Paul Ruseau Running For Re-Election To Medford School Committee

MEDFORD, MA — School Committee member Paul Ruseau is running for re-election in 2021.

Ruseau lives in the Hillside neighborhood with his husband Robert and their two teenage children, Nevaeh, a student at the Andrews Middle School, and Matthew, a Medford High School student.

"These past two years have been unlike any in living memory for our students, families, educators, and community," Ruseau said in a statement. "The pandemic reinforced my belief that while we must have plans in place to deal with the various challenges we anticipate, we must also remain agile to respond to the unexpected. My current focus is on the social and emotional needs of our public school community. I will continue my work to increase access to our educational opportunities, and further my longer-term goals, the same goals that ignited my interest in public service."

Ruseau said issues of equity, access, hunger, poverty and racism are linked to student achievement and said he is proud of the anti-racist work being done within the Medford Public Schools, which he called "long-overdue."

Ruseau wrote the policy to end out-of-school suspensions, which disproportionately affect high needs students and students of color. He also spearheaded the free school lunch resolution this past spring and was successful in ensuring that no student will be charged for food in the upcoming school year.

In 2022, Ruseau said he will propose a permanent policy to end "student lunch debt" and ensure all students are well-fed and energized.

Ruseau added that he is "grateful beyond words" for the work of Medford's educators during the pandemic and their dedication to students. He said he will listen to teachers and advocate for them to have the resources, training and time to reach their professional goals and serve Medford's students.

Ruseau's family was among the third of public school families to pivot to remote education during the pandemic. As such, he said he "will not lose sight of this significant group of students and their needs."

Read Ruseau's full campaign statement below:

"I am motivated by seeing our students thriving, learning, and interacting with each other, participating in the incredible programs offered within our schools and I am excited for the beginning of a new school year.

I firmly believe we need a new high school. A new high school will help us to meet our educational mandate, no longer contribute to the climate crisis, and reflect the pride of Medford. I will do my part to move this project forward!

As our economy continues to recover, the limitations of our before and after school programs are creating new and more urgent challenges, particularly for families returning to the workplace. There are many obstacles to expanding our capacity to serve all children, but I will continue my efforts to provide every child a seat in these programs.

I hope that Medford voters will give me the opportunity to continue my work on their behalf, and move our schools forward. The pandemic did not slow down my professional development and I continued to take part in the training courses offered by our professional association. Being a School Committee member requires substantial effort to learn, attend training, and read - you should expect that from all of your elected officials."

Ruseau is the Medford representative to the Shore Educational Collaborative’s board of directors and has chaired the board since 2020.

He earned his bachelor's degree in computer science from Keene State College in 1995, and his master's in human factors in information design from Bentley University in 2013.