Burlington Candidate Profile: Jeremy Brooks For School Committee

BURLINGTON, MA — The Town of Burlington's Annual Town Election is on Saturday.

The offices on the Ballot are: Moderator, Select Board, Assessor, School Committee, Library Trustees, Planning Board, Board of Health, Housing Authority, Recreation Commission and Town Meeting Members.

The Town of Burlington website has a list of candidates, in addition to samples of ballots for each of the seven precincts: Precinct 1, Precinct 2, Precinct 3, Precinct 4, Precinct 5, Precinct 6, Precinct 7.

Here is more information about the upcoming election.

Patch is profiling some of the candidates. Here, we learn more about Jeremy Paul Brooks, who is running for one of two open seats on the Select Board. Brooks is a challenger in a race that includes incumbents Katherine Bond and Carl Foss.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Jeremy Brooks

Campaign Website

BrooksforBurlington.org

Age

44

Office Sought

School Committee

Family

I am a lifelong Burlington resident and attended Burlington Public School schools from K-12.
Most importantly, I am the proud dad of two amazing girls attending Pine Glen School in grades
1 and 3. My wife Natalie, my girls Lillian and Madelyn, and I moved back to Burlington in 2021
after I retired from 23.5 years of active-duty service in the United States Air Force.

Education

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Management and Technology from Bowling Green University,
an Associate's in Information Systems from Air University, and additional technology and
management certifications from Cornell and Air University.

Occupation

Senior Product Manager

Previous Elected Roles

Vice President Senior Enlisted Council: 2013-2018 (various locations)
Secretary Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7423 Pfc. Roy J. Henderson Post: 2022-Present
TACP Association Northeast Representative: 2021-Present

Why are you seeking elective office?

With two kids in the system, I have a strong and vested desire to see our schools be the very best
they can be. With my life experience, ability to ask tough questions and tenacious work ethic, I
believe I have all the tools to be a great member of our School Committee, to set vision and
policy towards the district's operation. This includes drawing upon experience and perspective to propose fiscally responsible budgets, facilitate the best learning environments and facilitate success for students of all ability levels as well as teachers.

The requirements toward achieving goals of administrative accountability will encompass enhanced transparency and communication that will empower various stakeholders, including parents, teachers and students during some of the difficult conversations we may have around social and learning issues. The children of our community deserve nothing less.

Describe the issues that define your campaign platform

The most pressing issue is the renovation of the Fox Hill School, which remains in its early
planning stage.

Second, and equally important, is the planning and budgeting to repair and renovate Burlington High School. This process will require working closely with other committees in the town government to adequately capture the project's costs and program for the scope of work needed.

Forecasting the costs to maintain the remaining schools in the district within the 10-year capital
plan is imperative to ensure good operational conditions for our students' learning environments
and teacher working conditions. Proper maintenance removes the need for end-of-life repairs that are costly when not forecasted adequately.

The third priority, is ensuring comprehensive policies regarding standards of professionalism are
in place to provide district leadership with guidance to manage interpersonal and system-wide
communications.

If you are a challenger, in what ways do you hope to improve upon the work of the current board
or office holder?

I bring a fresh viewpoint and collaborative perspective to the committee with new ideas to solve
enduring issues. As previously mentioned, I would advocate for continuous process
improvement, adding greater detail to long-range budgeting and finding ways to take advantage
of every dollar in the budget to provide the district with the best possible experiences, facilities
and technologies possible.

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

Budgeting is an important role the School Committee performs along with policy creation. The Air Force allowed me to develop managerial-level experience in operations. This role required me to forecast and manage budgets while justifying financial requests with data-driven acumen.

I've worked alone and with teams to craft policy equivalent in scope to that of a large
corporation. As a leader, I've worked collaboratively at local, state and national levels to
achieve results. I've also worked as an instructor and evaluator to facilitate and assess team
performances to ensure the highest caliber practitioners were certified to work on tasks best
suited to their potential successes.

To expand on my experience in operations, I've worked as a project and program manager,
planning and forecasting costs for projects to be completed on time and within budget.

Furthermore, I've been a member of multiple-source selection committees to choose vendors and
contractors tasked with projects valued from $59 million to $1.3 billion. This speaks to
Burlington's challenges in renovating and constructing our district's aging school building
infrastructure.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Management and Technology from Bowling Green, an Associate
of Science in Information Systems Technologies from Air University, a Business Analytics
certification from Cornell, and a CompTIA Security+ CE certification. Our school district has a
tradition of leveraging technology, and we live in a region where employers are anxious to fill
roles with job candidates capable of technical skills. My domain experience in the technology
sector will allow me to facilitate the district's move toward newer technologies that go beyond
the current iPad program.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My service to Burlington includes volunteer work at Pine Glen as a room parent, a library
volunteer and a Pine Glen Carnival Committee volunteer. I am also a Burlington High School
Computer Science Pathways program mentor. I also chair a local charity run for veterans.