School Committee Candidate Q&A: David Ritchotte

Q: What motivates you to want to become a school committee member?

A: My motivation is based on one thing: wanting to help the children of Coventry have the best possible learning experience. They deserve an education that allows them to be successful in whatever they decide to do as they move on as adults after graduating from the Coventry school system.

Q: What special strengths do you believe you would bring to the committee?

 A: My background over the last 20 years has been in business development, strategic business planning and as an owner of a small business fiscal accountability. I believe that as the school department begins its strategic planning process in June, which I have been asked to participate in as a parent, PTA officer and representative for the Coventry PTA, I can bring my career experiences to this process. This 3-5 year plan will be critical for the success of our students as they are presented with a new testing standard, challenges of a new common core curriculum and the issues of planning for space within the school system for the students to have a positive learning environment for success. I believe that I can bring my business experience to the Strategic plan and  improve the school for years to come.     

Q: What goals do you hope to achieve if you are elected?

A: The number one goal I would like to achieve in the remaining 3 ½ years of this term, would be to provide our students and teachers the tools they need to transition to the state mandated changes that will happen by 2015 while being fiscally responsible. We cannot just increase taxes or “find the money” without thought for future needs. As we develop the Strategic Plan, I believe that our 3 year goals have to be driven by what requirements our school system will face. We need to consider infrastructure, staffing, training and implementation without losing sight of student’s needs. 

Secondly, I will work hard to make the School Committee work more transparent to our residents. We need to provide more ways to bring this work to the community so they understand the reasoning behind decisions and allow the committee to be more proactive in parent’s concerns with their children’s education. I believe these two key areas will help all in the town to understand more about the school system and the school committee which is a major goal for me if elected.

Q: What is your vision for education in this community? How does it differ from the way things are currently?

A: When I look at a vision of education, it should be set up to allow all children to succeed within our school system to become contributing members of our community. Some children learn in different ways than others, and it is important to provide tools and services so that all can be successful. 

There are a few things today that I believe the school department is trying to address but we have not been able to see results yet. The first is making room for our specialists, especially in the elementary schools, to teach children that require additional help with skills. We have these specialists packed into rooms with too many students and the children can become easily distracted as they try to learn. Obviously, this is why the Oak Haven proposal came up. Oak Haven would have freed up space but as we know the expense to open the school was not something that the town council could commit to indefinitely. 

Another area that has been an important point for discussion by both the School Dept. and School Committee is all day Kindergarten. Data shows a better foundation of learning in the early years from full day Kindergarten, allowing for earlier intervention and better success in future grades. For Coventry to implement all-day Kindergarten would again involve opening more classroom space and additional cost concerns.

I believe that the school committee and school dept. are doing a good job, to support as much as they can within the budget provided, but we need to find ways to work smarter and use our limited financial resources to have the greatest impact on student success. It may take little steps each year to move toward our larger goals, but planning those steps and discussing it with Coventry residents will be the best way to bring out ideas to make it happen.

Q: Can you/should you support a committee decision that you were not in favor of?

A: As I have seen in my attendance at the school committee meetings each month, there will always be strong individual opinions on what should happen on many different topics that are discussed each month. For me, I will always look at each decision as what should be best for our students and it is always important that I keep that perspective. If a decision is made that I may not be in favor of but I have been given solid reasoning for how it would help our students, then I would respect the decision of our committee and the recommendations of the Superintendent.

Q: How would you handle requests from parents or special interest groups?

A: As an elected member of the school committee for District 4, it is my responsibility to represent parents, residents and students of my district.  If any member of the district or a special interest group have a concern or issue that they would like to discuss, I would make sure that we meet so I can learn about these issues. I would also bring relative concerns to the committee for discussion so that these ideas and concerns can be heard.

Q: How would you balance your decisions as a member of the board with the input of parents and teachers?

A: The position of a school committee member requires the representing of the district residents and its needs, understanding the concerns and tools required by our teachers and staff that are with our children each day and trying to make solid decisions for our students. 

My goal is to balance representing the district resident’s needs, the requirements of teachers and staff and the overall needs of our students. It is important to bring this input to the committee, understand the concerns and issues and make decisions that will support the mission statement of the committee and the schools.

