Shrewsbury 2023 Candidate Profile: Sandy Fryc, School Committee

SHREWSBURY, MA — Shrewsbury's 2023 school committee race will be a contest between an incumbent and two challengers for two seats on the board.

Incumbent Sandy Fryc, who first won a school committee seat in 2011, is running to keep her seat in 2023. But incumbent Jason Palitsch is bowing out after serving two terms. Candidates Rachel Sharifipour and Rajesh Velagapudi have both filed to run in 2023.

To help voters get to know the 2023 candidates, Shrewsbury Patch sent each one a questionnaire ahead of the May 2 election. Here's how Fryc responded:

Relevant Experience:

As a School Committee member, I have demonstrated strong leadership and a commitment to hard work. During my tenure, I served as Chair of the School Committee five times, including a consecutive two-year period through the COVID years of 2020-2021. I collaborated closely with committee members and district leadership to successfully navigate uncharted waters during the pandemic.

I have served as Vice Chair and Chair of the Beal Building Committee, a project completed on time and under budget. I have served on various subcommittees, including the Superintendent Search Committee, the town’s Master Plan Committee, the Beal Redistricting Committee, and the policy and finance subcommittees.

I have an MBA and BS in Business Management. My educational background and work experience have provided me with the solid financial knowledge, analytical skills, and practical business experiences needed to evaluate the annual school budget, negotiate contracts with union leadership, and solve challenges faced by our district. I have advocated for our schools while ensuring stability and a high level of education services in a difficult budgetary climate.

Why are you running for a seat on the school committee?

As a long-standing member of the Shrewsbury School Committee, I bring institutional knowledge, strong work ethic, community partnerships, professional experience, and proven leadership to evaluate the needs and priorities of our school district so it will continue to lead the state in education excellence. Stability and a deep appreciation of our school district’s success and challenges for well-informed decision-making and fiscal stewardship. There remains work to be done, and my experience and knowledge are key to ensuring the priorities and goals of our district move forward.

What is one thing you would like to achieve in 2023 if elected to the school committee?

Due to the recent regulations adopted by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, our district needs to mitigate the effects on students who are no longer able to attend vocational schools. Shrewsbury Public Schools cannot replicate the current vocational school experience, but in the short-term we can look for ways to provide students with course offerings and vocational opportunities, including internships and hands-on experiences. In the long-term, we need to continue to assess the space needs issues at the high school that prevent adding additional classrooms for career/technical education and work with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to secure grant funding. We also need to continue to work with our state and local leadership to find solutions for the lack of available vocational/technical schools spots for students in the State of Massachusetts.

What is one thing lacking in Shrewsbury Schools that you would like to see change?

The recently completed Pre-K through 12 Space Needs Study highlights the ongoing, severe overcrowding at Shrewsbury High School. The district is unable to add any new or additional classes for students due to the lack of space. Even is there was unlimited funding available, the existing building cannot accommodate any additional classrooms resulting in diminished educational programming to meet our community’s needs. The current high school is deficient in core academic spaces, special education spaces, and in vocational and technology space. The district has submitted a Statement of Interest to the MSBA seeking grant funding for design and development of additional academic space at the high school. The lack of space and chronic over-crowding is one of the top issues the district is working to rectify.

What is one thing the district does well, and how would you support that as a member of the committee?

The district does an excellent job of communicating with all stakeholders when considering issues, new processes, and initiatives, and with future planning. As a School Committee member, I have always advocated for transparency. To make well-informed decisions, the committee needs to fully understand issues, opinions, and consider a variety of solutions. Parents, staff, and students are key to understanding what the needs of the district are and how to proceed with solutions that are best for all. I will continue to advocate and support communication with our community as their input is not only incredibly valuable but results in creating a district that reflects the needs of all involved.