Rajeev Parlikar To Run For Newton School Committee

NEWTON, MA — A Newton father is throwing his hat into the ring to run to replace Ward 1 School Committee Member Bridget Ray-Canada, who is not running for re-election. So far, he is the only Ward 1 candidate to announce he plans to run.

Rajeev Parlikar, who has a son at Newton North, and who has been one of the chairs of the Newton Special Education Parent Advisory Committee for the past four years announced he was running this week.

"Newton Public Schools will be facing significant challenges in the aftermath of the pandemic," he said. "As a member of the School Committee, I will help to address those challenges and shape the direction in which we move forward."

Parlikar, a first-generation immigrant moved to Newton in 1994. His child entered the school system in 2007.

"As a special education parent; as a first-generation immigrant; and as a minority in our increasingly diverse city, I will contribute important perspectives that will strengthen the School Committee," he said.

After receiving a BS and MS in Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, he has worked as a strategy consultant and executive.

Parlikar has been involved with the district for the past 13 years, most recently serving on the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee; sitting on the High School Working Group which developed a plan for returning high school students to in-person learning; as the parent representative on search committees for public school administrators and as a member of the Transition Taskforce, working to improve how the schools helps special education students prepare for life after high school.

"Through my work on school issues I have built good relationships with parents, teachers, NPS administrators, and the School Committee," he said in a statement. "I will work collaboratively, be open to diverse opinions, and make decisions that are in the best interests of our students and supported by data."

In addition to Ray-Canada, school committee members Ruth Goldman of Ward 6 and Margaret Albright of Ward 2 are also stepping off the board and leave vacancies in the November 2021 election. So far both Paul Levy and Shawn Fitzgibbons have indicated they plan to run for Goldman's open seat.

It's not yet clear who will run to Albright's place in Ward 2, but Chris Brezski filed a statement of organization with the candidate's committee for Ward 2.

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.