[Aaron Olapade]: Yeah, I'd be there two hours early.
[Bruce Kulik]: And welcome to the Medford Democratic City Committee School Committee Candidates Forum. Tonight's program is being broadcast, streamed and recorded for later playback by the Medford Community Media. My name is Bruce Kulik and along with Phyllis Morrison, who is absent tonight, we are the co-chairs of the committee. Tonight we will hear statements of responses to questions from all nine school committee candidates. The general election will be held November the 4th with early voting beginning October 25th. The moderators will be myself and Anita Tucker, who is a member of the committee. We are joined by volunteers from Jumbo Vote, a non-partisan student-run organization from the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. Tufts students' volunteers tonight include our timekeepers, Tegan Mastone, Dombian Kurt, Eleanor Shockney-Martello, Jules Zinn-Rothorn. We also have a volunteer from the Medford High, Jacob Yee, who is up in the booth operating the lights and providing technical assistance. Mayor Brianna Lungel has graciously declined to participate tonight to allow the focus to remain on the school committee candidates. The format of tonight's forum will consist of opening statements by each candidate, followed by questions and responses by each candidate, and concluded with a closing statement. The order of speaking was determined by random selection conducted earlier by members of the organizing committee, with candidates allowed to swap positions by mutual agreement. Candidate Intoppa has notified us he has additional personal engagement this evening and will need to leave early. He has designated Lacey Intoppa to deliver his closing statement. Each candidate will be allowed two minutes for the opening and closing statements as well as two minutes response time for each question. The timekeeper will display a yellow card when 15 seconds remain and a red card when time has expired. The moderator will then tell the candidate that time is up.
[Phyllis Morrison]: We will now introduce each candidate. When your name is called, please stand, if able, and greet the audience, and then return to your seat. Michael Mastrobrioni, Jessica Parks, Nicole, oh, sorry, hang on. This is my fault, because I want to read down instead of across. I'll start again. Michael Mastrobrioni, Aaron Olapod, Jenny Graham, Erika Renfield, I'm doing it again. I can't stand this. John and Topper, Jessica Parks, Jenny Graham, Lisa Kingsley, Nicole Branley, Erika Renfield, and Paul Rousseau. Each candidate will now have two minutes each to deliver their opening statement. Michael?
[Mike Mastrobuoni]: Can everybody hear me? Great. Thanks so much. Good evening and thank you for having me. I'm Michael Mastrobone. I'm a parent of two MPS kids. I'm a public servant and obviously I'm running for school committee. My family moved to Medford because it reflects the values that we try to live by. Strong public school system, a community that believes in showing up for one another, and an active civic spirit that you can feel at block parties and PTO meetings. And of course, we also moved here for the Fells. Since moving here, Medford has welcomed my wife and me along with our seven-year-old Lincoln and our four-year-old Violet, both Roberts kids. Running for school committee is my way of giving back to the community that's given us so, so much. In my professional life, I serve as budget director for the City of Somerville, where I manage large, complex budgets and long-term capital planning. My job is to make sure public dollars serve the public, protecting core services, aligning spending with community priorities, and keeping programs strong no matter what comes our way. That includes the federal government and the state government. That experience that I have in my everyday life matters here. I was part of the finance team that delivered Somerville's new high school project in 2021 from early planning through construction. I'm really proud of that. I know what it takes to support a school building project that meets student needs while staying fiscally responsible. And I know how important transparency and communication are when you're spending public dollars on something that's gonna shape a community for generations. I've spent my career protecting local resources, planning for the longterm, and keeping vital programs strong. The school committee, it's not just a policy group, it's an executive body. It hires and evaluates the superintendent, it ensures the district budget reflects our values, and it sets measurable goals and holds us accountable for meeting them. I'm ready to do that work on day one by bringing my expertise, my leadership, and my ability to turn resources into results. If I'm elected, I'll focus on three things. First, championing our public schools by supporting curriculum and making sure every student has a place to thrive. Second, budgeting for values and stability through transparent multi-year budgeting that protects what works and invests in areas where we need improvement. And third, delivering a successful Medford High School project. Such a joy and I'm ready to get to work. I'd be honored to earn your support, thank you.
[Aaron Olapade]: Hello, and thank you so much for having me. I want to say thank you to the Medford Democratic Committee. the Medford Public Schools for welcoming us, and my fellow candidates for being on stage with me. I'm a product of Medford Schools, not just as a graduate, but as a school committee member and leader seeking re-election. I've seen firsthand both the challenges and opportunities facing our schools, and I reign steadfast in the belief every child deserves an education that unlocks their full potential. At a time when public education is under attack, when diversity of every kind is at the highest it's ever been in our classrooms, And when budget debates threaten the resources our students depend on, we need steady leadership and voices with lived experience on the committee. Medford shaped me, and now, as your school committee member, I work to shape a brighter future for every student, on every path, from classrooms to careers. From advocating and securing historic funding through the 2024 overrides, to advancing equity initiatives and capital planning for a new high school as a voting member of your building committee, I'm already fighting to make sure our schools are safe, welcoming, and prepared for the future, but the work is not done just yet. During university, I studied political science, not just to understand systems, but to change them. My senior research on behavior in the classroom, the adverse effects of implicit bias, and adverse effects of harmful educational practices informed my interest in this work and my conviction that representation truly matters. That conviction has impassioned me in my efforts and accomplishments thus far. I've been able to bring additional resources into our schools through career readiness pathways and youth employment grant programs. I've been able to work with our CPAC in the city to establish a best buddies program. We're going to be doing composting to our school district, which I'm incredibly excited about. I've been able to hire high quality leadership through our different search committees. And I'm here to speak to everyone tonight about the opportunities that we have in the district. I'm excited for the opportunity to speak to you about my personal experiences and how I can better impact the community. Thank you.
[John Intoppa]: Hello, all. My name is John Lewis Intoppa. I'm a candidate for re-election to the Method School Committee. I just want to take a moment and just thank everyone for being here, both the people running this event and also all the candidates. I think this is the first time the nine of us have been in a room together. And I just want to thank you all for running a campaign that is based on love, that is not done through anger, that is based on what is the best for our students, faculty, and staff. And I think we all have, you know, our own visions, but we all have the same end goal, and that is for the uplifted support and progress of the Medford public school systems. I'm an unaffiliated progressive candidate whose vision mainly stems around student support and the co-curricular experience. A lot of my work in my day job is supporting students, whether that be for student organizations, student activities, student leadership, civic and voting engagement, military veterans and military dependents, and active duty students. So I work a lot alongside students being successful outside the classroom, because that's what student success is. It's the handshake between the co-curricular experience and the academics coming together. And I'm hoping to talk about that a little bit later on today. I'm the product of public education, as I've mentioned before. I'm the product of a K through BFA public degree. I'm a product of the Medford public school system. And that is what helped me go through the system was that co-curricular experience, whether it be the athletics or the arts department. Our nurses, a lot of things got me through. I was a student with the 504, so I was very much in the nurse's office a lot. And so anything I can do to support them, civic and voting engagement, and more. And so I'm really here to look at how we can focus on that sense of belonging, focus on that sense of drive to keep our students in school, focused on academics, and figure out a way to make this the best time that they can. And also, be perfect community members of our society, and how to be that role model for other students, whether they choose to go into higher ed, whether they choose to go into the armed forces, whether they choose to go into the workforce. Thank you.
