East Greenwich Election 2021: Nicole Bucka For School Committee

EAST GREENWICH, RI — East Greenwich is holding a special election on Oct. 5 to fill an empty school committee seat, and two candidates are competing for the open seat.

Democrat Nicole Bucka and Republican Peter Carney are both on the ballot to run for Lori McEwen's former seat. McEwen, a Democrat, resigned on June 30, after moving from East Greenwich.

If McEwen had resigned with more than a year left in her term, the town council would have named a replacement. But given the circumstances, the town is required to hold a special election.

Patch has reached out to both candidates and will publish candidate profiles as we come in. First, here's a little about Bucka.

Age (as of Election Day)

43

Position Sought

East Greenwich School Committee

Party Affiliation Democratic

Family I am married to Jim, an educator at East Greenwich high school for the last ten years, and proud mother of two sons who attend East Greenwich schools.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My husband and I are both educators. My husband is a teacher at East Greenwich High School, and I am work as an educational consultant out of the Westbay Collaborative.

Education

I have a Master’s Degree in Teaching and Learning. I am certified to teach English, special education, and English Language Development (teaching English as a second language). Occupation

I have been an educator for the last twenty-two years and in two states, California and Rhode Island. Today, I’m a state and federally funded (not for profit) consultant serving administrators and educators across Rhode Island to make sure all students get the support they need.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

As a parent, my first position was as a Governor appointed Inter-Agency Coordinating Council member advising Early Childhood and Early Intervention organizations my children were preschool age. Then, as my children transitioned into public school, I was elected to serve as a chair of the East Greenwich Local Special Education Advisory Committee and served for two terms. In that role and representing that group, I have served on the Superintendent Selection Committee, the School Reopening Committee, and the Strategic Planning Committee for East Greenwich School Department.

Campaign website I don't have a website. On Facebook, I have a page 'Nicole Bucka for EG Schools' to learn more about me.

Why are you seeking elective office?

After being actively involved in the school system for the last seven years, I am running because I see opportunities to make our system even better and believe I have the experience, expertise, and commitment to meaningfully contribute.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I want to build upon our success with students who are thriving while developing/expanding programs to make sure all students have meaningful educational opportunities that align with career and college readiness. For example, I believe we can build upon our successful college-path programs and expand into career-path programs by partnering with local businesses and technical education providers.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I'm running because I'm a professional educator, the mom of two children who learn differently, and I have years of involvement in the schools. To be honest, I've thought about running for a long time because I believe I have a valuable perspective to bring. The timing was just never right, but it is now. I don't know Peter, but just in keeping up on the community during the pandemic, it seems as though his main interest in the schools is about whether or not children wear masks. That illuminates three differences between he and I: my educational experience is much broader, my involvement in the schools has been deeper, and I strongly believe we should follow the lead of public health experts as we deal with this pandemic because neither I nor the current School Committee members or Superintendent are infectious disease experts.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency) N/A How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I believe our local officials handled the pandemic well. I don’t want to presume how I would’ve handled it as a local official. I don’t believe I could have done better. This experience has been a collective trauma and everyone, including myself, did the best we could with the information we had in a situation that changed constantly. Local officials bore the burden of needing to consider everyone’s safety, and I empathize with that. I have nothing but respect for those who lead locally over these last couple of years.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Other issues that define my platform include transparency, communication, and stakeholder voice (including students).

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In both of my previous appointed/elected positions (a member of the RI Inter-Agency Coordinating Council and a two term chair of the East Greenwich Special Education Advisory) I sought feedback from all stakeholders, presented finings transparently, collaborated with a variety of leaders to address changes and have many accomplishments to cite. I work hard and put many hours in to these commitments when they are voluntary.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

It wasn’t advice given to me, specifically (laughter), but rather a statement I read that resonated deeply with me: “If you want to make everyone happy, don't be a leader, sell ice cream!” - Steve Jobs Leaders don’t make everyone happy. You have to be prepared for that, and I am.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Recent accomplishments include being a published contributor on the Institute for Educational Sciences practice guide, “Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades” (2021) and serving as a Senior Advisor to the federally funded PROGRESS Center. I would be humbled and honored to add East Greenwich School Committee member to this list of accomplishments. After being actively involved in the school system for the last seven years, I am running because I see opportunities to make our system even better and believe I have the experience, expertise, and commitment to meaningfully contribute.

If you intend to vote by mail, you must complete the application by 4 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 14. Voter registration and mail-in ballots can be found on the Rhode Island Secretary of State's website.