LETTER: Winchester Resident Backs Mike Galvin For School Committee

[Editor's note: The following Letter to the Editor was submitted by Winchester resident Dennis France.]

After watching the School Committee debate held on St. Patrick’s Day in a somewhat chilly high school auditorium, I walked home with a sense that this really is quite a special town. Here were four parents sharing their views on a variety of issues related to our children’s education, vying for two open unpaid jobs that require long hours away from family for numerous interminable meetings.

One cannot fail to be impressed with this spirit of volunteerism, and the impressive crowd of interested townsfolk (that) spoke to how important these jobs are viewed. This past year saw a remarkable surge in community involvement and interest in all processes related to our schools, much prompted by the redistricting initiative. I was very pleased to see Mike Galvin participating on stage during Sunday’s debate.

During this tumultuous year, Mike Galvin emerged as a cool and collected voice of reason, as a man who sought solutions to problems rather than resorting to only voicing criticism, of which many of us were guilty. With a calm demeanor and the laser focus of a trained engineer, Mike Galvin was the architect of the kindergarten-flex plan, a plan that received the highest endorsement from the superintendent. That Mike Galvin’s proposal came so close to being adopted was a kind of proof-of-principle that ordinary citizens can leverage their professional skills to make a difference and, in this case, was fueled by Mike’s personal drive to impact all our children positively.

If Mr. Galvin succeeds in securing one of the two seats on the School Committee, he will add to the mix a gracious and unpretentious gentleman who will add tremendous value to the School Committee in tackling the challenges ahead for Winchester schools. I urge you to cast one of your votes for Mike Galvin on March 26.

Dennis France