Q: What kind of relationship should a school committee have with its district/community? With its parents and families?

A: This is an area where I feel I could improve the communication back to my district.  My belief is that a resident of the district should have a way to contact its school committee representative through whatever method they feel is comfortable for them. That could be by electronic form (email or Facebook), by phone or by face to face meetings. If elected I would like to create a monthly opportunity for residents, teachers and students from my district to meet and discuss their concerns.  

Q: How can the committee be accessible to the Coventry community?

A: My hope is that all of the committee will continue to reach out to the community to discuss and get feedback on major decisions that will affect their children. It is not always easy for parents and residents to attend the meetings and that is not always the best venue to discuss key topics.  Having another outlet for discussions is critical to help understand what concerns the residents of Coventry. We have technologies in place within our school system and community allowing us to communicate to our residents in our districts. We should continue to expand on our message through these tools.

Q: What do you see as the primary work of the committee?

A: The school committee is responsible for providing the town’s students the education that allows them to meet mandated requirements, to successfully move forward in the chosen career, and provide a positive learning experience. The committee needs to provide all of this in a fiscally responsible way, by not being reactionary but proactive, planning as well as possible for the future.

Q: What are the current challenges facing education/school committees?

A: The major challenges over the next couple of years are coming from state mandates for curriculum, testing and teacher evaluations. We as a town and in particular the school dept. and school committee need to make decisions that will implement the necessary policies to adhere to the new mandates. Coventry in particular has infrastructure issues and training that will need to take place so that our students are prepared for these new testing standards. One of my concerns is that these changes from the state level will cause financial burdens to the town as we try to implement the required standards. There are ideas that I have in regard to technology options that I believe could help us to meet the needs of the new PARCC testing online, without causing major infrastructure needs until we see the growth of our enrollment increase further. If elected I would like to bring this outside the box thinking to some of the key challenges we will face over the next few years as these mandated changes occur.

Q: A number of Coventry residents have recently expressed their opinion that the school committee should be eliminated, allowing the town council/municipal government to make decisions regarding education. Why do you think a school committee is necessary here?

A: I have also heard these opinions expressed and I can see both sides of this argument. On one hand it adds an additional layer of bureaucracy between the school dept. and town, but on the other hand there is much detailed work that goes on in the background by the school committee.  They are visiting schools in the district to better understand the needs, reviewing changes that are required by the state, attending seminars to understand what requirements will be needed and how to implement them. They all work tirelessly to help make each child’s experience in a Coventry school the most rewarding it can be. My belief is that if all of our town officials can work together with the common goal of student achievement then we can only benefit by having a very diverse group of individuals provide their expertise for our residents, teachers and students. 

Unfortunately what I see right now as a parent, PTA officer and taxpayer in Coventry, is that we have a controlling party that wants to continue to add key members to elected town positions creating fiscal irresponsibility. Key problems in the town include population growth, pension issues, lack of strategic planning of our school system to meet growth, and continuing old ways of thinking by raising taxes to fix problems. Lack of communication amongst elected officials and the lack of teamwork contribute to these problems. We are going to force people to move out of Coventry, which then continues the vicious circle with less taxes revenue and increasing taxes on the remaining families. It was important to me that I run as an Independent candidate so that I can make sure that if elected I will be able to look at issues as they relate to the needs of the students and the fiscal accountability that all taxpayers deserve and not feel the pressure to vote the party line.   

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: My hope is that all of the District 4 residents come out to vote on June 4th, so that they can send the message that they want change in Coventry.  Residents of District 4 need a school committee member who has a vested interest in making sure that the school system provides not only for their own child but all of the children in Coventry. They all have the right to a solid education with the best tools and learning experiences possible as well as retaining fiscal responsibility for the taxpayers in the district. As I have said throughout this campaign, I want to use the training that I have in strategic planning, fiscal budgeting for successful businesses and the experience that I have gained supporting the Coventry Schools though my PTA work as my basis to provide the best representation possible to my District. It is time for change and by coming out to vote on Tuesday you can help send the message that is not business as usual anymore. 

I hope that the residents of District 4 will send that message and I will work tirelessly to earn your respect as a representative for your needs and your children’s education in the Coventry School system.