[Jessica Parks]: Jessica Parks. Thank you so much for having us here. My name is Jessica Parks, and I'm excited to be running for school committee. I'm committed to rethinking our approach to budgeting, expanding opportunities for open and honest dialogue, and most importantly, building systems that support educators and meet the needs of all learners, ensuring everyone is engaged, valued, and heard. A year and a half ago, I I did not think I would be here. I watched my nine-year-old son, Simon, unexpectedly speak at a school committee meeting in opposition to proposed teacher cuts. Seeing him speak so proudly and unafraid reminded me of why I bring him to these meetings and how powerful community engagement is when we show up, speak out for what we believe in, and do the work even when it's difficult. That reminder was the catalyst for creating a petition signed by over 500 residents on behalf of our Mississippi teachers, which then became volunteering with the Invest in Medford override campaign, where Simon and I knocked on doors every weekend listening to your stories about our schools. Some of these stories highlighted frustration with the lack of an after-school program, Although we made it off the wait list four years ago, I was driven to find solutions through the creation of an afterschool task force. As a planner and project manager, I have a track record of strategic thinking and creative problem solving. As such, I focused our task force on case studies and data from five neighboring districts and 64 afterschool programs. This work helped move the discussion forward, allowing us to focus on the potential of our district program. Although we just started we've already seen a 21 percent increase in spots. We expanded the task force to include representation from each school and brought in an external consultant to develop strategies for scaling up. This is the kind of collaboration and action I will bring to the school committee by listening to needs assembling the right team analyzing data and turning ideas into real measurable results to be tracked over time. Thank you.
[Jenny Graham]: Hi, I'm Jenny Graham, and I'm proud to be running for my fourth term on the school committee. Medford is turning a corner. We've been laying the groundwork for real transformation, and I'm ready to keep pushing forward to make sure that our schools are places where every student can thrive. Over the last six years, we've made historic progress. Most recently, we asked Medford to pass two ballot questions that bring $7 million to our schools each year. This ends the cycle of cuts and allows us to invest in excellence, not just to survive, but to improve. I worked hard to make the case to city leaders that we needed more than a short-term fix that saves 40 jobs after a bad budget session. Instead, I made the case that we needed to think of the ballot measures as the central way for us to move forward and improve. Passing the overrides was just the beginning. It allowed us to negotiate a new school schedule that gives students more time to learn and grow, and to fix structural issues with the schedule at the high school. Today, more students have access to AP classes, the arts, electives, and all of that thanks to thoughtful contract negotiations. As the lead of the negotiating team, we've settled 11 contracts in just a few years, improving efficiency, building repeatable systems, structures that work for students, and making historic investments in compensation so Medford can be competitive. As the chair of the building committee, we've moved the Medford High School project ahead of schedule in the MSBA process, which saves Medford time and money. We met with the architect today and we're planning the next phase, which includes input from all of you. In my next term, I'll keep pushing forward. I'll continue to lead the building committee and fight for the budget our students deserve. We'll bring greater transparency to district finances to continue the work that we've already been doing. We're launching our first-ever strategic plan that begins with community input. This work is close to my heart because I do it in my day job, and I know that real change comes to organizations who listen first. We'll be listening to many voices as we shape that plan, address space constraints, and improve the quality of the school experience for everyone. I'm focused on expanding wraparound supports, including after-school, summer care, special ed, and pre-K, and you'll hear the rest in my closing remarks.
[Lisa Kingsley]: Hi, I'm Lisa Kingsley, and I'm the mom of three Medford public school students and a lifelong educator who spent nearly 20 years helping schools work better for kids and families. I began my career as a special education teacher, where I saw firsthand how powerful it can be when students feel seen and supported, and how frustrating it can be when systems seem to get in their way. That's what led me to go into leadership. I wanted to help build schools that centered student needs and improved outcomes for all. I led a special education at a nearby charter school. I served as principal of Curtis Tufts High School here in Medford. I ran therapeutic and alternative programs in Malden. Most recently, I've been earning my doctorate in education leadership from Harvard, also graduating with my superintendent license and experience coaching superintendent teams from across the country. But my heart hasn't left Medford. As a board member for the MFN, a Girl Scout leader, and a Girls on the Run coach, I am deeply connected to the community and am constantly listening when families want to share what's working and what's not in our school system. I'm running for school committee now because Medford is at a turning point. This term, we are selecting a permanent superintendent and shaping a long-term strategic plan. Rare opportunities to set a clear vision, align resources, and build trust with our families. And while the new high school continues to be an exciting priority, we also must keep sight of the day-to-day work of teaching, learning, and governing well. It's essential that somebody at the table has lived experience of how system decisions ripple down into classrooms and understands the importance of centering student need in all conversations. I know the inside of the classroom and the governance levers that can shape student experience. I hope to serve on the school committee to ensure that we can move from good intentions to data-driven results. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Nicole Branly.
[Nicole Branley]: I'm Nicole Branly, and I'm currently serving my first term as a school committee member and running for re-election. I have worked diligently during my first term to learn, to listen, and to use my voice for our staff, our students, families, and community. I'm proud to have been educated in Medford Public Schools, graduating from Medford High School, and I'm proud of both my daughter, who just graduated this year from Medford High, and my son, who's currently a 10th grader here. I have been both a cheerleader and a critic to Medford Public Schools, advocating for what is best for all of our students. I have worked in public education for nearly a decade, with six of those years as a paraprofessional here in Medford Public Schools. Currently, I work, like other candidates, in Somerville Special Education Department for nearly three years now. I have been honored to walk into City Hall to represent all of our city as an independent thinking school committee member. I'm not a politician. I am a mom who ran for office. I won a grassroots campaign and I want to do it again. No one should walk into City Hall for themselves, but for the people of this city and for me focusing on our public school system. I want to continue the important work we do and be part of the decisions that will mold our future, most notably choosing a new superintendent in the future of our Medford High School, Medford Vocational Technical High School campus. No one job in public education is more important than the next, because at the end of the day, it's about a student, someone's child, and what happens in our schools spills directly into our neighborhoods, and that affects us all. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Erica Reinfeld.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Thank you. Hi, everyone. Thank you for being here. My name is Erica Reinfeld. She, her pronouns. And I am running for re-election. My wife and I have lived in Medford Square since 2005. And we have two children, one at the Roberts, one at the high school. I'm a longtime STEM educator, and I currently manage the public outreach program at MIT's Astrophysics Research Center. As an educator, my focus has always been on interdisciplinary approaches, and I've spent my whole career trying to bring people and resources together to create learning environments and experiences that get people excited about and engaged in their own learning. I ran for school committee two years ago because I thought this was a perspective that the committee needed, and I'm really excited to continue the work that I've been doing. Very briefly, I'd say that the top two themes of my first term have been pushing the district to address longstanding challenges and advocating for clear articulation of community values and expectations. These are both things that I intend to continue doing, but in my second term I'm also excited to focus more energy on enhancing our academic offerings for students, particularly those who need extra support and or extra challenges. I think my perspective as a museum educator and evaluator can be hugely helpful with that. but I know it won't be the only thing I get to work on if I'm re-elected, and I know I won't always get to work on the things that I'm passionate about. There are big, hard challenges ahead, and also great, exciting opportunities. We can't talk about all of them tonight, so I will just end this introduction with an invitation to connect with me afterwards about any of the issues raised on the stage tonight, and with a promise to bring my best self to this work.
