The candidates for School Committee were each asked four questions and invited to describe themselves and their vision for how best to serve their ward as School Committee members. Their responses are presented here in alphabetical order, based on their last names, by ward. Ward 1 candidate Kenneth M. Salvato did not submit answers before we went to press.

 

The questions:

1. What do you feel is the most important duty of the School Committee?

2. What is the number one issue you would address once elected?

3. How would you rate the job performance of the Somerville Public Schools Superintendent?

4. How do you feel about charter schools?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steven P. Roix

Ward 1

Answer 1: All of the children in Somerville are entitled to the best education that we, together as a community, can afford.   The School Committee is responsible for ensuring the appropriate leadership, policies and budget are in place to deliver this education within our District.

Answer 2: We can improve communication with families and the community, for certain, and perhaps at times with our own teachers.  The School Committee has no direct control over the latter, and only a peripheral amount over the former; but we can push things in a general direction, and I plan to.

Answer 3: MCAS performance has improved consistently for several years. This year’s growth numbers were tremendous.  The Superintendent also recognizes the value of programming that doesn’t easily correlate to test scores but is important to community values. There is room for improvement in certain areas but he deserves a “proficient” rating overall.

Answer 4: We send our children to the Somerville Public Schools without hesitation.  We clearly feel the SPS are the best option and offer quality choices for all parents within our community. I do respect the parental prerogative for outside choices, but the Commonwealth’s mechanism for funding Charter Schools is regrettable.

Bio: I’m a 10 year resident of Ward 1 and a life-long resident of Massachusetts. I graduated from Athol High School and have a B.S. in Civil Engineering from WPI. I work in the railroad industry. My wife Julie and I arrived in Somerville without knowing anyone, and in becoming active in numerous organizations and attending many meetings, clean-ups and festivals we have realized that East Somerville is “home.” We wouldn’t have it any other way.  We have two children:  Troy, 5, a kindergartner at the East Somerville Community School and Hank, 3, who attends the Somerville Childcare Center. It’s an honor and a privilege to represent Ward 1 on the School Committee and I would like to continue to do so. www.steveroix.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dan Futrell

Ward 2

Answer 1: Enabling students to reach their potential is the primary goal of Somerville Public Schools, and the most important way the School Committee accomplishes this is through the budget – by knowing and advocating for the needs of families in Somerville, making tough trade-offs to support those needs, and fighting for resources.

Answer 2: Parents and guardians, when engaged in their child’s education, have a significant impact on their child’s success, and parents currently experience an inconsistent level of communication at different schools. In order to truly partner with families, I will first focus on how to increase communication with parents across the district.

Answer 3: While the Superintendent has moved SPS a long way during his tenure, the recent mishandling of teacher evaluations – one of the primary jobs of a superintendent – has significantly damaged teacher morale and confidence in the district’s commitment to professional development. Teacher evaluations must be a top focus in 2014.

Answer 4: We owe it to our students and families to invest in our public school system without reducing resources by adding charter schools in Somerville. Charter schools are only a part of the discussion because of existing gaps in innovation and outcomes in public schools, which I want to improve.

Bio: Dan Futrell serves as the Director of Operations & Strategy at the youth development nonprofit Year Up, where he manages a $9M budget and provides human resources support to a 60-person staff to include performance management and hiring. Prior to this, Dan served five years as a US Army Infantry Officer commanding at the Platoon and Company levels. Serving 27 months in Baghdad, Dan was awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Ranger Tab, and was twice awarded the Bronze Star. Growing up partially in foster care and later in a single parent home, Dan attended college on an ROTC scholarship and later completed a graduate degree in public policy at Harvard. Dan currently serves on the board of the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS). Visit www.danfutrell.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Nionakis

Ward 2

Answer 1: I believe the School Committee’s main function should always be to work as a cohesive unit that keeps the welfare of Somerville’s children as its core value and focus.

Answer 2: My number one focus will always be to implement more, and enhance current, guidance services to ensure that every Somerville student with college aspirations iois given every available tool and opportunity to realize such goals and aspirations.

Answer 3: I believe the programs set in motion by Mr. Pierantozzi have proven very successful and, if elected, I look forward to realizing more of his, and the new School Committee’s, educational and personal goals for the students of Somerville.

Answer 4: I believe charter schools have been a tremendous enhancement to Somerville’s educational options but I am always leery of augmenting their budgets if those funds are taken from budgets supporting Somerville’s other tremendous public schools.

