Candidate Profile: Melanie McLaughlin, Medford School Committee

MEDFORD, MA — Melanie McLaughlin is one of 14 candidates running for School Committee in the Sept. 14 preliminary election, which will whittle down the field of candidates ahead of the municipal election in November. There will also be a preliminary election for the mayor's race.

Medford Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

McLaughlin is a current School Committee member and has been an investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker for more than 20 years. She and her husband Terry, a small business owner, have three children, Ryleigh, Aiden and Gracie.

Are you running for office in Medford? Contact Alex Newman at alex.newman@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Medford Patch.

Age (as of Election Day)

54

Position Sought

Re-election to Medford School Committee

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

I live in West Medford with my family. My husband, Terry, is a small business owner, a stonemason originally from Ireland. Our three children, Ryleigh, Aiden and Gracie all attend(ed) Medford Public Schools and have taught me the importance of advocacy for all children.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Fitchburg State University Bachelor of Science: Double Major in Communications/Media and Human Services. Harvard Graduate School of Education Master of Education, Education Policy and Management

Occupation

Documentary Filmmaker and Investigative Journalist 20+ years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

School Committee

Campaign website

http://www.melanie4medford.net

Why are you seeking elective office?

I believe when we are able to address the needs of our most vulnerable students all students will succeed and our systems will improve.

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

Meaningful inclusion. When we talk about inclusion people often think we are discussing moving students from one classroom to another. Meaningful inclusion is about applying thoughtful instruction to meet every child where they are. Meaningful inclusion is as much a state of hearts and mind as it is a practice. We must first believe that every child deserves access to a high-quality public education that includes academic rigor and meets their social/emotional needs for safety, friendship, food security, belonging. I will work on ensuring access to mental health supports, providing inclusive wraparound services through family and community engagement, empowering families to learn how to advocate for improved systems and advocating for an increase in professional development to implement universal design for learning. When we focus on our most vulnerable subgroups: economically disadvantaged students, English learners and students with disabilities we will be focusing on successfully narrowing the achievement gap in our schools and providing a high quality public education for every child.

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

I believe most candidates are invested in improving our schools. I would say one of the most significant differences between me and many of my colleagues is my personal and professional experience as an education advocate, the parent of a child with an intellectual and developmental disability, my graduate degree in education policy and management and my very personal experience as a ward of the state / economically disadvantaged child who experienced systemic failure firsthand.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I think we all did the best we could given the daily curveballs thrown in our direction. I believe every elected official stayed awake at night worried about the safety of our community, our children and our own families. I have the utmost respect for our Board of Health; they have been under never-ending pressure from all sides as well as our teachers and school nurses who had to literally change the education system overnight. If I could do anything differently I would like to have had a back-up system in place beforehand for remote learning in case of emergencies like this.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Everything I do centers around diversity, equity and inclusion. I will work to ensure hiring of diverse staff, support for our anti-racism task force and our student CCSR, Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility, a jewel in Medford public schools. I will think outside of the box on how we are reaching those who are not generally in the room or at the table. I will work on improving family and community engagement in our schools and addressing disproportionality in our systems.

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

I grew up in the projects and became a ward of the state at age 13. I have had to learn to advocate for children at a very young age. I produced and directed an Emmy-award winning documentary about the disappearance of my childhood friend that has changed outcomes for children across the country. I am trained as an education advocate, have a masters in education policy and management, was the co-chair of the Medford Special Education Advisory Council for 8 years and the co-chair of the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE Special Ed Parent Advisory Council for 3 years. I am a board member with the Federation for Children with Special Needs and have helped create an inclusive school calendar in Medford, a cross-district school safety committee, a family and community engagement audit and a monthly talk show EDTalk in my first term as your school committee member.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Gratitude is a gift.

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

I'm a hard worker passionate about systemic change for marginalized kids. I humbly ask for one of your six votes for Medford School Committee. Thank you.