Wayland 2023 Candidate Profile: Christina Rodrigo, School Committee

WAYLAND, MA — Wayland's school committee race will likely be the most closely watched in the April 25 election with four newcomers vying for two seats being vacated by incumbents.

One-term member Chris Ryan and longtime member Jeanne Downs have both opted not to run for reelection this year. Candidates Craig Gruber, Dovie King, Erin Mueller and Christina Rodrigo have filed to run for the seats. Gruber ran unsuccessfully for a school committee seat last year, while King ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for a select board seat.

The two new members will join the committee at an inflection point. In February, the committee put Omar Easy on leave from his job as superintendent, and has not yet given a reason for the divorce. Easy then filed a discrimination complaint with the state against Wayland; Ryan and Vice Chair Ellen Greico were also named in the complaint.

Since then, the committee has voted to hire a former Newton superintendent to take the helm for one year as interim superintendent — an indication that Easy will likely not return to the job.Several other key Wayland school leaders have also departed, and the district will begin searching for replacements soon.

To help Wayland voters get to know the school committee candidates better, Wayland Patch sent each candidate questions about why they're running for a seat. Here's how candidate Christina Rodrigo responded.

Why are you running for the school committee in 2023?

First, thank you for this opportunity to respond to questions from the Patch. My name is Christina Rodrigo. I’ve lived in Wayland for 10 years, and I’m a mom to 3 elementary aged children. I’m a longtime volunteer in the Wayland Public Schools, having served on the SEPAC Board and the Children’s Way Parent Organization Board, volunteered with the Loker and Claypit PTO, and been a room parent and mystery reader countless times. I’ve enjoyed seeing my children thrive in school and have admired the dedication of their teachers. I am running for School Committee because I’m dedicated to maintaining the high quality academic environment and warmhearted community that make Wayland’s schools among the best in Massachusetts.

I’m a patent attorney for Vertex Pharmaceuticals and lead the global patent program for Vertex’s flagship medicine. I originally trained as a chemist, having earned a PhD in organic chemistry from Yale University and a BA in chemistry from Smith College. I value education highly, as it’s been my foundation to be successful in my career.

In my work as an attorney I work on teams where members have competing priorities, but we all have to work together to find the best solution for our company. To effectively do this, I listen to all viewpoints, respectfully discuss pros and cons of potential outcomes, and then help build consensus on why we should take one course of action. These are key hallmarks of effective collaboration, which are needed to have a healthy and well-functioning school district.

Through my career and volunteer experience in Wayland Public Schools, I believe I have many transferable skills that will help our School Committee collaborate effectively to make decisions for the long term health and growth of our district. Wayland is a special place, and one that so many families choose because of the exceptional quality of education provided by the public school system. Right now, collaboration between teachers, administrators and families is crucial for the health and growth of our town.

The removal of Superintendent Omar Easy has been the top issue in the district recently. How would you grade the school committee on its handling of that situation, and what would you have done differently?

The public does not have access to all of the information, nor the legal advice of the School Committee’s counsel. Thus, I do not feel it would be appropriate for me to “grade” them.

The school committee has not said why it put Easy on leave. Do you feel the public has a right to know why that happened?

As an attorney I know that when there are ongoing legal proceedings, the parties are advised not to comment for risk of compromising their legal position. As a taxpayer of Wayland, I appreciate the School Committee exercising strong self-control to not respond to the criticism and requests for information and preserving their legal position, thus likely preserving Wayland’s legal position and therefore tax dollars. When the legal proceedings are resolved, the public will be able to be more informed.

Do you want Easy to return as superintendent, or do you feel the district should sever his employment permanently?

The School Committee is a board and must act in the best interest of the district, with a focus on the students, rather than any member’s personal view, if one exists. As I stated above, the public does not have access to all of the information and legal advice that the School Committee does, and so it would be inappropriate for me as a member of the public to have an opinion on what should happen with Easy’s employment. If I am elected, to be able to consider reinstating him, I would need to understand the facts of why he was put on leave, if they still apply, or if they have been resolved. If something has changed, the School Committee would have to revisit their decision with legal counsel.

