Newton Patch Candidate: Emily Prenner, School Committee

NEWTON, MA — There will be several contested races in this fall's election, including for school committee, which is a citywide vote. Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

There are eight seats, one from each ward, up for election to the school committee. There are only three contested seats - in Wards 4, 5, 6. And there are 11 candidates vying for eight two-year term seats on the ballot.

Emily Prenner, 48, is running for School Committee against Lev Agranovich to take the Ward 5 seat currently occupied by Steve Siegel, who is stepping off as his term limit comes to a close this year.

Prenner moved to Newton 2003, from New York City. She's a single parent to Simon who attended Newton South and has moved on to college and her daughter Caitlin who is a sophomore in high school.

Prenner attended MIT where she studied chemistry and theater. She said she's been an IT consultant for a startup company, and then program manager for a Wall Street firm.

She took some time recently to answer the questions Patch sent all candidates. Her answers have not been edited.

Read this, too: Newton Election Calendar 2019: What To Know About Election

Got something to say about this election? Submit a Letter To The Editor. Here's how.

Are you running for office in Newton? Contact Jenna Fisher at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Newton Patch.

The single most pressing issue facing our (city, schools, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
Public school districts are complicated, and often have competing priorities, which makes it difficult to just focus on just one. I believe every student deserves the best education possible. To do this, Newton needs to continue hiring highly qualified teachers, provide depth and breadth of program, reduce stress in the secondary schools, and have reasonable class sizes, modern facilities, and a commitment to supporting ALL learners. We need to ensure there are sufficient resources available to provide an excellent education for all children.

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

I have been a passionate advocate for public education since I moved here 16 years ago. I've been PTO co-president at the elementary, secondary and citywide levels. For the last ten years I've attended or watched almost every School Committee meeting. This has given me a deep understanding of how Newton Public Schools work, at both the building and district levels. My professional experience as an IT project manager and consultant has taught me how to build consensus among people with disparate opinions.

In what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)? If you're an incumbent, what is still on your to-do list?

Candidate left this blank

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Aside from the issues listed in the 'priorities' section above, I would also like to focus on closing the achievement gap, supporting a later high school start time, and adding additional mental health supports.

What accomplishments would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I worked as a program manager in New York City for an IT Wall Street company who provided an online trading platform for large financial institutions. After 9/11, all network connectivity was destroyed. I was tasked with running the re-connectivity project for all our clients. The deadline was ASAP, and the city was reeling from the towers falling. I worked with all levels in the company, from the CEO to the network installation team. The project required a level head under extreme pressure, and the skills to facilitate cooperation at every level. The project was successfully completed over the weeks following 9/11, with minimal losses for my company.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...
Talk less, listen more.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I'm the Assistant Music Director of Newton Family Singers. I studied both Chemistry and Theater, which gives me an appreciation for both STEM and the arts.

Your public social media info (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook)
Candidate left this blank

My favorite aspect of this city is...

The sense of community, no matter what Newton village you live in. I have found community in so many different places through a common love of this city we call home.

What's your take on all the development projects across the city?

Newton Public Schools should continue to monitor large development projects across the city. Enrollment is going down - especially in the elementary grades. While this declining enrollment will help with space concerns, NPS also has multiple tools it can use to deal with increased enrollment. The good news is the development and building process can take a long time, which gives NPS sufficient lead time to plan for these changes.

More on Newton Elections:

• Newton Election Calendar 2019: What To Know About Election
• Ward 5 Residents To Head To The Polls Sept. 10
• Humphrey, Winters Win Preliminary Election In Newton's Ward 5
• Rick Lipof Is Running Unopposed
• Mark Laredo- unopposed
• Becky Grossman, At-Large Ward 7
• Got A Newton Election Related Letter To The Editor?

More candidate profiles:

• Kathryn Winters - Ward 5
• Bill Humphrey - Ward 5
• Rena Getz - Ward 5 (write in)
• Andreae Downs - At Large Ward 5
• Deb Crossly - At Large Ward 5
• Brenda Noel, Ward 6
• Vicki Danberg - At Large Ward 6
• Greg Schwartz, At Large Ward 6
• Emily Norton (Incumbent)- Ward 2
• Bryan Barash - Ward 2
• Jake Auchincloss(Incumbent) - At Large Ward 2
• Susan Albright (Incumbent) - At Large Ward 2
• Tarik Lucas -At Large Ward 2
• Jennifer Bentley, At Large Ward 2
• Andrea Kelley - At Large Ward 3
• James Cote - At Large Ward 3
• Ruth Goldman - School Committee
• Kathleen Shields - School Committee
• Bridget Ray-Canada -School Committee
• Alex Koifman - School Committee
• Galina Rosenblit - School Committee
• Lev Agranovich - School Committee