[Paul Ruseau]: Paul Rousseau. Thank you very much, and thank you to my fellow candidates for stepping forward and putting yourselves out there. Running for office is no small thing, especially when many of us are juggling full-time jobs, family responsibilities, and the added commitment to serve. The commitment deserves recognition. It's dedication, plain and simple. My name is Paul Rousseau, and I'm running for my fifth term on the Medford School Committee. Over the past eight years, I've seen dramatic change across our school committee, our public schools, our city council, and our community. I'm energized by that progress, and I'm eager to keep pushing forward. Our public schools aren't just where we educate our kids. They're the backbone of Medford. They shape our future, reflect our values, and hold us together. I grew up as one of the low-income kids I suspect we'll hear about tonight. This lived experience informs nearly every decision I make. I can't speak to the backgrounds of my fellow candidates, but I can tell you that growing up with food and housing insecurity changes you. It gives you a lens you can never put down. As we face uncertainty in the years ahead, I'll bring a steady hand to the tough decisions. I'll fight to ensure that our students, with the least, never get less, especially if we face a financial crisis. I'll also continue championing the new high school project working to ensure we build a zero carbon building that reflects our values and protects our future. Tonight's questions will touch on many of the complex issues school committee candidates face. I believe every member should come prepared having done the research spoken with the professionals in our schools and kept an open mind. That's how we solve problems together. Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: Thank you to all the candidates for their opening statement. We will now conduct the Q&A portion of tonight's forum. The questions will be asked in three rounds with each candidate responding in the order previously determined. We have developed 27 questions for tonight's forum. Each candidate will draw a question from a glass bowl. The question will be provided to the moderator who will ask the questions to the candidate. The candidate will then have two minutes to respond as they wish. The first round begins with candidate Mastro Brioni. Please draw a question from the bowl and return to the volunteer.
[Mike Mastrobuoni]: I hope that's a good one.
[Bruce Kulik]: What motivates you to run for school committee and what particular skills or experience qualify you to serve? So to repeat the question. What motivates you to run for school committee and what particular skills or experience qualify you to serve?
[Mike Mastrobuoni]: Thank you, and thank you for your patience. 27 questions is a lot. So what motivated me to run for school committee again is, and I've spoken with a lot of folks about this when I'm out canvassing, is one of the coolest things that's happened to me in my family is when my son Lincoln, he's now seven, he's in second grade at the Roberts, when he started school. At that time, we had been in Medford about four years or so. And the way that the school community really enveloped us became our friendship circle became our family up here was. transformative. It really changed the way my family lives our life. And that's great. And I want to give back to that community. I wanted to give back to Medford since day one when I moved here. I started out by trying some volunteer opportunities. I'm currently a commissioner on the Water and Sewer Commission, where I look at water and sewer rates and long-term planning. That sets up That matches really well with my skill set, which again is municipal finance. What municipal finance is, it's taking complicated problems and complicated rule sets in Massachusetts law and explaining them to residents, to colleagues, to subject matter experts to help them solve their problems. Every day I go to work thinking, how can I create the decision architecture that supports progress in Somerville in my day job. I want to do the same thing here. Those are the skills I have. Those are the skills that I'm ready to be using here for school committee on day one. And I think when you're putting together any team, it's really valuable to have someone with municipal finance experience, whether it's a city council, a school committee, a mayor's team, or any administration. So that's my motivation. I'm really fired up to get to work and help Medford, and that's my skill set. Thank you so much.
[Bruce Kulik]: What do you believe the primary roles and responsibilities of a school committee are? Provide some examples of the differences between the school committee's role and the superintendent's role.
[Aaron Olapade]: Thank you for that question. I think the school committee's primary role is to be the governing body for public education in any municipal government. And I think that it's supposed to be the bridge between what the general population understands about public education and what the government is trying to accomplish. We understand that at the state level there's a lot of decisions that are made that reverberate in our local government, in our local cities and communities, but a lot of the time the general public doesn't have the capacity, the time to actually be informed on what's going on because they're busy, they have kids, they're working day to day, and so who's responsible for communicating out to the public what we're trying to accomplish in the classroom and in the school and in the district? That's not only the superintendent offices responsibly, but the school committee. We're tasked with not only balancing the budget, but also incorporating the asks and the requests of families, constituents, kinships into the day-to-day operations of the school system. The superintendent's job is then to make those things happen. And I think that as a school committee, we can always do more to communicate what we want to see as a general public. seeing how we're informing our students, preparing them for post-grad life, making sure we have access to the arts, athletics, extracurriculars that students are excited about, and the superintendent's job is to then hire the proper personnel to task people properly and make sure that that's actually happening in public. Was there another portion of that question? I think that was all of it.
[Bruce Kulik]: Provide some examples of the difference between the school committee's role and the superintendent's role.
[Aaron Olapade]: I think the lasting portion is that school committee is tasked primarily with policy and budgets, like I said. I think that we understand what things are happening at the federal and state level, and we then need to communicate that to the superintendent's office, as well as, as I mentioned, to the general public about what types of things need to happen, and how we're going to make them happen through the budgets that we're receiving from the city, and how that, you know, how that will, I guess disseminate might be the word, but how that actually is going to be appropriated properly. And the superintendent's job, I think, is to then make that a reality. Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: John Intoppa. What are your views on school safety policies and disciplinary practices? What steps would you take to address behavioral and mental health challenges facing students and staff?
