Norwood's Myev Bodenhofer Will Not Run For School Committee Seat

NORWOOD, MA - Veteran School Committee member Myev Bodenhofer announced at the last School Committee meeting on Jan. 12 that she will not be seeking reelection after serving for the past six years.

"As I reach the end of my second term, I've been reflecting on what this committee has accomplished in the last six years," she said.

"Personally, I think the work that I'm most proud of is related to the budget," Bodenhofer, the chair of the budget subcommittee said. "The committee has worked closely with the Finance Commission and with general government, and we have really done a lot to improve those relationships."

Prior to the operational override approved by voters in 2019, the subcommittee created five-year budget projections. The override of $5.95 million was approved by a wide margin.

"The override preserved key programs for our students and allowed for investments in educational coaches, adjustment counselors, interventionists, new curriculum materials and modern assessment tools.

"Most importantly, I think, it broke the cycle of yearly threats of program reductions and layoffs that we would go through every single year," she continued.

During the pandemic, the School Committee worked with the town to request more money, which was used to purchase student Chromebooks. By responding early into the pandemic, Norwood students had access to Chromebooks while other districts struggled to find any. The committee was able to return the money it borrowed from the town because of good financial stewardship.

On the curriculum front, the committee has worked to develop a five-year education plan and has supported intervention to help students before they may need special education services. A special education stabilization fund was established last year

One of her first assignments was to serve on the Long Range Building Study Committee, where she was involved in the decision to create the Little Mustangs Preschool Academy at the Savage Center. That study noted that the Coakley Middle School is overcrowded, which led to the application to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for a new middle school building, which will be voted upon in March at Town Meeting. The MSBA is also expected to vote on the project in March.

Also during her tenure, the budget and policy subcommittees were reestablished. Policy structures were put in place to outline the responsibilities of School Committee members as well as to evaluate the superintendent's performance.

"This committee has updated many policies to reflect new laws and regulations," Bodenhofer continued. "Working with the general government, we've helped to create the townwide Joint Facilities Department."

In addition to the hiring of Superintendent David Thomson, Karin Sheridan was hired during her time on the committee as the department's business manager.

"Although there is always room for improvement, I truly believe that the Norwood Public Schools are now in a better place than they were in 2016," Bodenhofer concluded. "There have been some challenges and certainly some frustrations," she said with a smile, "but I am glad that I have been able to serve on the School Committee these past six years."

She thanked her colleagues on the committee and expressed her dedication to "serve the students of Norwood for the next three months." She also hoped that others would run for the open seat and offered to talk with anyone interested.

Chair Teresa Stewart noted that Bodenhofer has been a "critical component" of all of the successes over her tenure and thank her for her leadership. She noted that when she first decided to run for School Committee in 2017, Bodenhofer "was my first call" for information.

"From that very first call, you've just been a leader, a friend and a colleague," she added. "And I thank you."