Caroline Rosas Talks Ward 5 School Committee Run

Caroline Rosas is one of at least three candidates running for a seat on the Somerville School Committee in Ward 5 this fall. (Laura Pitone and Ross Richmond are the others).

Rosas has two young sons. One is a first-grader at the Kennedy School and the other, Rosas hopes, will enter pre-K at the Capuano School next year.

She said one of the reasons she's jumping into the race is her experience on the PTA at those schools. Currently she's treasurer of the Kennedy School PTA, and she's a board member of the PTA council, a group that oversees PTAs throughout Somerville, she said.

The experience has "heightened my awareness" of school issues, policies and budgets, she noted.

Rosas said she's running because "every child in the city should have the same opportunities."

"Every child has a voice, every child has a story," she said.

Rosas said one of her main priorities on the School Committee would be to "bridge the communications gap between parents and decision makers." She also said she'd like to focus on the reading curriculum.

"We have so may amazing families in Somerville," she said, but one of the city's challenges is when these families, "especially middle class families," move away.

"They think the grass is always greener in the suburbs," she suggested about their reasoning, adding that's not necessarily true.

Outside her involvement with the PTA, Rosas said she's worked for eight years at Blackboard, an education technology and software firm, where she's a director of client operations.

"All my clients are K-12 districts," she said. She thinks her professional experience could be an asset on the School Committee, adding, "I'm privy to many things that happen in the education space."

As for the crowded field of candidates running in this year's election, she said it was a good thing. "I think the best person will win," she said.

Rosas said she thinks it would be beneficial to have a person with a young family on the School Committee, adding, "There [should be] people on the board that reflect what the city is."

As for campaigning, it's still early, and so far she's been talking to people, listening to what's "important to them," and lining up some volunteers to work on her campaign.

She's developing a website, and at the moment people can visit her campaign's Facebook page.

Other Ward 5 School Committee Candidates

• Ross Richmond: School Committee Candidate in Ward 5
• Laura Pitone Announces Run for Ward 5 School Committee

If you're a candidate running for office in Somerville this year, we'd love to hear from you. Contact chris.orchard@patch.com.