[John Intoppa]: That's a really great one. Six years ago was the first time I ran. I ran at the age of 18. And it was a lot because of these school safety concerns and mental health issues. I'm the product of an unfortunate time in America where school shootings seemed to be like, oh, that happened again. And I remember very vividly while they were doing construction down the street they would announce that they were doing controlled explosions and being in a classroom with no windows and no escape route and that being the most anxious part of the day. because of that, and not knowing if this was a safe building, knowing that there was one entrance and one exit, thinking about the awfulness of that, and that severely impacted my mental health, and a few other things, and I've been very, very open about that. I think in terms of, you know, school safety, we need to look at the source. I want to know, you know, we've talked about or I've talked about revisiting, you know, lockdown drills? How do we do that in a way that doesn't further traumatize our students? How do we do that in a way that our faculty and staff feel prepared for a situation where we find that middle ground? And also, you know, how, what, For school safety, what does a safe school look like from a faculty perspective? What does it look like from a student perspective? And what does it look like from a staff perspective? My background is in industrial design, and so designing experiences and systems that a bunch of users put their input into in terms of how it looks like is where we have to start in terms of, where are the pain points? Where do we feel like the building isn't safe? And how do we do it where we're not advocating for the ridiculous thought of, educators carrying firearms or a bunch of metal detectors doing the building, because that's going to affect people's mental health. When your building looks like a prison and feels like a prison even more than this building does, you're going to have success rates drop. And so finding that, I keep saying balance, but that balance of safety and also well-being is where we need to go. So I hope I answered the question to the fullest, but thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: Jenny Graham. Oh, excuse me, Jessica Parks. What ideas do you have to engage parents and taxpayers to ensure their voices are heard?
[Jessica Parks]: So I believe that communication needs to be more consistent transparent and easily accessible. I think that families and caregivers often send multiple e-mails on the same topic to school officials because they believe information isn't shared properly or clearly and I Educators and staff I speak with feel they lack a voice outside of bargaining periods. So we really need to kind of work on providing clear and consistent information about what's happening across the district both externally and internally. And ways to do that in order to kind of, because when staff and school committee members are receiving multiple emails on the same topic, it takes away from their day-to-day. It takes away from the teaching. It takes away from the leading. It takes away from everything if they have to answer individual emails. parents need to feel that they're being heard. And so I think that, you know, websites that are easy to navigate, I think if there are topics that are hot button topics, you know those ahead of time. You know that after school is going to be a hot button topic. You know that A change in curriculum is going to be a hot-button topic. You know that bus schedules are going to be a hot-button topic, and if bus timing is changing, you need to be able to communicate that clearly. So doing the communication up front and making sure that it's happening regularly through different methods of communication, not just a website, but it's the website, it's the email, It's the talking points, because not everyone understands things the same way. People are visual. People like to hear things. People like to read things at their own time. And making sure you're tapping all of those different outlets, I think that could help a lot and go a long way. As a project manager, I work with buildings that are occupied, and I carry out projects in them. I did recently did a project in a lab building and they were carrying out research while I was going in and doing HVAC work and we have to communicate with those buildings. So.
[Bruce Kulik]: Jenny Graham. What role do you think school committees should play in supporting the rights of gender-flexible students?
[Jenny Graham]: I think there's a whole lot of a role for the school committee to play. We are the makers of policy. When we don't set policy, the superintendent has the latitude to do the same. But I think when we talk about the values of the community and making sure that all of our students feel like they belong here, we have a great responsibility to make sure that that's true. We have already passed policy to do just that. And we also have the ability to back it up. So it's not just about saying this is what we shall do. That's good. It's important. But more importantly, then we have to prioritize what it takes to implement those policies in a way that's authentic. And that brings all of our staff along so that we can have a consistent experience for students. I was really heartened this year when the year started with a theme from the interim superintendent, which was belonging. And that means that everybody who walks through the doors feels like they belong here. and or in the building that they are in. And I think that's also great. But I know that that's just one more step. So we also have to prioritize professional development. We have to prioritize the supports that teachers need to be able to do this work staff nurses everybody in the building who comes together to make this happen for students. We have done that. We have been working hard to increase the amount of professional development, which we have done in this most recent teacher contract. So we went from having three professional full days to five. Those two days that we gained are well in excess from a value perspective to what we used to do with dribs and drabs of hours on half days. So while the kids might have liked half days, from a professional development perspective, we're set up to really be able to create time and space for the things that we need to do to help our educators thrive and help them help students belong. Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: Lisa Kingsley.
[Unidentified]: The suspense.
[Bruce Kulik]: What do you see is the district's greatest strengths and weaknesses regarding student achievement? What are you proud of? What would you like to see improved?
[Lisa Kingsley]: There is so much to be proud of in Medford. When my family made the choice 12 years ago to determine which community to move into, it was pretty easy to determine that Medford was where we wanted to be. The diversity that we have in the community that we've built continue to be things that are drive me to want to be here and that have been a hallmark of my children's experience in the schools. This is my first year of graduating out of Brooks Elementary School with one of my children. And the middle school transition is scary. I spent a long time as a middle school teacher. And the fact that he has been welcomed and successful and happy in this really tough transition into sixth grade is just one mini example of what Medford and our schools can do for everyone. An area that I want to make sure we continue to attend to and grow is the use of data and to make sure that we don't just feel good in our schools, but that our student outcomes are reflecting how we feel. We have our most recent MCAS results resulted in a lot of things and a lot of areas of growth. We also have areas in which we need to continue to attend to. The disproportionality of our students with disabilities and their achievement as compared to some of their peers across the state continue to be an area that I would want to attend to and that I'm uniquely qualified to support given 20 years in special education. So, taking that feeling of community and belonging and combining it with some of our need for data-driven analysis and using that information to set policy kind of, I hope, speaks to both sides of that question. Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: Nicole Brandlue.
[Unidentified]: All right.
[Nicole Branley]: I'll get the worst question ever.
[Bruce Kulik]: Do you believe that students should have access in the classrooms to the personal devices like phones, tablets, laptops for research or learning tools? How should the school committee ensure equity for students who might be unable to afford such technology?
[Nicole Branley]: Okay, can you read the question one more time? Yes.
[Bruce Kulik]: Do you believe that students should have access in the classroom to their personal devices like phones, tablets, or laptops for research or to use learning tools? How should the school committee ensure equity for students who might be unable to afford such technology?
[Nicole Branley]: Thank you. Well, as a mom of a teenager, two teenagers, one in high school and one in college, technology should really be enhancing our learning, not replacing it. We need to use digital tools to expand opportunities, but balance with the human connection and hands-on experience. We need students to actually be thinking. We talked a lot about AI in one of our previous meetings. I believe that's definitely a double-edged sword. Access to phones for research, absolutely. Access to phones for Snapchat during school, probably not. I think it's important that kids are focused on their teachers, they're focused on the curriculum, and that they're focused on learning. Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: Erika Reinfeld. Should we increase or reduce the resources applied to special needs or English language learners? Please explain.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Well, the schools can always do with more resources. But yes, I think one of the big challenges is meeting the individual needs of particular students. And when we look at some of the outcomes, we see trends that are not good. And so we have to address those, and we have to look at the trends at how things have happened over the years. And there are absolutely resources that we can put into this, high quality curricula, training, both of the students, of the teachers and educators providing the direct services, and also the students, sorry, the staff and teachers who touch their lives and their education in other ways. But there are also things that we can do that don't specifically need more money. A lot of this is around intentionality and looking and saying, this right here is the problem. This is what the data says. And this is why it says that. This is what's happening in the schools. And we're going to set a goal. a meaningful, achievable goal that is still a little bit aspirational, and we're going to devote the resources and the attention and the training to meet that goal. We're not going to try to do everything at once. We will get to things, but we will prioritize, and we will put the resources where they will be most valuable.
