Candidate Profile: Ian Thomas, Groton Board Of Education

GROTON, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Groton and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Groton Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Groton resident Ian Thomas tells Patch why he should be elected to Board of Education.

How old will you be as of Election Day?

48

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here.

Town of Groton

Please give us your party affiliation.

Democrat

Education.

Master’s in Special Education, Dual Bachelor’s Degree in English and American Studies, Certified in English 7-12, General Equivalency Diploma (GED) and Credit Diploma Program (CDP) instruction.

What is your occupation?

State School Teacher
Connecticut Department of Corrections

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

I am the middle child of five siblings. My father is a Retired Navy Senior Chief, and my mother is a Retired Educator who taught both a gifted and talented program as well as Math at the Middle School level.

I am a parent of both a recent Fitch graduate who is now a submariner in the United States Navy, stationed in Groton, and a current senior who is working on entering the Navy through an ROTC pathway.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My wife, Portia Bordelon, is a current Groton Town Councilor running for her third term.

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Groton Representative Town Meeting (RTM)
District 2 & 3
2019-2023

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

It is imperative for our schools to produce graduates who all have a firm foundation of how to survive and function in this society. Such a foundation requires early, urgent and consistent focus on the three fundamentals of learning: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.

These cornerstones are critical to building a student’s internal educational infrastructure strong enough to withstand the rigor and dynamic demands of the world beyond the walls of our academic institutions.

These cornerstones can be further and more firmly embedded by finding creative ways to integrate more real-world, practical applications of academic learning into the regular curriculum.

I believe my background as an experiential educator in sail training, as well as having worked in the trades on a professional level, have provided me with dynamic blend of blue collar and academic skills and knowledge that could benefit the Board and the School District as a whole, as we continue to adjust and adapt to the needs of the Students, Teachers, Paraprofessionals and Tutors.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is _____, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The most important issue regarding education in Groton Public Schools is the need to close achievement gaps.

Regardless of any student’s background or any possible future academic, athletic or career choices, it is imperative for our schools to produce graduates who all have a firm foundation of how to survive and function in this society. Such a foundation requires early, urgent and consistent focus on the three fundamentals of learning: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.

These cornerstones are critical to building a student’s internal educational infrastructure strong enough to withstand the rigor and dynamic demands of the world beyond the walls of our academic institutions. For these areas to improve, we must make a commitment to restoring scientifically verified, explicit instruction techniques for linguistic and mathematical literacy on the elementary level. We need to be sure that Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Tutors and Students have the resources, supports and flexibility they need to meet students where they are bringing them where they need to go.

We also need to work towards restoring, enhancing and integrating home economics and industrial arts classes into the curriculum. We need to further develop financial literacy instruction, coordination with local employers and trade unions to open opportunities for apprenticeships and internships, as well as finding creative ways to integrate more real-world, practical applications of academic learning into the regular curriculum.

We should continue to institute, deepen and expand pipeline programs for organizations such as the Naval ROTC, Civil Air Patrol, Merchant Marine Academies and Peace Corps, Habitat for Humanity along with internships at major employers in the area such as Pfizer and EB as well as any number of carpentry, plumbing and electrical contractors.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I’d rather not engage in any sort of direct comparison, since this is a Board position, and it is altogether likely that I will end up working alongside several other folks who are currently campaigning and posting their perspectives on this forum. I think it’s best to leave it up to the community to conduct their own “compare-and-contrast” exercises as they deliberate on who they think might make for a dynamic and complementary body of individuals.

I believe in equitable access to all levels of education and extracurricular activities for all levels of learners from all parts of the city, town and voting districts. I believe this should be the driving mission and primary focus for the Board of Education.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

This election cycle is a bit different than the usual Board of Education field of candidates. There have been two resignations over the past couple terms, so there are six positions open and only two incumbents who have chosen to run for re-election.

I leave it up to the concerned constituents who engage with this forum to determine how my perspectives and approach compare or contrast to the remaining incumbents and the other candidates.

We are all running to be part of a collective body of individuals. The strength of that body depends on a certain amount of diversity in thought, lived experience, temperament, analysis and strategy.

I am a firm believer in the value of diversity in perspective on a governing body. We need a variety of approaches with opinions, insights and questions so that the community interests, questions, initiatives, policies, procedures and proposals that come through our agendas are vetted vigorously and rigorously.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

1. Explore how to expand extracurricular activities such as music and arts in new and exciting ways. One possibility could be creating a connection between the middle school concert band and the high school’s marching band in the form of a feeder program, culminating with eighth graders helping to fill out the ranks of the marching band during games and competitions. Another possibility would be to have the concert and marching bands invited to provide music for some municipal celebration or acknowledgement events. Similar models for feeder programs could also be applied to a whole range of alternative sports and extracurricular activities such as Fencing, Wrestling, Performing Arts as well as Track & Field.

2. Explore ways that career counseling and job training can be extended to young adults after they graduate. Education does not end at eighteen, nor does the need for supports, feedback and guidance. The resources a school district offer to students are just as valuable, or perhaps more valuable, to a significant percentage of students after they graduate and begin to build their lives. Some may find the path they thought was the one they wanted was not the best choice and they may need assistance in altering course. I think there is a need and an opportunity to increase the overall percentage of successful post-graduation career paths if we develop the capacity and culture for an alumni access to the guidance and career counseling departments.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

- In conjunction with my wife, Portia Bordelon, and acting as a concerned parent who happened to be a teacher-in-training at Lyme-Old Lyme High School, I guided Fitch High School to create the TASC (Teacher Assisted Study Center) program based on a model I observed at LOLHS that provided students with an option to utilize a guided Study Hall with student access to certified English and Math Teachers for targeted and trained assistance with review, study and exam preparation.

- Served on Unified School District #1 Curriculum Committee, assisted in writing and presenting new curriculum in 2021-2022.

- RTM member for District 2 and 3, from 2019-2023

- Fitch Falcon Music Booster Treasurer

- Fitch Falcon Athletic Booster

- Fitch Marching Band Pit Crew

- Fitch Fencing Armorer-in-Training

- Writer’s Block Ink (New London-based performing arts Youth Program): Assistant Program Coordinator, Editor and Publisher of Summer Program Magazine.

- Contributor, Editor & Publisher Local Arts & Culture Magazines (2003-14)

- Founding Member and Manager, Field of Greens Farmers’ Market (2010-11)

- Sailed as deckhand, mate and master on a variety of traditional-rigged sailing vessels over the span of an 18-year career (1998-2016), earning a 500-ton Oceans Master License, crafting sail-training curriculum and itineraries as needed for several different operations.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

This is more accurately described as advice that I found, not that was given to me. Regardless, it pretty much sums up how I approach most, if not all, situations where I am tasked with taking on any level of leadership, managerial or executive responsibility.

“Absorb what is useful, discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.” – Bruce Lee

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am an active parent in the school community, serving as Treasurer for the Fitch Falcon Music Boosters and being a member of the Athletic Boosters as well. I am also a proud union member who has the honor of being endorsed for this position by the SEIU and the Young Democrats of New London County.

If elected to the Board of Education, my goals would include helping craft policy and practices to close achievement gaps; increasing opportunity, advocating for strategic, ground-level allocations for budget items, increasing transparency, accountability and accessibility; along with improving workforce readiness program and increasing the amount and variety of experiential education opportunities that would engage the students with the dynamic environment that surrounds us here, in this coastal estuary region of Southeast Connecticut and Western Rhode Island.

You can find me at 12A on the ballot and I hope to have earned your support.