Hopkinton Candidate Profile 2022: Nancy Richards-Cavanaugh

HOPKINTON, MA - Hopkinton voters will have some big choices to make in the election on May 16 for School Committee members.

There are three seats up for grabs, each with different term lenghts. Current Chair Nancy Richards-Cavanaugh is running for reelection for the three-year term against Christopher Melton.

The two-year opening became available following the resignation of Meg Tyler. Independent Ashley Fogg is running against Democrat Holly Morand for this seat.

Joe Markey's resignation led to an opening for a one-year term. Democrats Jenn Devlin and Jared Pray are running for this seat.

To help voters get to know each candidate, Hopkinton Patch sent all candidates a questionnaire to probe their thoughts on the issues. Here's what Richards-Cavanaugh, who is seeking reelection for a three-year term, had to say.

Age as of Election Day:

50

Position sought:

School Committee (3 year seat)

Party Affiliation:

Democrat

Family:

Husband: Neil, Children: Sarah (23), Grace (21), Kevin (17) and Megan (12)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education:

BA: Colby College 1993 * MSW: Boston University School of Social Work 1997

Occupation:

I am a Psychiatric Emergency Services Clinician, conducting emergency mental health evaluations in the emergency room, my office and in the community (4 years with the agency I am currently at in my current position), plus various other clinical positions in mental health since 1997.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

I am currently the Chair of the School Committee. I was initially elected to the School Committee in 2016. I have served on numerous subcommittees while on the School Committee and served on the Middle School Council previously.

Campaign website:

Facebook and Instagram: @cavanaughforschools, https://hopkintondemocrats.org...

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am not a one or two issue candidate-- I will dive in with equal passion to the many issues that come before the School Committee. Ensuring the educational welfare for all of our students is a priority that sits in the center of all of the policies and budget the School Committee sets. Emerging from the pandemic, we've seen greater social and emotional needs in our students, as well as some learning gaps, and I believe the my experience, background and commitment poise me to provide the needed leadership at the School Committee level.

I initially ran in 2016 because I felt that with 4 children in the District, I wanted to give back to the schools in a meaningful way. I felt called as a resident to do my part, and, as a former staff writer for a local news outlet who cover the School Committee, I felt I understood well the complexities of the role. During my tenure, I have worked hard to increase transparency and community engagement with the Committee. While I believe we have made strides in many areas, the work I set out to do when I first ran is not finished. Our outstanding ratings tell a piece of the story, but we need to keep pushing forward and ensuring we are meeting the needs of all of our students.

The single most pressing issue facing our district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I would say right now that the most pressing issue our District is facing is ensuring our facilities are prepared for the significant growth we will continue to experience over the next 10 yers. The demographer we hired has predicted that in 10 years our district will have 4,745 students in the district (we currently have 4,071) and the Massachusetts School Building Authority has projected that in 10 years, we will have 4,975 students in the district, which means we are likely looking at somewhere between 700 and 900 additional students will join the district in that time. That is the equivalent of an entire additional building's worth of students at Elmwood or Hopkins schools.

Right now, the District is in the process of 4 classroom addition at Marathon School (pending additional funding at Town Meeting on May 3) and we are working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority on feasibility for the constraints at Elmwood School. We need to do concurrent campus planning to address the growth related needs district wide so we can be proactive in our approach. We need significant community involvement in the planning process to know that we are headed in the right direction for what the community supports in our buildings for both spacial and programmatic needs.

If, for example, the community supports building a new grade 2-4 school (or even a 2-3 school) in order to receive the expected 30% reimbursement rate from the state, it will ripple through the way we are able to address needs in higher grades. The new portable classrooms at Elmwood could be moved to another school to address growth there. If the community wants a 2-4 school, we could look at shifting the grade configuration at Hopkins and/or the middle and high schools. There are so many possibilities to how we could creatively address campus planning needs, but it has to start with work within the community-- focus groups, community forums, etc. That work needs to start this summer and continue on throughout the next year so that our solution to the Elmwood constraints allows us to plan for the rest of the district in a way our community supports. This work will also allow us to look at any programmatic constraints in the buildings and how we can best support our learners and educators.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Experience. I have volunteer experience at every school in this District, which is a huge benefit of having kids not only currently in the District, but also other kids who have been through the entire district K-12. That wide lens gives me a deeper understanding of the needs of the entire district. I also have 6 years experience on the School Committee.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Addressing mental health, social and emotional needs as well as bullying and bias-related incidents.

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

In the midst of the pandemic, I worked with my colleagues on the School Committee to keep the work moving forward on all of our initiatives. While much of the public was focused on masking/unmasking andCOVID-related policies, we were continuing to work on facilities management, policies, negotiating contracts with the unions, etc.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Just keep swimming" from Finding Nemo.

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

I find the increased engagement with the School Committee over the past 2 years to be a gift that came out of some very dark times. I value community input and hope that we can continue to keep people involved in what we are doing going forward.