Easy is the district's first Black superintendent, and the first Black leader perhaps ever in Wayland. He was subject to public racist taunting and has filed a discrimination complaint against the district and key officials. Do you think there's a problem with racism in Wayland schools, and if so, what would you do about it?

Easy is indeed the first Black superintendent in Wayland. Pat Tutwiler, currently serving as the Secretary of Education for Massachusetts, was also a Black leader in Wayland’s schools when he was the Principal of Wayland High School for 6 years from 2007-2013. Wayland also has leaders from racial minority backgrounds, including Allyson Mizoguchi, principal of Wayland High School, Ms. Caroline Han, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, and Ms. LaToya Rivers, K-12 METCO Director. Wayland schools have demonstrated their ongoing desire to ensure leaders from diverse racial backgrounds are included amongst its staff, and should continue to attract, support, and retain qualified and capable diverse staff.

I was very upset by the racist graffiti that occurred in Wayland last December. Not only did it target Easy, but it hurt all people, especially Black people, from Wayland and beyond, knowing that racist attacks like this still occur today. Even in the wake of such a horrific act, I was encouraged to see and be part of the 100+ people in our community standing together the following day at the “love not hate” antiracism rally.

It has long been a value in my home to embrace diversity and help to be the change we want to see in the world. Every year when I help organize the DCF Holiday drive at Loker and Claypit, I explain to my children what we are doing, why it’s important, and then involve them in shopping for needed items. I also share my experiences of volunteering with undocumented immigrants to apply for asylum with my children so they can appreciate the freedoms they have while instilling values of service, acceptance, and initiative. It’s from this mindset that I will approach my work with the Wayland Public Schools.

Wayland, as both a district and community, has had some great programs and efforts to promote DEI. Indeed, Wayland has among the strongest showing amongst our peer districts in METCO enrollment, at 5.2% of our students participating in the program. Ms. Caroline Han has a solid understanding of programming to increase DEI, and will be an invaluable resource to help Wayland further grow in this area. I’d also like to hear from students and staff at all of the schools to develop plans to make progress. Our trusted principals and teachers have done an admirable job pursuing DEI professional development and educating our students. That said, there is always room for learning and we can and should strive to continuously improve.

In addition, it would be helpful to expand some education to families as well. I would hope to broaden opportunities for families to not only learn about what their children are learning in school, but also to learn more themselves. I believe creating space for open, shared learning and relationship building among families would be a beneficial addition to buttress the DEI work in schools and help support the schools and the community live up to its anti-racist commitment. Finally, I would like to see some parent-led programming that existed pre-Covid between Boston and Wayand families return. Strong partnerships were made between children and adults alike, and thus I felt this was an important way to build long-term inclusion opportunities. Like building trust, progress in DEI doesn’t happen overnight, but steps taken over time can bring meaningful results.

Wayland has also seen other top administrative leaders exit in recent months. How would you handle replacing those positions as a school committee member?

Regarding the hiring of personnel, the School Committee’s main responsibility is the hiring and supervision of the Superintendent. The School Committee ratifies certain top-level positions in the district (such as the Director of Student Services) that the Superintendent decides on, and may sit on hiring committees as well.

As far as academics, what's one thing Wayland Public Schools is doing well, and what's one area where it needs improvement?

I am continuously in admiration of the dedication, passion, and skill of our teachers to guide our children to reach their full potential, which is one of many things that Wayland does well. Indeed, their work is reflected in Wayland’s continued top ranking of public schools in Massachusetts and the success of our graduates. Our schools offer a variety of options for students to challenge themselves in areas where they can, while also providing support in areas where it is needed. Throughout all academic levels, I have heard from parents that are impressed with the quality of teaching, the amazement at all their children have accomplished, and the supports given to enable their children to succeed - all enabling every child to reach their full potential.

As a scientist-turned-attorney who never focused on writing, but certainly does a lot of it now, one area for growth I think everyone can use continuous improvement on is writing. Writing includes many foundational skills everyone uses, even when they’re not writing! Skills such as organizing ideas and conveying them in a clear manner are important whether it’s an oral presentation or writing a paper. So much of how people communicate now is in email or other correspondence where there is limited opportunity for follow up and clarification, so it is important the initial message is clear and well organized. Thus, I would like to see more of an emphasis placed on writing skills at all grade levels.