[Bruce Kulik]: Paul Rousseau.
[Paul Ruseau]: This is the one I want.
[Bruce Kulik]: Does Medford need a new high school building? Please provide examples supporting that choice.
[Paul Ruseau]: Could you repeat that? I'm sorry. I missed the beginning of it.
[Bruce Kulik]: Does Medford need a new high school building? Please provide examples supporting that choice. That feels like a softball. Thank you. They were randomly assigned.
[Paul Ruseau]: Yes, Medford needs a new high school. Examples of why? Was that the other part of that? Yes. Well, I appreciate everybody that's here, but this room is a good example of why. I think we need to have a theater that is substantially larger. I think the entire student body should be able to be together. It's literally impossible. This building also, I'm the secretary of the school committee and I sign the warrants, which means the bills have to be signed by my name in order to be paid. And I can tell you that our electric and gas consumption in this building is nothing short of a horror story. Even though we spend enormous amounts of money to heat this building, there's still plenty of rooms that are freezing cold. And of course, in the summer or in the warmer months, some rooms are hot, some rooms are cold. So basic climate control is not an option in this building. And there's plenty of studies that show that there is an optimal climate for learning. And so in order to give our kids and, frankly, our staff an optimal climate for actually teaching, This building can never be that building. That's why I am very excited to be on the school building committee and look forward to paying my 50 bucks or whatever it will cost to get a sledgehammer when we have that activity. A lot of schools do this when they knock down a building. It sounds very fun until you hit the wall. I'm sure it doesn't feel quite as good. Also, this building does not serve the needs of the students the way it needs to, and I feel like it was an easy question, but I could go on for half an hour on this, so thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: That concludes the first round of questions. We will now proceed to round two. Michael Mastriaboni. God. Okay, here we go. What changes should we make to the vocational school programs to respond to changing job roles like fewer industrial jobs and artificial intelligence changing the function of business management jobs?
[Mike Mastrobuoni]: Thank you for that question. One of the things I've heard most consistently canvassing over the last couple months is what a resource and how valuable having a vocational technical school is. So much excitement about what a gem that is and so much opportunity for improvement. Folks are telling about really exciting things that Arlington is doing with their vocational school. And I've seen firsthand through the Somerville High School project what a great auto tech shop can look like and what a great cooking program can look like. to prepare our kids and our neighbors for the next phase of life. Student success looks like a million things. It can look like AP classes. It can look like athletics. It can look like vocational technical training. Without a doubt, every person I've talked to in the last few months wants to expand the vocational school. They want to open it up as much as possible to the community. They want to integrate it into the rest of the high school. Something that I talked about with someone on the doors very, very recently, and that really really got me fired up was how her student that was on a traditional path felt like they missed out on opportunities for technical school. So when we separate the technical school and the traditional path and those students sort of go about their business in their own way, we miss that cross-pollination. We miss that opportunity. And that is something that can really ignite, you know, the spark of curiosity in a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old. So, you know, part of building the high school, part of building a new high school, which, yes, we definitely have to do, easy question, should be thinking about how we integrate the vocational school more into the built environment of what we've got here so that there's that cross-pollination, there's that opportunity, there's those conversations between kids. So, you know, I'm so proud of the vocational school and I think there's so much opportunity there.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Erin Olapade. In the past, teachers' contracts have languished to the point of crises. What can the school committee do to negotiate and approve new contracts in a timely manner?
[Aaron Olapade]: Thank you for that question. So I want to acknowledge that the teacher contracts that have come before me in my time, I think, is something that is a major point of contention, as you mentioned. I think many members of the community who aren't as engaged in the educational platform that's going on in the community were really concerned with what we were doing and how we were impacting teachers, their families, and how that was, I think, impacting student learning. I think what we are doing right now on this team that I've been interacting with the last two years is really working towards making sure that all staff members feel seen and heard during contract negotiations, are incorporating the questions and concerns from the unions and how that's impacting student learning. I think when we understand about how to explain it, I think the budget is the biggest question. The budget that is teacher salaries and teacher benefits is one of the biggest components of the school budget, and understanding how every year when we have less and less of a school budget, it's going to impact teachers and contracts firstly. It's not just going to be student learning, but it's going to impact the people that are teaching the material and the curriculum that we want our students to learn every single year, I think it requires a robust Contract negotiation team that are actively trying to understand better what types of things need to happen in the meetings, what types of things are changing at the state level, at the federal level. We're advocating for increased budgets every year that's going to properly pay and staff. are educators, but not just that, but I think also incorporating and creating an environment where teachers are excited to be here, they want to return, we want to make sure we have high teacher retention rates, and I think that comes in those negotiations where they feel seen and heard every single day when we have those communications about what types of things they're seeing in the classroom, because they're boots on the ground. We as the professional staff, in the school committee and on the contract negotiation team don't get to see what students are seeing and what teachers are seeing. So we need to be able to incorporate what they're doing with what we are budgetarily restricted to. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: What features would you like to see in a new building or in renovations to the existing building?
[John Intoppa]: Thank you for that question. It's no surprise that, to anyone when I talk about this, but I was a huge theater kid, and this was the theater, this was actually the stage that I found my voice on, which would lead me to be here today. And obviously the stage is new and we have some new lighting, but in comparison to what every other theater production company that is at a building like this, it's abysmal. And it's really sad because when we try to promote the arts and we try to help talk about all this, it's really bad. Talking about the vocational school too, talking about the handshake between the high school and the vocational school, there's talks of having the Curtis Tufts on the same plot of land and that integration of students being with students and being all together and working together to better each other's lives. I think that, you know, kind of piggybacking on the question of what other programs would you like to see, I think we need to have a bigger, I know we need to have a bigger emphasis on design. We have a great graphic design program, but we have it where I feel as the community feels or some students maybe go into it where it's like, well, I just don't want to design posters all day. That's not what graphic design is. We're doing a wayfinding survey. We're trying to figure out how to navigate the city. Can you imagine if we could do that in-house? Can you imagine if we had a whole plot of artists, designers, graphic designers? And we see that with the West Medford Open Studios. We see how powerful art and design is in here. And our art studios and learning areas just aren't there yet. And so I would personally be advocating for more up-to-date. you know, technology, up-to-date resources, so that way students that choose that path can feel empowered to do that, whether they wanted to go into engineering fields or industrial design fields like myself, architecture, graphic design, communication design, whatever have you, theater arts. There are a lot of people, production companies, they're in demand. And it's exactly what we have here today, how to use DMX, how to use sound, and that's what we need. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Thank you. Jessica Parks. What is your approach to issues such as book challenges or policies concerning LGBTQ plus students?
