School Committee Candidates Q&A: What Big Challenges Are Looming?

(Editor's Note: This is Part 1 in a three-part Q&A Series with the candidates running for two seats on the Tewksbury School Committee -- Incumbent Krissy Polimeno and challengers Ray Lisiecki and Lisa Puccia.)

Question 1: What are the biggest challenges facing Tewksbury Schools in the next few years?

Krissy Polimeno

The challenge of student achievement becomes increasingly more difficult because of budget considerations.  We must continue to provide students with the skills and the knowledge needed to achieve a high level of success in their chosen career path.   

Tewksbury must deal with the issue of paying for education in a challenging economy.  We must continue to have a reasoned and balanced approach to our school budget with the realization that there are fixed, non- negotiable cost increases.        

Ray Lisiecki

I believe declining enrollment will be our biggest challenge. The lower birthrate attributed to the recession will mean fewer available students and our basic funding mechanism is tied to enrollment. We need to make sure that Tewksbury Schools are offering the best possible educational opportunity to retain our students.

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Lisa Puccia

I’m sure that there will be many challenges that our schools will face over the next few years, but I feel that the biggest challenges that will need to be addressed will be, the conditions of our four elementary schools and the federal budget cuts that will soon have an impact on cities and towns across Massachusetts.

By 2015 our schools will be looking at a different type of student assessment to eventually replace the MCAS called PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career).  The DESE is currently surveying districts to see if there schools infrastructures will be able to support the technology needed in order to implement these new technologically based assessments.  In October of 2012, the School Facilities Study Committee made their presentation to the School Committee which stated that all four of our elementary school facilities would not be able to support current technologies.  Our elementary school facilities are not equipped to handle the 21^st century technology and whether or not we agree with it, technology is our student’s future and having access to it will be essential for their future success. The conditions of are schools will need to be addressed soon.

We need to also acknowledge that at some point cities and towns across Massachusetts will be impacted be the federal budget cuts.  In a recent MMA report it was stated that by mid-year Massachusetts will be looking at a $97.5 million reduction in direct funds that are distributed to all cities and towns.  Some of the cuts will be made to IDEA, Title I, and School Improvement Grants.  We need to make sure that we plan ahead for these cuts so the impact doesn’t adversely affect the delivery of services to our students.