Board of Education Candidate: Kim Shepardson Watson

Editor's note: Seven candidates are running for 5 seats on the Groton Board of Education on Nov. 8. Below is a Q&A with one of the candidates.

Name:  Kim Shepardson Watson

Age:  47

Education: Bachelor's degree in social work, master's degree in social work, Southern Connecticut State University.

Work Experience:  Worked for both social service and educational agencies in New London County.  Currently in private practice.

Civic/Political Experience:  I have been on boards and committees through my church.  I am also active in professional committees.

Family:  Married to Harry Watson, three children; two are attending college and one is a senior at Fitch Senior High School.

Why are you running for this office?  I have always wanted to give back to my community, however, my family’s demands have not allowed me to.  Now with my children older I feel I have the time to serve my community.  My professional skills could also be considered an asset.  I do have working knowledge of educational standards plus the incredible demands that are placed on our school system.  I am also an active listener, effective communicator, team builder, and a collaborator.

What do you believe is the greatest challenge Groton schools face today, and what would you do to meet this challenge?  Not unlike other areas, these are very difficult financial times and hard decisions have to be made.  I feel the board’s top challenge is to make sure that the financial concerns have the least amount of impact on our children.

How would you rate the performance of the current board overall, and what, if anything, would you do differently?  This has been a difficult past few years for the board.  There have been some important issues that the board has been divided on. As a new board member, I would be open-minded and eager to learn all the facets of board and would hope to add a fresh perspective and voice.