Beverly’s Students Deserve Better: Elect Brad Willenbrock to the School Committee

Dear Beverly Friends and Neighbors,

This fall, voters have an important choice for the Beverly School Committee. At a moment when our schools are under unprecedented strain, we need leaders who will put students first. Not tax rates, excuses, or the false notion that our current funding levels are “good enough.” That is why I am proud to support Bradford J. Willenbrock for Beverly School Committee.

Brad brings something our committee urgently needs: firsthand experience in schools. He has spent his career working in education, understanding the day-to-day realities of classrooms, and seeing how policy decisions translate into student experiences. When he talks about budgets, staffing, or programming, it is not hypothetical: he knows what those numbers mean for teachers and for kids. This perspective is invaluable, especially in a community like Beverly that has struggled for years with structural underfunding and hard choices.

The truth is clear. Beverly spends $18 million less than the state average on a per pupil basis. Over the past two years, we have lost 50 school positions, including 29.62 staff in the FY26 budget alone, and faced a $2.67 million gap from a true level-services budget. These cuts are not “efficiencies.” They are real losses meaning larger class sizes, fewer supports, lower test scores, more behavioral issues, and diminished opportunities. Our students feel it every day.

Yet too often, instead of addressing these challenges, some members of the School Committee have minimized them – arguing that Beverly’s funding is “appropriate” or that we are getting a good return on investment (ROI). But the truth is sobering: half of our students are not meeting MCAS grade-level proficiency. A so-called “ROI” is meaningless if thousands of children are falling behind. And it is not leadership for the School Committee to take the lazy way out by accepting an arbitrary number handed down by the Mayor. Leadership means starting with student needs and building a budget that reflects them.

Brad Willenbrock represents a different path. He is committed to transparency in budgeting, advocacy for equitable resources, and above all, a focus on student outcomes. He understands that the role of the School Committee is not to defend the status quo, but to push for better. Better support for educators, better opportunities for students, and better long-term planning for our schools and our city.

Beverly deserves School Committee members who will speak honestly about the challenges we face and fight to make sure every student has what they need to succeed. Brad Willenbrock will be that kind of advocate.

I encourage all Beverly residents to join me in voting for Bradford J. Willenbrock for School Committee. With his experience, his integrity, and his student-first approach, he is exactly the kind of leader our schools and our community need.

Sincerely,

Dr. Matthew C. Ferreira

Beverly resident and Associate Superintendent for School Administrative Unit 21 (serving five communities on the NH seacoast)