Bio: Lifelong resident of Somerville. Husband to Susan (McDonald) Nionakis, also a lifelong Somerville resident. Father to Michela age 22 and Michael age 6; the entire Nionakis family was educated within Somerville’s public school system. Middlesex Sheriffs Office – Assistant Deputy Superintendent. Middlesex Sheriffs Honor Guard – Assistant Commander. Somerville High School Class of 1982. Bunker Hill Community College. Certificate of Management – Boston University. Member of: Middlesex Sheriffs Superior Officers Association. NAGE Local 57. E-Board Member – MSSOA. Volunteer Coach – Somerville Youth Soccer. St. Joseph’s Society. Ward 2 Democratic Committee. American Police Association. Benefactor – Patricia and Francis McDonald Memorial Book Award. Proudly endorsed by: Somerville Labor Coalition. NAGE-SEIU. www.Nionakis4Two.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adam W. Sweeting

Ward 3

Answer 1: The School Committee sets the budget for the district, which gives it gives it enormous responsibility for setting educational priorities and allocating resources. In addition, it sets district policies while evaluating and supervising the Superintendent. All of these are vital duties performed by the School Committee.

Answer 2: My primary focus will continue to be early childhood education and college/career readiness at the high school. In addition, I want to continue working on closing achievement and opportunity gaps wherever they exist in the district.

Answer 3: The School Committee is just beginnings its annual evaluation of the Superintendent, so I think it premature to comment too extensively. This year we will follow new guidelines the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and I encourage the public to follow the process. Overall, I think the district has made tremendous progress in recent years but that we still have challenges and opportunities to address.

Answer 4: Some charter schools work well, but the funding formula concerns me, as does the mixed record on educating English Language Learners and Special Education students.  I am committed to innovation schools that remain in the district and currently serve on the planning committee for one such school. We have made great progress with our innovation planning and I want to continue along this path.

Bio: I am an educator and the parent of two students in the Somerville Public Schools, one in sixth grade the other a junior at Somerville High School. Prior to being elected to the School Committee in 2007, I coached youth soccer and was active in several parent/guardian groups across the city that focused on improving education for all Somerville students. Since 1996 I have taught at Boston University, where I was named Teacher/Scholar of the Year in 2006. At BU, I served a two-year term as Chair of the Faculty Council and was an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christine Rafal

Ward 4

Answer 1: School Committee has three very important duties: 1) ensure that our schools have enough money and that it is spent fairly and reasonably; 2) hire and evaluate the Superintendent; 3) set local school policy (the budget is our biggest policy document each year).

Answer 2: One of my priorities will be to facilitate new members’ learning of the job. I foresee a strong board focused on workable solutions that keep building on our schools’ forward momentum. I also hope to explore ways to give more families more input at the local policy level.

Answer 3: As a RTTT district, Somerville had to begin implementing the new educator evaluation process in 2012-2103, including different rubrics for our annual performance review of the Superintendent. MASC representatives will meet with us this month to review these new “how-to’s.” I’d encourage School Committee candidates to attend that meeting.

Answer 4: Charter Schools are not monolithic, all good or all bad. However, some features of Charter School regulations seem detrimental. For example, some charter schools are run by for-profit companies receiving public money.

Bio: I have lived in Somerville for a total of 20 years so far. My husband and I are the parents of two Somerville High School students, who have been in Somerville schools since SMILE. My own schooling began in the same bilingual (French Canadian) parochial school my dad had attended in NH. I was the first in my family to earn a 4-year college degree and became a high school English teacher. After earning my EdD, I worked in education research and assessment development. I joined the Healey School Council as a community representative when my first daughter was one year old, and I saw positive work happening in Somerville’s public schools. You can find more at http://rafalforward4.info.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laura J. Pitone

Ward 5

Answer 1: The School Committee’s most important duty is to represent the needs of students and desires of the community in hiring and evaluating the Superintendent, in providing input on use of taxpayer money during the school budgeting process, and in setting priorities in the long-term planning process.

Answer 2: I will help promote collaboration among school staff and engage the community as well.  More shared planning time for teachers, within and across schools, will promote greater creativity in meeting the needs of all students.  Additionally, stronger connections between parents and schools will results in greater satisfaction and support of our students.

Answer 3: People agree that our schools have improved over the past ten years, which is a credit to leadership AND school staff.  In other areas, such as implementing new teacher evaluations last year, the Superintendent has struggled.  Developing staff is a top priority and our leadership has more work to do.

Answer 4: Ideally district schools would meet the needs of all students. The state Innovations Schools initiative, which Somerville has embraced, allows public schools greater autonomy and flexibility formerly only afforded to charter schools. Engaging teachers and parents in the Innovations School process and learning from charter schools will result in district schools more successfully meeting the needs of the community.

Bio: For more than six years, I’ve been in our schools.  From volunteering in the classroom, to leading school-wide initiatives, I’ve learned about different perspectives in Somerville schools, including those of teachers, administrators, students and parents throughout the city.  I’ve collaborated in decision-making on approaches to teaching and learning, shared staff planning time, enrollment in early childhood education programs, and expanding parent involvement.  I currently serve on the city’s Children and Youth Study Team. I am married to Tom Cole and the mother of 2nd grader Avery and 6th grader Ethan at the Healey School.  Professionally, I have worked as a manufacturing engineer and, more recently, as a business and information technology consultant. For more information, please visit www.laurapitone.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ross Richmond

Ward 5

Answer 1: I am running for School Committee to be a strong advocate for all neighborhood schools. Currently 4 of 7 School Committee members are Healey School parents. I will bring a different perspective, through my volunteer experience at the Kennedy School, and my job working on statewide education policy at the Massachusetts State House. Now is the time to diversify School Committee and bring new experience to our school district.