[Jessica Parks]: Can you repeat that question?
[Phyllis Morrison]: What is your approach to issues such as book challenges or policies concerning LGBTQ plus students?
[Jessica Parks]: My approach to issues with book challenges would, I think, be communication with whoever is challenging them. It would reflect back to currently I think there is the Massachusetts state law and then also in action in Medford public schools. There's the ability for a parent to request that their child is exempt from certain area from a piece of curriculum due to religious exemption and so that they could sit out from that curriculum. And so but I think that court to that is just having a conversation and understanding truly what is at the core of that challenge and you know, conversations. I think conversations really help get at the essence of what is the challenge, what is, what a possible solution is, and, you know, is there a possible solution? Is there a way around this? Because I do think that when there are challenges to materials that are taught in schools or children are, kept from learning certain aspects of our curriculum, that not only does that child lose out, but the rest of the class loses out as well when the child does come back into the school. The other part of the question was LGBTQ. I think there was recently a policy passed, which I am in favor of, but I also think that we need to help change language surrounding our papers that go home. You know, instead of saying daughter and son or he, she on permission slips, we need to start saying they, them and child. And I think my time is up. Jenny Graham.
[Jenny Graham]: So many choices.
[Phyllis Morrison]: How will you ensure that students with special needs and IEPs, Individualized Educational Program, receive the support they need? How will you balance this with the needs of the general student population?
[Jenny Graham]: It's interesting. I feel like in the last three or four weeks in particular, every outreach that I've gotten from a parent who says, can we have coffee, it's about somebody struggling with the IEP process. My kids haven't had to go through the IEP process, but I have lots of friends who have. And central to every conversation about an IEP is this idea that it's a fight. And that is just, it's truly heartbreaking to me that everyone with good intentions comes to the table to fight. The district comes to fight, the parents come to fight, the advocates come to fight, the lawyers come to fight, and that serves nobody, and it particularly doesn't serve the child who should be in the middle of the conversation. I've been thinking a lot about what happens in the next term via the strategic plan, and I fully expect that one of the things that we will see is that we desperately need to prioritize charting a better course around the creation of IEPs and 504s, and certainly Those documents are there to control cost as well as they are to help students. But I think there are lots of ways forward that can be seeded more collaboratively and start helping students. For me, I think one of the things that I'm expecting to see as we go through the strategic plan is that we will hear voices loudly from our special education community telling us that we're not succeeding in that space. And I would agree with them, we're not. And I think really putting some priority and some emphasis around charting a better more productive, more collaborative course forward will not only create a better relationship between home and school in those instances, but will actually also serve the kids. And that's what we're here to do. So thank you. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Lisa Kingsley. How would you engage parent populations that are traditionally hard to reach?
[Lisa Kingsley]: So parent engagement has to be a key focus for both the governance and management. You know, the school committee itself needs to prioritize parent engagement, and we need to hold our leadership at the district level, the superintendent and their team, accountable for the same thing. But it can't be a passive process. We cannot reach out once, send one survey, and if no one responds to it, say, okay. It's really, really important that we seek out, we go to community spaces, we have multiple invitations, we ensure that translation is available, we have interpretation available. There's a lot of strategies that we can use, but it all comes back to whether or not it's something we're prioritizing. You know, I wanted to continue this idea of making sure that we're engaging our community, particularly those that have not been successfully served, which we know are many of our families of students with disabilities. When I was working in Malden, the school committee asked us to call every single family of a child on an IEP to check in to see how services happened during COVID and to see how they felt about it and whether or not compensatory services were needed. Was that a laborious task? Yes. Was it a big undertaking? Yes. But that data caused us to shape what we were doing on the district level and helped us ensure that we were targeting our supports and using our resources to address where the deficits actually were, not based on one or two parents that reached out or our own personal experiences, but rather based on data that we strategically collected. So I think ensuring that it's a priority is step one, and then the actual strategies that we use will be dependent on the goals of the purpose of the outreach. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Nicole Branley.
[Nicole Branley]: I hope so.
[Phyllis Morrison]: How would you address, sorry, how would you address pushback from constituents who disagree with school policies?
[Nicole Branley]: Well, as a current school's commit, school committee member, I think we already do that. We get a lot of feedback, I would say. from our constituents, lots of emails, lots of communication. I think it's really important to have discussions to explain where we come from as a committee, as a school, as a community. We really need to support our families. I don't think every policy and every motion that we pass makes everybody happy all the time. I think we really need to find a middle ground to really support as many students as possible. Because at the end of the day, this is what this is all about. It's about the students, it's about the staff. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Erika Reinfeld. This question relates to budgeting priorities. What personnel or programs need more funding, and how do you propose to achieve that? When developing the school budget, name your top two priorities and explain why.
[Erika Reinfeld]: That was a lot of words. All right. That's a big question. And I will note first that I think the budget process that we have is really important of talking to the departments, the department heads, the teachers, finding out what the people on the ground doing the work think we need? Can you repeat the question? Sorry, there was a lot to it.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Okay. This question relates to budgeting priorities. What personnel or programs need more funding, and how do you propose to achieve that? And then, when developing the school budget, name your top two priorities and explain why.
[Erika Reinfeld]: All right. So student support comes first for me. What are these things that students need? And are we getting it from federal and state sources? And if they're not, we have to prioritize that because we know this is potentially coming under danger. I'm always going to say that the arts needs more support, where people, this is a way for people to find their voice. I'm a STEM advocate as well, so I'm about to get out of my two priorities. I would actually say that my top priority in budgeting is transparency and knowing where the funds are going, how it impacts students, I think we've made a lot of progress over the last couple of years with new budget directors showing what we're actually spending on things so that we can make those decisions in a really informed way. So accountability and transparency are my priorities, but in terms of what we're actually spending the money on, absolutely student supports and student options so that students have choices for career, for college, and can develop those skills that they really need to succeed.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Thank you. Paul Russo. In the wake of school shootings and other violent incidents, what do we need to do physically through counseling or by monitoring social media to avoid having such incidents occur in Medford?
[Paul Ruseau]: Could you repeat it one more time?
[Phyllis Morrison]: In the wake of school shootings and other violent incidents, what do we need to do physically through counseling or by monitoring social media to avoid having such incidents occur in Medford?
