Sudbury 2024 Election Profile: Mary Stephens, School Committee

SUDBURY, MA — Sudbury's 2024 election is underway now with mail-in voting happening ahead of Election Day on March 25.

To help voters make choices this year, we've asked candidates running in the contested races — Sudbury School Committee and select board — to respond to candidate questionnaires.

School committee candidate Mary Stephens is one of three residents running for two seats in an open race with no incumbents. Here's how she responded:

Can tell voters about yourself?

My family, including Myles in 4th grade, Tyler in 3rd grade, Ceci in preschool, and Andy, a software architect at Curriculum Associates, feels blessed to have found this wonderful community to settle in.

I’ve always been an active community volunteer, including serving on the Haynes School Council through three principals, counselor for the MIT Educational Council, and founding board member of a network of charter schools in underserved communities in San Jose, CA.

Professionally, I have held many strategic roles in education, business, and technology. I currently serve as CEO of an edtech strategy company that is working with MA DESE on advancing early literacy practices. For 15 years prior to that I served as CEO of PrepForward, a leading provider of K-12 teacher preparation solutions, with a particular focus of increasing diversity in the teacher workforce. In addition, I have extensive teaching experience from serving as a math professor to future teachers to teaching K-12 computers and math. Additional roles include research and development manager at Houghton Mifflin, founder of Omega Teaching, and K-12 teacher professional development provider.

I am uniquely qualified to serve on the SPS school committee and I invite you to visit electmary.org to find out more.

Why are you running for school committee this year?

I am running this year as I am passionate about ensuring the well-being and success of all students in SPS. With a background in educational leadership and a strong belief in the power of community involvement, I feel compelled to contribute my unique skill set to tackle the challenges our schools face while addressing a critical gap in educational expertise within the committee.

My approach involves collaboratively working to understand the root causes of problems, formulating innovative, well-defined, and data-informed solutions, making nuanced decisions amidst conflicting priorities, and maintaining transparency in how these decisions are made. This is followed by a rigorous assessment of outcomes, while being ready to adapt based on performance metrics.

SPS needs leadership that not only understands the complexities of the educational landscape but is also committed to collaborative problem-solving and transparent governance. Together, we can ensure SPS provides a nurturing and dynamic educational environment where every student has the opportunity to excel.

There’s been a movement across the nation to ban lessons and books in schools dealing with issues like sex, gender and race. What’s your stance on this movement and teaching on these subjects?

As someone deeply committed to the principles of education and freedom of information, my stance on the movement to ban books and lessons on subjects like sex, gender, and race is unequivocally opposed. Such actions not only violate laws but also undermine the very essence of a comprehensive education that supports all students. We must create a safe, welcoming, inclusive learning environment where diversity is celebrated.

Restricting access to materials that explore these vital topics does a disservice to our students. It hinders their ability to learn, grow, and understand a range of perspectives. Education should be about opening minds, fostering understanding, and preparing our youth to engage with diverse views. Furthermore, the pursuit of book bans poses a substantial financial risk, potentially leading to legal disputes that could redirect resources from our students.

In my role on the school committee, I would oppose any form of censorship and work to ensure our curriculum presents a comprehensive and inclusive view of the world. Our students deserve an education that expands their perspectives, promotes critical thinking, and prepares them to succeed in a diverse world. I am dedicated to opposing any initiatives that compromise this vision.

What’s one thing the school district is doing well and one thing it’s not doing well? How would you fix what’s not being done well?

The Sudbury School Committee has worked hard to ensure that SPS provides a high-quality education to all students. Their achievements should be applauded for their oversight of the school system within financial constraints.

However, there are always areas for improvement. In particular, I would focus on improving educational equity, enhancing the quality of our curriculum with innovative and inclusive teaching methods, building clearer two-way communication between SPS and the community, continuing to build transparency in budgetary decisions within SPS and between the different Sudbury cost centers, and ensuring that every student receives the support they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. To make these improvements, I would collaboratively work with committee members and other community members to use quantitative and qualitative data to inform decisions and ensure our schools offer an engaging, equitable, and excellent education for all.