Framingham School Committee Candidates Talk Policy Changes

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-year 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 are being published this week. One question will run through Saturday, March 28.

Yesterday’s 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? Click here to read those answers.

Today’s report focuses policy.

Candidates were asked: Framingham School Committee sets policy for the district. What policy would you like to revise or create for the district? Why?

Kelly: ”In the many interactions with FPS teachers I have had, there seems to be a phrase that comes up time and time again; they are expected to “fly the plane as they build it”. For example; new curriculum is introduced to teachers and support staff at the same time they are expected to deliver it to students. This is in not a recipe for success. I will push for a policy that commits to the FPS appropriate lead time in the introduction of new curriculum or academic programs. This will ensure appropriate time for professional and useful development to be held before introducing it in the classrooms.

Proper preparation time will allow for adequate training of staff to gain mastery and for any problems or questions to be accurately addressed. In addition, teachers need to adapt the curriculum or program to meet their student’s needs and ensure they are presenting the material with clear understanding.”

Wadland: ”If elected to the Framingham School Committee, one policy area which I will push to revise is that of public participation at School Committee meetings. Starting well before I announced my candidacy back in November, I heard from parents and other stakeholders that they don’t attend School Committee meetings because the opportunities for participation are so limited. And when you look at how sparsely attended the meetings are, you can see that this is indeed the case. The School Committee does allow for a 15 minute public comment period at the start of the meeting, but this is in advance of any materials being presented. So if you attend a School Committee meeting and have a specific question about one of the topics, you either have to ask your question offline in which case nobody else benefits from the answer, or you need to wait two weeks until the next School Committee meeting – at which time the specific presenter might not be there and at which time the Committee will likely not address your question.

Now, I fully appreciate that the School Committee has a lot of material to cover at every meeting, that the meetings need to be run as efficiently as possible and that not every topic can be turned into a public hearing. But given that I am seeking to serve on the School Committee myself, I would not propose such a change if I didn’t believe that hearing from the public within the context of a specific topic being presented would be valuable and a positive step towards greater engagement with the community that the School Committee has been elected to represent.”

Hugo: ”While the School Committee regularly reviews and revises policy, we are at a time when communications within the district are in dire need of improvement. Poor communications are a clear weakness of immediate concern. Although some schools and departments are functioning well, there is an urgent need to review and revamp the inadequate and sometimes ineffective systems currently in place so that information to our stakeholders is clear, accurate, timely and easily accessible.

Although by law, the School Committee is forbidden from running run the day-to-day operations of the district, we do set policies and goals and hold the Superintendent accountable to carry them out in an efficient and fiscally responsible manner.

As such, I have already urged a 360 degree evaluation – a self-critical audit of our current practices throughout the district – identifying potential areas of improvement with measurable goals to be periodically analyzed and acted upon as deficiencies are identified.

Calls and emails to Central Administration should be returned within 24 hours.

We should broaden our team approach by building consensus among all stakeholders to ensure the success of a new policy.

Finding ways to reach all our stakeholders in multiple formats and in ways that they will access is already a priority that I have recently implemented as Chair. Whether it means starting a School Committee sanctioned Facebook page, web page enhancement, more use of Connect Ed, holding periodic community information forums, or holding weekly office hours, this is a major area crying out for improvement.

We can implement many of the above ideas as policy and include them in our association contracts and school handbooks, to keep them in the forefront and ensure regular and improved communications.

Having convened a new School Committee Communications Taskforce, because of our need for improvement and to lessen the frustration of our families and staff, I hope that we will be provided guidance by our knowledgeable and valued community partners serving on it as they identify areas and methods in which the School Committee and the district can enhance their communications with the citizens of Framingham.”