[Paul Ruseau]: Thank you for a very hard question. If there was an easy answer, I'm pretty sure it would have been implemented somewhere in this country already. I think that this is a topic that is hard to have a conversation about. As a parent of a student in this building, as a parent who during the Sandy Hook massacre, I had to drop my kindergartner off at the Missittook, then the Columbus. And it was a very challenging time to drop your kindergartner off. And so I had to dig into that experience as a lot of parents have. I will say that I've kind of come full circle on school safety. ALICE is a program, the active shooter drills. I was actually participating in an active shooter drill in Lexington with some school administration during the massacre in Florida. I forget the name of the school. Sorry. Parkland, excuse me. And so we were in there, and our phones were off, and we had no idea. And then when we came out to our cars, everybody's phones were blowing up about what had just happened. And I will tell you that even having just received that news, there is no universe where I would allow an Alice active shooter drills in our schools. It was the most utterly traumatic thing I have experienced, and there were staff that were crying, and to me it was abusive, frankly. I really, American Society of Pediatrics, APA or whatever they call themselves, they also think that it's not acceptable. So it's a tough question that there's no short answer for. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: That concludes the second round of questions. We will now proceed to the third and final round. Michael Mastrobianni. Massachusetts voters recently approved a measure to eliminate MCAS as a graduation requirement, but to retain it to assess student achievement and identify schools needing support. What is your perspective on the decline in MCAS scores post-COVID and the decision to eliminate it as a graduation requirement?
[Mike Mastrobuoni]: Thank you for that question. The way I feel about MCAS is colored largely by my conversations with our superintendent in Somerville, Dr. Ruben Carmona. when I'm looking for information on something that's novel to me. Again, my kids are seven and four. I have not done MCAS yet. I go to the experts. Dr. Carmona, what's up with MCAS? What's going on with this? And that's literally how I ask him, because that's how I am. So I think having this data on school, this aggregate data on school and grade and teacher performance is part of part of the puzzle of improving our schools, right? It's not the only thing. We need to continue to focus on our kids, on their growth, on their engagement, on their opportunities, and on the total spectrum of what success looks like. Again, success is not acing MCAS. So that's how I feel. I don't think that MCAS is something that's absolutely necessary, but I think it is a valuable tool for educators. So then what do we do? What's a better world? Again, I'm not a curriculum expert. I'm not a testing expert. But for me, we want to use that information to make data-informed decisions, not to identify outliers and make extreme reactions to them. We know generally where Medford schools are. We know generally what our opportunities are, I think the next step, we don't need MCAS to tell us that. The next step for us is to define what we want our district to look like and make a set of plans to get there. That's what's important to me rather than MCAS.
[Bruce Kulik]: What is your perspective on the possibility of federal budget allocation being subject to federal guidelines or curriculum and policy requirements, such as teaching the history of enslaved people, DEI policies, or the treatment of transgender students?
[Aaron Olapade]: Thank you for that question. I find that as a state and as a local city that has the possibility of having federal funding cut, that relies on federal funding for a variety of programs, I think it's representative of the fact that there is fear from the federal government that we are doing what's right, that they're attacking our state and they're attacking our students by trying to cut programming and to be as informed, holistic students and individuals in the general population. My biggest concern is that how does this reverberate to students who have the most need? So low income, special needs students, English learners, other demographics that we here in Medford really prioritize and we want to keep in the district. I know that there is a variety of concern, I think, from the constituents about how we're going to navigate this if we do have federal funding cut and how that additional need will become more apparent with less and less monies available to us. We talk a lot about as long as we have strong educators and willing students, that's all we really need. There's a lot more to it than just that. The achievement gap becomes more apparent. The student success rates become more apparent. Graduation decline. Testing scores, as we just mentioned. And we don't quite know what that may look like because right now it's theoretical. And I know that I've been in Zoom meetings and I've interacted with people at the Statehouse. They are actively already trying to navigate what this may look like if we do lose federal funding and even additional state funding. the governor's office, the attorney general's office, I know state representatives I'm communicative with, I know local cities, superintendents are all trying to navigate what is next, even if it doesn't actually happen. How do we incorporate proper educational practices with less and less money? The biggest fear, of course, is that eventually when you're doing more with less, eventually it just becomes less. And I think that's where we need to navigate how can we as constituents actually impact student learning if we don't have the financial backing that we usually or more commonly have. Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: As indicated earlier, John Antofa had to leave due to a previous personal commitment. We will then proceed now to Jessica Parks. Will you support a debt exclusion tax override to build or renovate a new Medford High School?
[Jessica Parks]: Yes.
[Bruce Kulik]: OK. Next to Jenny Graham.
[Jenny Graham]: Nothing else needed to be said.
[Bruce Kulik]: We'll get out early this way.
[Jenny Graham]: We're rounding the end, folks. Thank you for your patience.
[Bruce Kulik]: After-school programs have been an ongoing challenge for Medford. Do you think that after-school programs are important, and how would you help address this challenge?
[Jenny Graham]: Yes, they are. I think for anybody here at this table who has children, they've been impacted by the lack of after-school care in Medford in some way, shape, or form. For my family, the after-school program was a secret when my kids were in elementary school and in kindergarten. You had to know somebody to know it existed, and we did not. So we've changed that, which is great. But the demand far outpaces what we've been able to provide historically. And we've done a lot of things over the years to try to fix that. Most recently, a group of parents approached me and said, can you help us? We can't keep doing this this way. And I said, the superintendent has just unexpectedly taken this role and we need to give her like 35 seconds before we ask her to dive into this like pretty intractable problem. And so we did give her like more than 35 seconds but less than 35 days before I knocked on her door and said, I think there's a group of parents that would really like to talk about this. I think they have taken the time to have a different approach than most of the parents who have come to us and said this is just not acceptable. And can we have a meeting? And so to the people at the table here, Erica and Jessica were both at that meeting. Jessica being one of the parents who charted a different conversation with us as a district. Out of that came like some really important things. One is a huge increase in after school already, engagement with a consultant to fully meet our demand, and some work to really change the way we think about after school from a place to keep kids safe to a place that has a wide variety of academic offerings. All of that is like yet to come, but I'm so excited to finally see some traction and I just want to say thank you to the other people at this table Erica and Jessica who have been on this journey with the after school task force. Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: Lisa Kingsley. What are your views on the district's current literacy or math programs? Are there types of programs you would like to see put in place to provide more flexibility in instruction?
[Lisa Kingsley]: So I'm gonna answer the question, but in a fairly roundabout way. So whenever we're thinking about a specific program or a curriculum, we're kind of farther down the line of decisions, and we're kind of beyond what the school committee itself has control over. So the school committee sets our strategic direction. One of the things that we, I hope to do if I have the opportunity to serve on the school committee, is lean in to the beginning of a vision of effective instruction that has begun in Medford Public Schools. We have started a vision for instruction and started an idea of what we think our position as a district, what we think good teaching and learning looks like. Once that decision is made, then we can evaluate between research-backed, high-quality instructional materials to determine which one best fits our vision. Because what we know in education is there is not one good way to teach and learn. What matters is coherence. It matters that we have taken a perspective as a district and made a decision about what we believe in Medford good teaching and learning looks like. That comes from listening to all stakeholders involved. And once that decision is made and once it's clear and actionable then we can assess our current reading program our math program and ensure that it fits. Now this is not work that would be done in a year or two years. The reading and math programs that we've adopted we are moving in the right track towards coherence and that every elementary school is using the same program for the first time. That's a step in the right direction. But as we work to codify what our vision of teaching and learning looks like we will then be in a better position to ensure that all of the different curricular components match the vision that we're seeking to achieve for our students.
