Why Change is an Imperative for the School Committee
Newton Tab Op-Ed 10/14/2009
In 1964 Time magazine referred to Newton as “probably the most creative school system in the country.” Today we are a footnote in national rankings slipping lower every year – specifically 277 spots lower since 2003 for Newton North according to Newsweek. Newton used to be what other cities aspired to. Today Newton is identified with how we have managed our new high school. Seven years ago the community supported our schools with a tax override. Last year, well, you get the picture.
We can be proud of Newton’s schools for their attributes of excellence, but we cannot be complacent. We must go after our challenges with urgency and an open mind towards improvement. Each year that goes by is one that our students and children will never get back. Can we embrace innovation and not fear it? We already know where we are headed if we do not.
I applaud the commitment and sacrifice of those on the School Committee. It is a labor of love – love for our children and love for our community. However, from what I observe there is no sense of urgency in addressing the fundamental weaknesses of our system. I bring skills and experience that will be critical in overcoming the challenges we face. As an engineering executive, aggressively tackling problems is what I do for a living. With your vote, I will bring these capabilities to the School Committee.
As a lifelong resident of Newton with three children currently in our schools, I am committed to restoring focus on neighborhood schools. Our city is a village of neighborhoods and the heart of each neighborhood is its school. We have closed six elementary and two middle schools in my lifetime. Our current long-range facilities plan is moving us further away from neighborhood schools. As a member of the School Committee I will view all aspects of our facilities through this lens and recommend my School Committee colleagues do the same.
At this point, we all know Newton’s school cost structure grows at a rate significantly higher than our revenues. This imbalance is the result of cumulative decisions made by the School Committee over many years, not something beyond our control. As a business executive, I have managed multi-million dollar budgets in good times and in bad. On the School Committee, my focus will be on revising our approach to budgeting with the Superintendent. By identifying where we need to be, it is possible to map the steps required to get there while holding ourselves fiscally accountable along the way. We must fund our educational mission for all constituents across the rich spectrum of subject areas Newton values. It will take time to fully correct our cost structure, yet it is possible. We must begin the journey now.
As an engineer and participant in our global economy, I am unsatisfied with our efforts on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). NPS has a weak mathematics curriculum at the elementary and middle school level. We continue to perform below the state average in students considering a career in STEM and have no plans in place to reach the target established in Massachusetts. As a member of the School Committee I will embrace such targets. We must spend our energy working towards achievement, not rationalizing why standards should not apply to us.
During its recent effort, the Citizen's Advisory Group (CAG) reported basic problems. Problems like food service losing $1 million per year are an example of issues the School Committee should have been addressing, not something an outside organization had to expose. Since the release of the CAG report two separate sub-committees have been formed. As a member of the School Committee, I will ensure we are constantly reviewing all aspects of our operations; openly discussing programs which need improvement, proactively correcting procedural weaknesses and monitoring the effectiveness of the change. We will be able to hand the next CAG (or any concerned citizen) a list of our most pressing problems and what we are doing about them.
Great challenges require great confidence and vision. If you agree our schools are not progressing in the right direction, we must change the direction. We must change the focus. We must change the culture. The choice is clear. Change is not a risk we cannot afford; it is an imperative we cannot afford to ignore. Vote for change on November 3rd.