by Olivia Blanco Mullins

The Ward 5 School Committee member, elected about six months ago, spoke at the Somerville News contributors meeting July 9.

“I have the connection to the school, but it is beginning to change and progress,” said Megan B. Foster, who graduated from Somerville High School in 2001. “As a senior in high school, I was part of the student school committee. It got me interested.

“I was raised in city politics,” said Foster, whose father ran for alderman. “After talking about it at home, I decided to take the commitment. It is a lot harder than I expected it to be.”

Foster, now a student at Emerson College majoring in political communications, said she enjoyed campaigning. “I got reconnected with my neighborhood. I put in a lot of time, and people respected me when I stepped up to their door. People were excited about having someone new and young.”

Foster, who has siblings in the Somerville school system, said the school was open for students after 16-year-old Ryan Sullivan, a student at Somerville High School, was stabbed and killed July 1.

“We had specialists looking for kids who were not handling it well,” she said. “We need communication between parents and teachers. A lot of parents are not involved. And even when they are there are things that are not addressed,” said Foster. “Suicides, overdoses—we are looking at where kids need to go to deal with their problems.”

Foster said Somerville High School stands out when compared to other schools in the Boston area. “Somerville does well. We have great teachers,” she said.

“There are not drastic issues, but we spend a lot of time with elementary school curriculum. The high school doesn’t take all our time,” said Foster.

Foster said the bilingual education ban that passed last year statewide is still difficult for some people. “We are adjusting to it. The old system wasn’t necessarily the best system either. It is something that as time goes on will be easier for the teachers, if not for the new students.”

Foster said that Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone was the “mayor of the youth.”

“He is the only mayor I have worked with, so I can’t compare. I am happy overall,” she said.

Next year will present new challenges for the School Committee, Foster said. “Dr. Argenziano is resigning. Everyone respects him and trusts him. He is a very intelligent person. It is a little scary to have to go and find someone to replace him. It’s a little intimidating.”