Three candidates are vying for two three-year seats on the School Committee.
Newcomers Angus Abercrombie and Matthew Kraft are challenging incumbent Meghan Moriarty for her seat on the committee. All three candidates participated in a March 13 debate hosted by Belmont Media Center and moderated by Anne Marie Mahoney.
Abercrombie emphasized his perspective as a recent graduate of Belmont schools and his understanding of the modern classroom; Kraft touted his background as a teacher and current work in education policy; and Moriarty touted her experience as a current School Committee member, from negotiating union contracts and managing the budget to guiding the district out of the pandemic.
Questions ranged from views on the proposed $8.4 million override – for which all three expressed their support – to how candidates would work with the committee to manage “skyrocketing costs,” how social-emotional learning fits into the curriculum and whether candidates supported the potential closure of Burbank Elementary School in the event the override fails. With few exceptions, candidates were relatively in line with one another.
“There’s no doubt that this election is incredibly important for the future of our town, and the future of our schools,” Kraft said in response to whether he supported the override. “I’m a strong supporter of the override. I think we as a community have an opportunity to invest in the services that all residents benefit from, and that, without that investment, we stand to lose major opportunities to move our schools and our municipal services forward. I also recognized that this is a substantial ask.”
Moriarty added that, unlike in 2021, federal funds will not be available to stave off cuts should the override fail.
Asked whether the proposed areas for cuts – such as athletics and theater – would save the kind of money the district is looking to save, Kraft said the idea these were “scare tactics” demonstrated a “critical importance” of the School Committee to build on past efforts to communicate openly and transparently.
Moriarty said managing expenses begins with understanding what’s happening at the elementary school level. She said new leadership is focused on introducing new curriculum and increasing professional development, in part to improve the services the district can offer students in special education—a measure aimed at reducing the district’s costs in the long term.
Abercrombie added the role the committee can play in advocating for more state aid.
“I’m proud of my relationships with the staff on Beacon Hill and the work that may be able to get done to accrue more aid from the state in that matter,”
All three candidates also supported efforts to improve social-emotional learning for students, focusing on the mental health and well-being of students.
On the topic of capital, Abercrombie said he would prioritize deferred maintenance, noting in particular the need to address the Chenery Upper Elementary School boilers. Moriarty, meanwhile, noted the hiring of a new facilities director and deferred reliance on their expertise.
“School buildings are the working environments for teachers and learning conditions for students. Investing in them is a wise investment,” responded Kraft.
Referring to the union strikes in Newton, Mahoney asked candidates how they viewed the committee’s relationship with the union and with the town and if they would be willing to “face a strike to preserve the town.”
“There’s no doubt we have to confront that, knowing that this election and the upcoming year has a shadow cast over it from the Newton teacher’s strike. I think that we have to say, as a school committee, that we are working tirelessly on behalf of our students and our town to provide the best education that we can provide. Teachers are an incredibly important part of the equation.”
He said the School Committee cannot think that investments in teachers can be “pulled out of thin air” without a plan for where that money is coming from.
“If [a strike] happens, I’m committed to standing firm to support our students and our community,” he said.
Moriarty recalled two past union negotiations, one of which took place in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While we, as a School Committee, come to the table with the best interests of the students, the teachers union is there with the best interest of the teachers, and you try to find that common ground. I think that’s really important to enter into negotiations with that.”
Finally, Abercrombie said the most important thing in the negotiation process is to be clear about how many educators, programs, and materials the contract can support.
“The issue with contract negotiations is to work out a document that is going to get us to a place where we all want to be within a budget top line that is limited,” he said.
The election will take place on April 2. Also on the ballot are races for Select Board and town moderator, as well as two ballot questions, the first of which seeks approval for an $8.4 million override and the second of which seeks approval to change the Board of Assessors positions from elected to appointed.
