Somerville Candidate Profile: Leiran Biton For School Committee

SOMERVILLE, MA — With the Somerville Municipal Election scheduled for Nov. 7, Patch is profiling the candidates.

Here, we learn more about Leiran Biton, who is running to represent Ward 7 on the School Committee. Incumbent Sara Dion did not file papers to run for reelection.

Biton is married with two children in Somerville Public Schools. He has worked as an environmental scientist for 16 years. He also served as the president of the Somerville PTA Council.

Candidates were sent questionnaires and filled out the answers.

Name

Leiran Biton

How old will you be as of Election Day?

44

Campaign website

https://www.leiran4somerville....

What city or town do you live in?

Somerville

What office are you seeking?

School Committee

District

Ward 7

Education

Master's in Environmental Science and Engineering

What is your occupation?

Environmental scientist, 16 years

Family

Married with two children in the Somerville Public Schools

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

None

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

I have never held public office

Why are you seeking this office?

I am running for Somerville School Committee in Somerville Ward 7 to bring the voice of a parent and member of our school community to better represent our families and support our students.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____ and this is what I intend to do about it.

The most pressing issue facing families in Somerville is making sure we are providing a safe learning environment for our students. As president of the Somerville PTA Council, I worked with leaders from the City, Somerville Public Schools, and PTA leaders at each of our schools to build consensus and recommend policies.

We rang the alarm about the deficiencies at the Winter Hill Community Innovation School long before the structural failure at the building last spring. I also stepped into the contentious debate on police in schools by developing a neutral survey about safety and student supports in our schools to inform the public policy with real public opinion data from our most affected communities.

Once elected, my number one focus will be that we are thinking proactively about providing a safe learning environment for every student. I plan to request an Educational System Plan that will provide a baseline for a School Buildings Master Plan to meet our school system's educational goals.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

As your representative on the Somerville School Committee, I plan to address two important issues that affect our children today and in the future.

(1) School Buildings. While the Winter Hill students are displaced, we must do everything we can to make the Wildcat families whole. I will advocate for prioritizing the critical transportation and afterschool care needs of our Winter Hill families while their school is rebuilt. This must be job number one for our entire school district. In addition to rebuilding the Winter Hill and Brown Schools, both school buildings that have reached the end of their useful life, we must also invest in and maintain our other school buildings. Finally, I am fully committed to developing an Educational System Plan that will provide a baseline for a School Buildings Master Plan. These need to be developed together in partnership, rather than the school district simply accepting whatever the City provides.

(2) Differentiated Instruction. Somerville's commitment to equity demands that we teach students together rather than placing them in siloed "tracks." We must provide more teaching resources so that each student gets the focused attention they need. That means more push-in supports in classrooms, more special education supports, and more teachers to provide students with support to tackle more advanced materials.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As the president of the Somerville PTA Council for the past two years, I worked with partners across the city to represent all our families and students to enact the changes you want to see. As a leader of the PTA in the West Somerville Neighborhood School for seven years, I pioneered an innovative and more equitable free membership model that encouraged all our families to join. I led the charge on a campaign to rebuild our aging and dangerous schoolyard blacktop into the fabulous new schoolyard that is now open!

I didn't shy away from difficult topics: I helped raise the alarm about the deteriorating conditions of our aging school buildings. I stood with paraprofessionals for better wages. I surveyed parents and teachers to provide real data to inform the contentious public debate about police in schools.

I am already deeply invested in our school communities, and I will continue to carry your voices forward on the School Committee.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Be authentic.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

You can always reach out to me for help or to share your experiences about what is going on with your family.