Answer 2: I will bring my experience working at the State House on statewide education policy, to advocate for pre-K for all children, support families with disabilities, and strengthen ties between neighborhood residents and their schools. I will fight to ensure that all students can attend great schools right in their backyard.

Answer 3: I believe Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi is doing a good job. He is absolutely dedicated to our schools and our kids. I do believe he needs more support. Our district needs a communications director responsible for promoting and communicating our schools’ events and achievements as well as how our district addresses challenges. This will benefit our superintendent, current parents, prospective parents, and the community at large.

Answer 4: I believe the most important thing our community can provide is an excellent public school system. For this reason, I will not support new charter schools, but will instead work with all parents, teachers, and administrators to make our public schools even better. I will bring my state-wide education policy experience with initiatives in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and advocate for more innovative schools.

Bio: I grew up in a family deeply committed to public education. My mother was a public school teacher and is now a principal at the Kenny School in Boston. I attended Depaul University, and I currently work for the Higher Education Committee at the Massachusetts State House. At my job I write and review education policy, as well as advocate on behalf of students and parents across the state. I work to make our schools well funded, more accountable and better connected with parents. My experience in statewide advocacy and education policy, my commitment to volunteering with 4th and 5th graders at the Kennedy School, and the relationships I have built with Somerville parents and residents will inform every decision that I make if elected to Ward 5 School Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Bockelman

Ward 6

Answer 1: The School Committee provides policy leadership for the School District and is responsible for hiring a high-quality Superintendent to lead the District. The School Committee also must listen to parents/guardians and students and be responsive to the issues they may raise about their educational experiences.

Answer 2: There are two major issues that will be my focus during the next two years. First is early childhood education and making sure the children who need it most have access to the phenomenal education we can provide. Second is the challenge to ensure that every student graduating from Somerville High School is prepared to succeed in college.

Answer 3: Superintendent Pierantozzi came to Somerville and has helped transform the District in an era of dramatic educational change. He has been a responsible steward of our tax dollars and provided strong educational leadership, building a stellar staff in our central office and in every one of our schools. Tony has been a fervent advocate for Somerville schools and has a work ethic that everyone admires.

Answer 4: Somerville’s public schools can provide an excellent education for all children. We welcome competition from other schools, especially charter schools. I believe that having options is important for parents because not every child is the same. I also believe that parents, by definition, will choose the school that is best for their children. However, I object to the way the State has set up the funding formula for charter schools because it is patently unfair.

Bio: Paul Bockelman has had the honor to represent Ward Six on the Somerville School Committee since 2005. Paul is the Director of Administration & Finance at the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the non-profit advocate for Massachusetts cities and towns. Previously, he served as Operations Manager of the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association, a non-profit insurer of Massachusetts cities and towns with over $300 million in premiums. He was also the Town Administrator in Manchester-by-the-Sea for fourteen years and worked for the City of Cambridge as Assistant Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission. In Somerville, Paul has been a Little League coach, a founding member of the Historic Preservation Commission, and has served on numerous city committees and task forces. Paul holds a Masters in City Planning degree from MIT and a Bachelor’s Degree from Hampshire College. Paul and Cathy Barber have lived in Somerville for over 30 years. Their children, Corey and Mattie, attended Somerville Public Schools.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caroline Lynch Normand

Ward 7

Answer 1: The School Committee’s most important duty is to represent constituents’ concerns while setting high standards for our schools. It must provide direction and the resources to support our students, teachers and staff in their efforts to make progress.

Answer 2: My top priority is to set high expectations for all our students. I will advocate for programs and services that recognize the varied needs of all our students (at, above or below grade level).  I will work to build stronger connections between families, schools and community.

Answer 3: Since the Superintendent took office, our schools have been making steady progress towards meeting nationally and state mandated standards while maintaining a varied curriculum and extracurricular activities. I’m pleased with the gains made on MCAS, and I will advocate for what is in the best interest of students.

Answer 4: Families make educational decisions in the best interest of their individual children.  I am running for School Committee because I believe that all children should have access to high quality public education. Somerville is moving in the right direction, but we still have a lot of work to do.

Bio: I am deeply committed to improving Somerville public schools for all children. I have lived here for 20 years and have a 4th and 7th grader in the system. I have volunteered extensively in our schools as a literacy and math tutor, room parent, PTA member, Cochair of the Healey School Improvement Council, Special Education Parent Advisory Council member, and member of several redesign and teacher interview committees. I know many families from across the city and have developed a broad perspective of our students’ and families’ needs. Currently, I am the Somerville Special Education Advocacy Fellow at Massachusetts Advocates for Children learning about best special education practices used in other districts and from experts in the field. My professional experience includes writing instructor, union organizer, and academic and financial aid advisor at the Harvard Extension School where I worked during the day and earned my masters at night.

 

Be sure to vote in the city election on Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.