Candidate Profile: Matthew Shulman, 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 Matthew Shulman tells Patch why he should be elected to the Board of Education.

How old will you be as of Election Day?

77

Please give us your party affiliation.

Democrat

Education.

M.P.S. (Communications) - Cornell Univ '79

What is your occupation?

40 years designing health, education and economic development communication strategies in US & abroad; 3 years teaching EFL overseas; published Lansing (NY) Community News; operated Healing Springs Farm (Lansing, NY); post retirement NC hospital chaplaincy residency - then employed in NC and L&M

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

Aline Shulman (spouse); Zara DiZoglio (daughter w/ 2 sons); Jean-Philippe (son)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

None

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

Member, Groton Board of Education [Communications Committee chair; Policy Committee]; Director of Lansing (NY) Ambulance (1980s)

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?

Will attach or email you my statement; use whatever you feel appropriate.

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

See priority # 1 in statement

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

Each candidate has his/her strong & weak points. I'm strong in communications and analytic problem analysis, and program design. I am relatively weak in organizational budget work sheets. It's up to the voter to decide which candidate's "value added" merits their vote.

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

A) I am a 2-year incumbent. Party and philosophy aside, I reject the assertion that incumbents are automatically "failing" the community. It happens and such candidates should be called out, but your question formulation is prejudicial.

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

See my statement; use whatever you feel appropriate.

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

In '21 I laid out my three priorities. My statement describes the outcomes on all three. To be clear, for any of my proposals to be adopted required the assent of the full Board and constitute Board rather than personal achievements.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

The role of parents (orr School Board members) is to prepare their children to thrive is the world they will inherit -- not necessarily the world in which you grew up. For me this means observe, listen, hear, study, debate and move the checkers across the board. Pursue the ideal even as you know perfection is unattainable.

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

I’m Matthew Shulman. You elected me to your Board of Education two years ago. I chair its Communications Committee and serve on the Policy Committee.

Before retirement, I designed adult educational programs; taught English as a foreign language overseas; did strategic communication planning; and published a weekly newspaper. After retiring, I did a chaplaincy residency and served as a hospital chaplain in North Carolina and at L&M Hospital.

When I ran for School Board in 2021, COVID was full blown. I visited 1200 Groton homes to learn first-hand about COVID’s impacts on their children’s education. After listening, I developed three priorities to guide my work. They were to:

• Re-Boot our mentoring program for students in need;
• Expand Financial Literacy Education; and
• Enhance school-community communications.

Happily, we’ve made progress in all three areas.

1] Mentoring - COVID devastated our Mentoring Program, reducing our volunteer pool from ~125 to just 2. With support from the Board and Superintendent, we’ve bounced back! Superintendent Austin engaged existing staff and our trained volunteer team now exceeds 60. We also received a grant to strengthen the program and hope to be at full strength this school year!

2] Financial Literacy - Beyond basic banking, all students need to understand loans, mortgages, and taxes. And, since pensions and Social Security will likely be different in the future, learning to invest for retirement is imperative. Students must also be able to recognize predatory loans to avoid crushing debt. Any adult without these financial skills will be at risk, so I advocated for increased financial training to equip our children for the financial realities they’ll face.

After discussion, the Board directed our Curriculum Committee to assess our current efforts; consult with faculty; and make recommendations to the full Board. This is a "work in progress". Please note that Groton started this process BEFORE Connecticut this year became the 21st state to mandate financial literacy for elementary, middle and high school students.

3] Communications - I strongly support two-way communications. Traditionally, Groton Schools focused on communicating with parents and with town governmental bodies. In 2022, we surveyed town residents about our communications. We asked what information folks want and how they want to receive it. As a result, we’ve broadened efforts to stimulate two-way relationships with the entire community. Our newly-revised school and district websites rolled out this fall. Check ’em out! Additionally, the Board recently adopted a Communication Plan that will, among other things, support PTOs across schools, attract individuals and businesses to volunteer their expertise, and reach out to prospective parents.

If re-elected on November 7th, here are the priority topics I want to address:

1. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT - Lifting up ALL students’ academic performance remains Goal #1. Groton did not escape the national decline in academic achievement due to COVID. Although our 2022-23 performance scores show better progress than most similar CT schools, we’ve not met our goals. I’d like to be part of the Board’s continuing policy discussions to ensure that our students meet or exceed state standards in reading, writing, math, and science.

2. COVID RECOVERY - COVID may seem in the rear-view mirror, but its impacts linger. Groton Schools used federal funds to add in-school and summer academic recovery programs with additional tutors, para-professionals, and support staff. Our challenge is how to continue to help struggling students while paying the costs in a fiscally prudent manner.

This summer, Groton won a 3-year grant from our State Education Department allowing us to retain social workers hired with federal COVID relief funds. And, in September, we were awarded a $1.25 million grant over 5 years to enhance elementary school language arts instruction, with an emphasis on the Science of Reading. And we continue to pursue other grants targeting academic achievement!

3. CIVICS and Community Service - Our world needs adults who participate in civic life. Because instilling the importance of civic engagement is vital to our national security, I support expanding Groton’s civics requirement. I also support expanding age-appropriate community service for graduation. Such policies will strengthen our nation.

As I did in 2021, I’m reaching out to listen and learn from as many Groton households as possible. Please share your hopes for our children to help guide my reflection and decision-making. I appreciate your input and ask for your vote. Thank you.