EASTHAMPTON — At least six of the eight candidates vying for spots on the School Committee agree that the school system needs to decrease the number of students leaving the district by making the city’s schools a more attractive option.
The six contenders who attended a candidates’ night event Friday also agreed that plans for a consolidated middle and elementary school would help slow the number of families choosing to send their children elsewhere through school choice or to charter schools.
With six spots up for grabs and only two incumbents running for re-election on Nov. 7, the next committee will have many new faces to tackle these and other important issues facing the schools.
Among the pending matters: work that’s underway this school year to transform the school culture and climate after bias-related incidents at Easthampton High School. The next committee will play a key role in overseeing a 10-point plan written by Superintendent Nancy Follansbee that was drawn up in response to several incidents last school year, a civil rights investigation by the state attorney general’s office, an internal investigation by Follansbee and an evaluation from the Collaborative for Educational Services.
Friday night’s forum, hosted by Easthampton Media before 30 people at Easthampton High School, drew incumbents Marissa Carrere and Cynthia Kwiecinksi, and newcomers Jonathan Schmidt, Laurie Garcia, Marin Goldstein and Shannon M. Dunham. Challengers Alexandra Lynn Dodge and Rose J. Spurgin were both out of town and could not make it to the event. Dodge was at her brother’s wedding and intended to phone in, but there were technical difficulties.
All of the School Committee candidates at the forum said they supported Follansbee’s plan, as well as construction of a pre-K through Grade 8 school that would consolidate the city’s three elementary schools and middle school.
Candidates agreed that the new school could make Easthampton more attractive to people evaluating where to enroll their children.
Kwiecinski, who is seeking her second term on the committee and works at Smith Academy, said it’s important to have a public school teacher on the committee who knows firsthand how policies affect teachers and students, and can help guide committee members on their decisions.
Kwiecinski said she supports the construction of a new school. White Brook Middle School, built in the 1970s with an open classroom format, is a structurally failed idea, she said. The arrangement of the classrooms makes it difficult for kids to focus, Kwiecinski said, especially those with attention deficit disorder.
“We have really old elementary schools that are really well loved,” Kwiecinski said. But, she added, if you take a good look at the buildings, there are issues.
Schmidt, the youth services librarian at Emily Williston Memorial Library, said his experience would be beneficial to the School Committee.
“I’ve seen so many children grow up through the library system,” he said. “It’s so exciting to have the opportunity to help them further in their growth and their success.”
Schmidt said developing a vision for the schools is a collaborative effort with everyone working together toward a common goal.
Speaking about a new pre-K through Grade 8 school, Schmidt said it’s the community’s responsibility to prepare the “children of tomorrow,” and that a new building can do much to improve learning.
“It’s too great an opportunity to pass up,” Schmidt said of the project.
Garcia, a Spanish teacher at West Springfield High School, has been an educator for more than 25 years, teaching English as a second language and Spanish at a variety of schools. She also holds a master’s degree in intercultural relations.
Garcia said her experience and background can help Easthampton adhere to the 10-point action plan. She said she would like to work to make the school district a model for “inclusiveness and respect.”
As chairwoman of the Easthampton Democratic Committee, Garcia said she has fought to keep the cap on charter schools.
Goldstein is on the School Building Committee that has focused on the project to construct a new, consolidated pre-K-8 school. The new school could be a way to make Easthampton parents more likely to enroll their children in the local public school district, he said.
“It’s most critical that we get those kids involved in our schools, involved in our programs at a very young age,” Goldstein said, adding that many choose to go out of the district at the kindergarten level.
Goldstein said work remains to be done, including looking into how the cost of the project will affect fixed-income residents.
Carrere, who is seeking a second term on the School Committee, said constructing a new school will resolve urgent issues with maintenance and code compliance of the current buildings. The project also provides the opportunity for “21st century learning” which includes green space, art and music space, and classrooms equipped with innovative technology, Carrere said.
She said it’s a rare opportunity to be eligible for state funding to build a new school.
As for the money leaving the city for charter schools, Carrere said “we need to be advocating for change on the state level.”
She said that, while such advocacy is not one of the required duties of the School Committee, many of the current School Committee members were active participants with the “No on 2” campaign last year.
Dunham started attending School Committee meetings about six months ago, after incidents indicating the presence of racial tension and claims of bias were brought to light, and became interested in running for a seat.
A new pre-K-8 school could bring people into the district, like the plans for a new high school brought her in.
“That was one of the reasons I moved to Easthampton,” Dunham said, “because the new high school was in the works.”
She said she’d also like to hear from people who have children enrolled in choice or a charter school to understand why they chose to do so. Dunham said some people make that decision due to the lack of programs their child needs.
On Thursday, Oct. 12, Easthampton Media will host a City Council candidate forum from 6-8 p.m. at the Municipal Building, 50 Payson Ave., followed by a “speakeasy” event at Glendale Grill.
*A mayoral forum will be held on Thursday, Oct. 19, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Easthampton High School.
A mayoral debate will be held on Thursday, Oct. 26, from 6-8 p.m. at the Easthampton Media Cultural Media Center at Eastworks, Suite 102.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.
*This story has been updated.