Framingham School Committee Candidates Discuss District's Strengths and Weaknesses

On Tuesday, April 7, Framingham voters will decide which of three candidates will be elected to the 7-member Framingham School Committee

There are two 3-yeat terms available this year, as incumbent Andy Limeri chose not to seek re-election.

On the ballot are incumbent Beverly Hugo, Jim Kelly, and Scott Wadland.

Patch asked each of the candidates a series of questions. The answers to those questions will be published this week. One question will run today through Saturday, March 28.

Today’s report focuses on the answer to the following question:

What do you see as the major strength of the Framingham Public Schools? The district’s major weakness? How as a School Committee member would you address the weakness?

Hugo: ”The biggest strength of the Framingham Public Schools is the excellent caliber of education that we provide to our students.

We have a highly qualified and dedicated staff that, amongst all the radical changes in education reform today, has been resilient and steadfast in their laser-like focus on delivering the best quality services that they can provide in a compassionate, professional and differentiated way.

Although Framingham is a town, because of the diversity and socioeconomic status of our population, we are urban in character. With our high – needs student demographics at 55.8% (English Language Learners, Special Education, transient, homeless, low socioeconomic status, students with limited or interrupted formal education etc.), we have still managed to show significant progress at each of our schools in the district. In fact, in spite of our challenges in meeting the needs of our diverse student body, our high school has ascended two levels and has attained a Level One status – the highest rank that can be achieved in Massachusetts.

However, not all groups of students are experiencing the same amount of educational growth. To ensure that all students are given the opportunities afforded to them by a community that values the power of Public Education, we must ensure that our schools have the proper amount of resources to support high academic achievement, in particularly our lowest performing schools.

The increased engagement of our families and community as partners is essential, as well as the offerings of high quality out-of-school time programs. This could also lessen the regressive effects of the “summer slide” phenomenon. We must ensure that our teachers and staff are provided the proper amount of targeted professional development to teach our new curriculum and initiatives and are trained in methods to address the burgeoning social and emotional needs of our fragile students. Our methods of supervision and evaluation should be constructive, supportive and not punitive. Our leadership should be uplifting and conducive to professional growth in ensuring positive outcomes for all of our students. All stakeholders must work together to establish goals and methods to achieve them to ensure that we are being efficient and effective. An academic data dashboard must be used and constantly analyzed to see whether we are meeting our goals. Out of school suspensions, a prime indicator of a child dropping out of school, need to be curtailed. Our students must be literate by grade three. If not, their chances of academic success are severely limited. More and enhanced support programs such as Resiliency for Life and Strive for Excellence need to be available. Finally, we should continue to monitor best case practices and updated pedagogies to ensure that we are doing all we can do to provide the optimal services and supports to our most vulnerable students.

As a School Committee member, I will continue to ensure that we support policies, a budget and oversight to maximize achievement and excellence for Framingham’s students.”

Kelly: ”I believe the FPS has a great number of strengths; from its cultural and economic diversity to its extracurricular activities. The greatest strength we have is our educators. Our district is made up of highly qualified, extremely passionate people in the classroom who go above and beyond in teaching our children. In all of my interactions with the BLOCKS preschool, elementary, middle and high school staff I have been impressed with the dedication they have in connecting with the students. Their commitment and energy are infectious.

The biggest weakness at this time is the number of “boots on the ground” that we have to deliver vital services directly to the students. This is becoming an even greater issue due to the growing student population that we serve whose academic and social needs greatly vary. In some classrooms, we need to appropriately place educators and support staff who everyday grow a child’s mindset and meet their needs. We must increase the quality and usefulness of professional development time that we invest in them. Our greatest responsibility is our students and our entire focus must center upon the immediate impact their educational experiences have on their lives.

As a member the School Committee, I will work with the Superintendent to put a greater focus on resources in the classroom including classroom level professionals, as opposed to adding layers to administration. It does take some administration to run the business of education however, the priority must be providing the right level of support in the classroom as it directly impacts students.”

Wadland: “One of the greatest strengths of the Framingham Public Schools is the passion and dedication of our teachers and aides. These individuals work tirelessly to meet an ever-growing list of mandates and expectations, often without the time or materials that the job requires – all out of love for what they do. The passion of these professionals is matched by that of our parents, who through the growth of social media have become more vocal about the schools. Parents also have a wealth of experience and a variety of professional skills in communication, finance, technology and other areas - and in some cases they are education professionals themselves.

One of the greatest weaknesses for the district is harnessing this collective energy and expertise and using it to inform policies and decisions. People who have so much at stake and so much to contribute deserve to have their voices heard and their input truly taken into consideration. At a recent event I spoke with a parent who works in the public relations and communications field. This person volunteered for the Communications and Public Relations Task Force, but shared with me that they felt “frustrated” and had “so much more to offer” than what was currently being done. This is but one example of a lost opportunity that we should avoid as much as possible.

As a technologist, it would be easy for me to suggest leveraging technologies such as email and online surveys to distribute information and collect feedback. But in this case, that is clearly not sufficient. While we do need to utilize the various tools available to us, they are just that – tools. They should be one part of a broader approach which supports a clearly articulated set of communication objectives. As a School Committee member, I would begin by taking a closer look at the task force – its membership, its methods and its outcomes. I think that it’s too early to declare the task force a success or a failure, but rather an area to watch closely going forward since effective two-way communication is fundamental to everything the School Committee does.”