic quick fixes to a complex problem. Teachers need to worry about teaching, not meeting standardized metrics. Likewise, students need to focus on learning, and how to learn, not on achieving a certain number on one particular test.

Good teachers know how to reach struggling students. The surest way to leave a minority of children behind is to force teachers to make sure the majority of students achieve a passing grade on a standardized test or that the district achieve some other contrived benchmark.

Minuteman

I believe that every child/young adult is entitled to an education that best suits his/her learning style. Minuteman should continue to be a viable option for those that believe they can benefit from enrollment there. We must, however, continue to try to find ways to modify the funding formula in order that it doesn't disproportionately affect Arlington.