by Neil W. McCabe

A 25-year resident of the city, who has held leadership posts city government and social service agencies, announced March 25 that he is running for the Ward 5 school board seat.

“I love this City, I’ve spent half of my life here, I met and married my wife here, and our 12-year-old daughter has been at the Healey School since kindergarten,” said Mark Niedergang, who has been a leader in many community and school groups.

“In my work with City government, social service agencies, and non-profit organizations, I’ve helped build coalitions that have made Somerville safer, stronger, and healthier. If elected to the School Committee, I will use my leadership experience to bring people and institutions together to move our Schools up to the next level,” he said.

“As a parent and as someone who loves this City, I have been impressed with the depth and breadth of Mark’s experience. I believe this experience speaks to Mark’s commitment to the Somerville school system and to the Somerville community on many levels, said Janine Lotti, a Ward 5 resident and supporter of Neidergang.

Lotti said she is a mother of a 4-year-old who attends the early childhood program at the Capuano Center. “There is no question he will work to preserve what is good and to question and improve what might be lacking.”

Niedergang said he has been involved with the Somerville Public Schools as a parent, volunteer, and teacher. He served on the Healey School Council and as Secretary of the Choice Council at the Healey. 

In the early 1990s, he taught civics to immigrants working toward citizenship at SCALE, Somerville’s adult education program. Earlier this year, Niedergang helped organize the Superintendent Search Action Group, a group of parents involved in the selection of the new superintendent, he said.

Over the past few months, Niedergang has met with other community leaders and groups such as the Duhamel Education Initiative, to establish a Somerville Education Foundation, he said.

Similar to those in cities and towns with strong schools, the education foundation would increase funding for the schools without raising taxes because it can receive grants from private foundations and tax-deductible contributions from individuals, he said.

“I’m looking forward to listening to the concerns and ideas of Ward 5 residents about how we can ensure that every child gets a quality education,” Niedergang said. “I look forward to a spirited dialogue with other candidates seeking this important position.”

“I know that our schools have a solid foundation and many strengths – small class size, neighborhood schools, early childhood programs, dedicated teachers, and new facilities. There are some excellent schools and programs – many of them in or near Ward 5,” he said.

“I want to preserve the unique, small-school setting of the Brown School, the high academic achievement of the 7th and 8th grades at the Kennedy School, and the strong neighborhood character of the Winter Hill Community School,” said Niedergang.

“But I know that right now not all students are getting a quality education. We need to face this reality and address the problems that exist, such as a lack of resources in the English language learners program, a need for more reading teachers, and a shortage of guidance counselors at the high school. We can do better.”

Niedergang’s professional experience includes four years as the Grant Manager at the Somerville Police Department and in the Mayor’s Office of Human Services, during the administration of Mayor Michael E. Capuano, now the congressman representing Somerville. Niedergang wrote grant applications that brought in more than $1.5 million for community policing, a domestic violence-prevention training program, and Cops and Kids, an after-school program, he said.

Niedergang also created the Somerville Conversations, which involved hundreds of Somervillians in small-group discussions about their neighborhoods, ethnic identity, and what brings people together in Somerville. Since 1999, Niedergang has worked as a consultant to a broad range of non-profit organizations, helping them raise funds and develop and implement a variety of new programs, he said.

In his community work, Niedergang has served on the Board and as President of the Somerville Community Corporation rom 1996-1999. The SCC builds affordable housing and runs the mediation program at Somerville High School. In 1991-1992, he was Executive Director of Congregation B’nai Brith, the Jewish synagogue on Central Street. He has taught Sunday School there for the past six years, he said.

Niedergang first came to Somerville in 1975 to attend Tufts University. He and his wife, Marya Axner, own and live in a two-family home on Conwell Street.  Axner worked for the Somerville Public Schools for four years, developing after-school and parent participation programs, he said.