Patch Candidate Profile: Richard Hersh, Guilford Board of Education

GUILFORD, CT — As the 2023 municipal elections get closer in Guilford, plenty of races with candidates are eager to serve in elected office.

Guilford Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will publish candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Richard Hersh, 81, a former professor of Education and College President (now retired), is running for reelection on the Board of Education as a democratic candidate.

Hersh is married to Dr. Judith Meyers, psychologist, and former Connecticut Child Health and Development Institutedirector.

Hersh holds a Doctor in Education degree.

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

Board of Selectmen, Durham, New Hampshire: 1987-89

Why are you seeking this office?

To retain my current seat on the Board of Education.

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

Unwarranted right-wing attacks on our local schools. It is crucial that we on the BOE maintain the current high quality of Guilford Schools and its teachers and administrators and vigorously rebut false and misleading accusations made by its ideological critics.

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

To affirm the clear, current direction of the Guilford School system and its Superintendent, Paul Freeman. I am in support of our high academic standards, our purposeful social/emotional education objectives, and our promotion of diversity of ideas and curricular materials required for citizenship in a 21st-century democratic society.

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

Former high school social studies teacher, professor of education, Director of Harvard’s Center for Moral Development, and President of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Trinity College ( Hartford). Author of numerous articles and six books on education.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

“Always put your tools back where they belong.”

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

The philosopher John Dewey said that “Democracy must be renewed every generation and education is its handmaiden.” With American democracy now so stressed, I believe local education represents the soul of the community and my role on the Board of Education is to support that local democratic purpose.