Medford Candidate Profile: Paul Ruseau For School Committee

MEDFORD, MA — With the Medford Municipal Election scheduled for Nov. 7, Patch is profiling the candidates.

Here, we learn more about Paul Ruseau, who running for School Committee. Ruseau is an incumbent who is among the seven candidates running for six seats. The field features two other incumbents, Jenny Graham and Melanie McLaughlin. The other candidates are John Intoppa, Nicole Branley, Aaron Olapade and Erika Reinfeld.

Ruseau is a software engineer who has served on the School Committee since 2018.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Name

Paul Ruseau

How old will you be as of Election Day?

52

Campaign website

https://www.electpaul.org

What city or town do you live in?

Medford

What office are you seeking?

School Committee

Please give us your party affiliation

Democrat

Education

MS, Human Factors in Information Design, Bentley University; BS, Computer Science, Keene State College.

What is your occupation?

Software Engineer

Family

Live in the Hillside neighborhood with husband, Robert, and two teenage children.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Medford School Committee Member, 2018-present

Why are you seeking this office?

I am running for re-election because our students deserve deliberative, thoughtful, progressive, and hard-working people who listen to them to provide them with the best educational experience possible.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The lack of resources to meet the needs of all of our students. I will continue to highlight the experiences of students who are unable to participate in the public education we provide.

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

Six other candidates are seeking this office. Since I will serve with five of them, assuming I am re-elected, it would be inappropriate to comment on them as candidates. While I do not know the backgrounds of all the candidates, my childhood spent in poverty provides me with the lived experience that allows me to be a voice that is often missing from decision-making.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

1) Building a robust maintenance regime for our school buildings to ensure they are operating as best they can, given the limitations of the equipment we own.
2) Working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) on a new Medford High School if we are accepted into their program this fall. Or, if we are not accepted, making the case to the mayor, City Council and the residents of Medford that we should begin the project without state assistance.
3) Identifying what will be required to decarbonize our public education system and the timeline for implementation.
4) Getting free menstrual products into all of our school bathrooms.
5) Continuing the conversation about the challenges of expanding after-school programming and removing any barriers to that expansion whenever possible.
6) Keeping a close eye on the recent implementations of new math, science and reading curricula to ensure those gains continue to grow.
7) Working with the mayor as we approach a major financial crisis we are facing with the end of our pandemic relief funding this fiscal year. (We must) find ways to soften the blow to our massive revenue shortfall.
8) Continuing my work to remove barriers our students face to participate fully in the educational opportunities we already provide.
9) Continuing to modernize and bring into compliance the many outdated school district policies.

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

Some of the accomplishments I am most proud of include taking on the disciplinary policies, writing an entirely new bullying prevention and intervention plan, ensuring free meals for all students, bringing in dental checkups to our elementary schools, writing a new dress code policy that respects our students and their families, writing the first ever rules of the school committee to improve our operations as a public body and help new members to become effective more quickly, adding school holidays that reflect the diverse community of Medford, and many policy rewrites that impact the operations of Medford Public Schools.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I pride myself on being responsive to my community. Thankfully, my primary employment allows me to be very flexible with my time, and I use that flexibility to meet with anyone who wishes to discuss our schools. Please don't hesitate to reach out, and let's find a time to discuss Medford Public Schools!