Paul Levy To Run For Newton School Committee

NEWTON, MA — A Newton father of three is running to replace School Committee Chair Ruth Goldman, whose term ends this year. Although the election is nearly 10 months away, Paul Levy has garnered the support of hundreds of Newton residents so far.

Levy, who has lived on Oxford Road for the past 40 years, registered with the office of campaign finance late last year, but made it official Tuesday, announcing he was running for the open Ward 6 seat on the Newton School Committee.

"I can make a real difference in the lives of our students," Levy said in a statement. "As a father and as a long-time Newton soccer coach, I’ve learned that our educators ... can be most effective when they have meaningful organizational support."

Levy said his time as CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center from 2002 to 2011; as an adjunct professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the late 1990s; and as the executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority during the Boston Harbor Cleanup all point to a career spent leading complex organizations facing challenges, and said his experience there will serve him well as he focuses on the challenges facing Newton Public Schools.

"I work collaboratively and respectfully with governing bodies, staff, and constituents to accomplish meaningful progress, as demonstrated by my record," he said in a statement. "I can’t wait to bring this experience to the Newton School Committee."

Levy also worked in Gov. Mike Dukakis's administration as the chair of the public utilities department, and for Gov. Bill Clinton's department of energy in Arkansas.

Levy said, if elected, he wants to prioritize focusing on how problems related to the pandemic will affect Newton students.

"The disruption in education is pervasive through the vast diversity of student learners," he said. "There is no doubt that the emotional impact on teachers has also been substantial and needs to be addressed in an empathetic and positive manner."

He also said he wants to reduce class size, renovate school buildings, invest in special education and IEP, and work to create a welcoming school environment and transparent decision-making in the school administration.

Levy is currently a senior adviser for Lax Sebenius, a negotiation consulting firm.

Former Newton School Committee chair Matt Hills, who is involved with the Levy campaign, said Levy indicated he wanted to run for school committee a few years ago, but was waiting for his youngest to start kindergarten.

Hills said he is impressed with Levy's experiences and convinced he will help the district move forward

"In a nutshell, Paul is among the most qualified people to run for Newton School Committee in the more than 20 years that I've followed the Newton School Committee," Hills said. "The quality of the school committee is going to be much higher with Paul as a member. The ability of the superintendent to make good decisions will be that much greater. He will help make the school committee and the school department that much effective."

Levy has the names of some 252 people who have promised to vote for him listed on his website. Hills said Levy has already raised more than $30,000 to run more than 10 months before the November election.

In addition to Goldman, school committee members Margaret Albright of Ward 2 and Bridget Ray-Canada from Ward 1 are also stepping off the board and leave vacancies in the November 2021 election. So far, Shawn Fitzgibbons, former chair of the Newton Democratic Party, has also confirmed he is running for Goldman's open seat.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.