Opinion: Alicia Williams The Right Candidate For Reading Schools

A Letter to the Editor from Alicia Williams:

I was thrilled when I heard that Alicia Williams is running for the two-year seat for school committee. Alicia’s is a great candidate for many reasons. For starters, based on last year’s extremely close school committee race, Alicia clearly has the trust of many of us here in town. Her energy and passion for truth and fairness are great qualities for a school committee member. She is kind and approachable and as a mother of three small children, she knows how frustrating it can be when help is needed, yet you don’t know where to turn. Alicia is that person to step up and help. She has an impressive volunteer record such as Birch Meadow Garden Club, Co-chair of SEPAC, and Understanding Disabilities, to name only a few. She is also the most consistent School Committee meeting attendee in town. As a matter of fact, despite the devastating loss in last year’s race, Alicia was still at almost every meeting and continues working for the children of Reading.

As the mother of four, I can attest to many frustrating times when during my children’s
education, I felt completely powerless. I know if someone like Alicia was on the board, she would see to it that these issues be handled appropriately and fairly. She is not afraid to speak up when she sees something that is not right. Although some may not like that, I feel it is a necessity to have people like Alicia to challenge the status quo.

Despite Reading Public School’s reputation of being a good school system, our schools are
currently struggling with quite a few challenges. There are start time dilemmas, classroom space and curriculum issues and of course staffing issues. I am confident that Alicia will contribute positively when addressing these matters as she thrives on problem solving. She has shared many great ideas with me personally to make our school system more efficient and cost effective. I am sure Alicia Williams will be a positive addition to the Reading School Committee, so please WRITE-IN ALICIA WILLIAMS for the TWO-YEAR seat for school committee on April 2nd.

Judy Oliver