AMHERST — Five weeks after finishing as the runner-up in the race for state representative, Eric Nakajima on Thursday was appointed to the Amherst School Committee.
Nakajima, of West Street, received five of the nine votes cast in a joint meeting by the Select Board and School Committee that lasted about 2 ½ hours and included interviews with six candidates. He will serve until next March’s town election.
Nakajima said he is excited about the opportunity, even though it comes during a period of transition for the public schools following the August departure of Superintendent Maria Geryk.
“I sought this position because I believe the School Committee, with the hiring of a new superintendent, will have a lot of activity poised to put schools on the right track,” Nakajima said.
The former Massachusetts Broadband Institute director, who grew up in Amherst, adds that he understands there was an erosion of trust between the committee and Geryk, and frayed relationships among members, as well. “It takes awhile to get as bad as things apparently got,” Nakajima said.
But since he hasn’t been involved with school matters, Nakajima said he believes he can help end “the tumult.”
Nakajima said he would have a dialogue with acting superintendent Michael Morris about goals and priorities and engage him on topics critical to the district, including the plan to co-locate two elementary schools at the Wildwood School site and the future reconfiguration of three elementary schools.
Nakajima’s five votes came from Select Board members Alisa Brewer, Douglas Slaughter and James Wald, and School Committee members Katherine Appy and Anastasia Ordonez.
Former School Committee member Irv Rhodes got votes from Select Board member Andrew Steinberg and School Committee member Phoebe Hazzard.
Kathleen Bailer, principal of the John Ashley and Cowing Schools in West Springfield, received a vote from Select Board member Constance Kruger, while Jennifer Page, manager of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Community Campaign for the External Relations and Community Events office, received a vote from School Committee member Vira Douangmany-Cage.
The other candidates were Christopher J. Diamond, a partner in a local business focused on commodity logistics, and Vincent O’Connor, a community organizer and longtime Town Meeting member.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
