Matt Plain Seeks School Committee Seat

A product of the East Greenwich school system, Matt Plain, has thrown his hat into the ring in the upcoming Jan. 5 School Committee special election.

Plain, a child of the East Greenwich school system, said he has had remarkable opportunity in life and he owes it to his education and upbringing here.

Attending school in East Greenwich from kindergarten to grade 12 “has been one of the greatest blessings of my life,” Plain said in an interview.

Now, he wants to give back to the community that propelled him into the world as an educator, and later, a lawyer specializing in education issues.

“I am indebted to this community and motivated to devote my time and talents,” he said.

After graduating East Greenwich High School in 1994, Plain attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he got a degree in political science. He then got his masters in education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Plain said that his experience in East Greenwich compelled him to become an educator himself, and spent four years teaching middle school in North Carolina as well as serving as a coach.

During that time, Plain said he realized that he wanted to continue to be involved in education, but perhaps outside of the classroom. In particular, he was interested in the policy operations of schools, which compelled him to get his law degree at Roger Williams University in 2005.

By then, Plain had moved back to Rhode Island and began his work as a lawyer representing school districts.

Plain said his experience will help the School Committee in East Greenwich since he has expertise in policy matters. His job entails regular interaction with the Rhode Island Department of Education, teachers unions, school administrators and everyone else involved in the adoption of school policy.

He has drafted revisions to statutes and regulations and knows what goes on in the day-to-day operations of school districts.

“I field phone calls from school administrators when they need guidance on the spot,” he said. “I advise school boards on the nuances of state law and regulation and how that will impact their adoption of policy.”

As the attorney/owner of Barton Gillman LLP, a 24-lawyer firm with offices in Providence and Boston, Plain stressed that he has the time and energy to fully commit to the town’s school committee, even as he helps to raise his two sons, 4-month-old Andrew and 4-year-old Matthew Jr., along with their 19-month-old foster child.

“I can tell you I have an overwhelming amount of support from my wife Stephanie and my family and friends,” Plain said. “I wake up every morning and I give thanks for everything I have, go to bed thankful for everything I have and in between, I drink a decent amount of coffee,” he said.

Plain said he had been considering a run for School Committee at some point, but when the seat opened up earlier this year, he saw the opportunity and decided to go for it.

Plain, a Republican, said that if he’s elected, he would try to lend his legal experience as well as try to help the committee continually improve. All public bodies seek improvement, he said, and it’s an ongoing challenge for the committee as it tries to interact with both the administration and the public as it fights to ensure all students get the resources they deserve to get a top-quality education.

He said he’d like to help the committee find efficiencies, cost savings and “effective innovations” since “there’s a finite sum of money to get this job done.”

The School Committee election is Jan. 5. Plain will run against Amy Snyder, who announced her candidacy last month.