In 2023, Johnson Seeks New Worcester District F Schools Seat: Q&A

WORCESTER, MA — In 2023, Worcester voters will elect school committee members in an entirely new fashion, picking representatives from new districts across the city along with a slate of at-large members.

The new election system is the result of a settlement of a lawsuit filed against Worcester in 2021 by a coalition led by the Worcester NAACP over the city's all at-large school committee. Electing members at-large led to a school committee comprised of mostly white members who didn't represent the diversity of the second-largest school system in Massachusetts, the lawsuit said.

After the settlement, election expert portioned Worcester into six school committee district lettered A to F, plus four at-large seats. The new system will create a larger school committee, and one whose members will at least be the most geographically diverse in modern times.

Jermaine Johnson is running for reelection to the District F seat in 2023 after he won a school committee seat in the 2021 election. The seat covers west-central Worcester from Park Avenue west to the Holden-Paxton line. Johnson is running unopposed for the seat.

Worcester Patch asked all school committee candidates to respond to a questionnaire to help inform voters on a host of school issues ahead of Election Day. Here's how Johnson responded:

What motivated you to run for Worcester School Committee this year?

I decided to run for re-election to further my commitment and connection with families and educators in Worcester Public Schools. As someone who works daily with children and families and understands the issues they are facing, I believe there is more I can continue to offer the district. Two years ago, when I first ran for office, our schools were in crisis. Since then, we have made significant improvements, including the hiring of new superintendent, Dr. Rachel Monárrez, expanding social/emotional supports for students, conducting a safety audit of all our schools, and improving our community and family engagement. I look forward to serving the next two years so that I can continue building on progress made, especially in the areas of early literacy, academic achievement and growth, and school facilities maintenance.

This is the first school committee election under the new district system, and four of the new district seats are uncontested. Do you think the voting public knows that the system has changed, and if not, what role does the school committee play in spreading awareness?

I believe the public has heard of the new changes, but is not fully aware of the impact it may have on them on election day. While engaging with my constituents, I have explained the new districts drawn and new election day process, but I wish there would have been more effort from City Hall to educate our voters more thoroughly on the changes for this upcoming election.

Worcester is now home to the first charter school to open in Massachusetts in five years, and the current school committee opposed the opening of the Worcester Cultural Academy. What’s your stance on charter schools in general and this one specifically?

I am opposed to charter schools in our district. I believe they draw critical funding away from children in public schools, and can hinder our district's ability to stay competitive with today's academic standards. Although Worcester School Committee opposed the current opening of Worcester Cultural Academy unsuccessfully, we will continue to focus on building what we can provide for our district. I truly believe Worcester has much to offer, including vocational educational programs at Worcester Tech, Chapter 74 programs in our comprehensive high schools, as well as the many clubs, activities, and sports that are available. We offer Early College programs, Future Teacher’s programs, and have numerous partnerships with local colleges and universities. We'll continue to do everything in our power to ensure our students are prepared for their future endeavors.

The Worcester Diocese has implemented a new policy in its local schools that many have called anti-LGBTQ+, and there’s been a larger movement across the nation to ban lessons and books in schools dealing with sex and gender issues. How do you feel about these issues?

I believe in an inclusive and equitable educational environment for all. Therefore, I strongly disagree with the Worcester Diocese's new policy implementation. At Worcester Public Schools, we ensure through our policies and practice, that all students have access to age appropriate health education. This includes gender and sexual identification. I am also against the banning of any book or educational material relating to sex or gender orientation. I will continue to advocate for and ensure that our policies and practices reflect this, and that all students have a safe and nurturing environment which promotes physical and mental health, which will, in turn, facilitate high academic standards.

If you could pick anything, what goals would you set for Superintendent Rachel Monárrez in the coming school committee term?

The school committee recently voted on and approved the superintendent's goals for the school year. Increasing family engagement, addressing equity issues, increasing staff diversity, strengthening academic success, and expanding staff development. If I had to choose two goals to focus on most over the next two years, they would be strengthening academic success, and increasing staff diversity.

Worcester will soon open the new Doherty High School, but many other buildings in the district are either in need of repair or replacement. How should the district prioritize these projects?

The district is currently updating and reviewing a master facilities plan. Dr. Rachel Monárrez has hired new personnel in the facilities department, and they are already doing a great job prioritizing the most critical needs of our schools. The safety audit will also highlight some infrastructure and safety projects that will need to be completed in all of our schools immediately. The capital budget that Worcester Public Schools receives is currently not enough to cover all costs, but I will work collaboratively with other elected officials to advocate for additional funding through state and federal programs to help address this gap.

The Worcester School Committee has started a review of the district’s cell phone policy. What would you want that policy to look like?

I am looking forward to reviewing and updating our cell phone policy, which will also cover the use of earbuds. Schools are a place for learning and face-to-face social interactions. Our plan is to gather feedback from everyone, including educators, parents, and students, and for the new policy to more strongly emphasize schools being a learning environment with as few distractions as possible.

Read previous 2023 Worcester School Committee candidate profiles:

• Jermoh Kamara, District C
• Sue Mailman, At-Large
• Tracy Novick, At-Large
• Laura Clancey, At-Large
• Molly McCullough, District A