[Bruce Kulik]: Nicole Ranley. What can be done about improving the nutritional value of food provided to our students?
[Nicole Branley]: Can you just read that one more time, because we've been talking about food this whole time, and I'm just laughing. That ended up being my question.
[Bruce Kulik]: What can be done about improving the nutritional value of food provided to our students?
[Nicole Branley]: Well, I have to give a big shout out to Retta Smith, who is our food director here at Medford Public Schools. She has really been a game changer. She truly has been. I worked at the Brooks for six years, and I remember when Retta would come and bring samples. The teachers were lining up for Retta's food. She really has changed, I think, the face of Medford Public Schools food. As a para, when I did lunch duty, I would always know when it was French toast stick day because it was a run on the cafeteria. I knew when other things were being served and everybody was kind of hanging out waiting for a slice of pizza. So, nutrition and learning go hand in hand. I believe healthy, appealing school meals are part of academic success, and that every student deserves access to them without a stigma. A full belly is a full mind. And I know even my high school student is eating school lunch every day. and always knows what he had for lunch. Oh, mom, we had this today. We had this. And I feel like if it was just that, you know, pizza and Doritos or tater tots that I ate when I was here at Medford High, it probably wouldn't be discussed as much as it is at our own dinner table. So I'm really grateful for the strides that we've made. Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: Erika Reinfeld. Around the nation, parents and groups have expressed concern about certain books being available to their children or used as optional teaching materials. Are there certain types of books or books with particular message or characters that we should restrict at any grade level?
[Erika Reinfeld]: I think it is hugely important that the materials we have in our classrooms be developmentally appropriate, and I think it's hugely important that they represent the community that we live in, the students who are in the classroom, and that they be educational tools that can facilitate learning and dialogue. what we have to have is good conversations. I think our learning materials have to reflect that. They have to reflect the world that we live in, the world that students are entering into. So yes, we need to be careful about what's in the schools, but not by way of censorship, by way of providing benefit and community to children.
[Bruce Kulik]: And finally, Paul Rousseau.
[Paul Ruseau]: Which one? We all want to know what the last question is.
[Nicole Branley]: I don't want to answer another question.
[Bruce Kulik]: I'll read it afterwards. All right. Medford currently has an interim superintendent What criteria and methods will you use to ensure that the best superintendent is selected from a broad range of internal and external candidates?
[Paul Ruseau]: So that was the question we were wondering, is that gonna get asked or not? So I was on the superintendent search after our former superintendent, Mr. Belston retired after a very long career here. And it was a very interesting process hiring a superintendent. There were 28 applicants, and I think we had four, three or four, I'm looking to remember Van der Kloot tell me, because I forget, but that we put forward to the full committee for consideration. And I felt we had a pretty good pool of candidates. However, I will say that in these last eight years, To be blunt, the pool of good candidates for superintendent has not grown. In fact, it has dwindled dramatically. It is every single year, multiple times a year, school committees are deciding that they will not accept any of the candidates they have and they're going to start the whole process over. When I go to school committee conferences, which I have done every year since 2018, it is almost invariably the number one conversation being had by other school committee members. We're hiring a superintendent. Oh, my God, this is so hard. Or our superintendent isn't getting renewed. We don't know what we're going to do. And our professional association is very clear that if you have a good superintendent, you need to hold on, because, frankly, there's not a lot of candidates. Not a lot of people want to work 14 hours a day, six days, seven days a week, and run a business, if you will, of this size for the kind of pay that they get. So I would say that what am I looking for? I'm looking for a lot of what we have in our current superintendent and I'm out of time. Thank you.
[Bruce Kulik]: At this time I would like to invite Lacey and Tapa to join us on stage. And while we're waiting, I will read the question, which is one I wish had been asked. How will you evaluate technology purchases to ensure they provide a strong return on investment? How should the school committee ensure equity for students who might be unable to afford internet at home? So you can all think about that and dream about it tonight.
[Phyllis Morrison]: This concludes the Q&A portion of tonight's forum. Each candidate will now have two minutes to deliver their closing statement. Please note that the order of speaking will be reversed with candidate Rousseau going first.
[Paul Ruseau]: Thank you and after all of that I wish I could write my closing remarks over. But anyways thank you again to everyone here tonight and to those watching now or later. Forums like this are a reminder of how much our community cares about our schools our students and our shared future. Serving in the school committee is more than attending meetings or casting votes. It's about listening deeply. asking hard questions and making decisions that reflect both our values and our realities. It's about showing up for students, families, educators, and the broader community, even when the choices are difficult. I bring nearly eight years of experience, a steady hand, and a clear sense of purpose. I've helped guide Medford through major transitions from pandemic recovery to budget challenges to the launch of our new high school project, and I've done it with a focus on equity, transparency, and long-term thinking. My lived experience shapes how I evaluate policies how I advocate for students and how I prioritize resources. I believe our schools must serve every child especially those who need us most. Looking ahead, I will continue fighting for a zero-carbon high school that reflects our values and prepares our students for the future. I'll work to protect the programs and supports that make our schools strong, even if we face financial headwinds. And I'm proud that our budget now reflects how we actually spend our money, because that honesty allows us to be transparent with the public and strategic about where we go next. Medford deserves leaders who are prepared, principled, and persistent. I hope to continue being that kind of leader for you. Thank you for your time, your trust, and your commitment to our schools.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Candidate Erica Reinfeld.
[Erika Reinfeld]: Thank you. So we've covered a lot of ground tonight, and I'm sure it's given all of us a lot to think about. The piece that I really take from all of this is that most of the things that we've talked about on this stage are not isolated issues. They are very, very connected, and they can't be addressed by one person or one perspective alone. I think leadership is about a shared vision, and it's about putting the right pieces in place so that the work can happen efficiently and effectively. So my vision is a school system that works for all students, where educators are valued, and families' needs are being met. The pieces that I bring to that puzzle are a sincere desire to listen, a commitment to collaborate, and the ability to rise above the noise and identify the trends and patterns that will inform thoughtful, strategic action. I am a mother and an educator, but the thing that I most want to bring to the school committee is community. I believe that we are all in this together, and that supporting every individual student is supporting all students. I've taught in classrooms, in out-of-school time programs, in museums, in community health centers. I've run field trip programs, developed museum exhibitions, led teacher professional development, and conducted educational research. My personal opinion is that Medford schools are moving in a good direction, but that there are still too many people falling through the cracks. So, once again, I'm going to close with a promise. I'm going to promise to keep showing up, to engage thoughtfully with the issues, and to keep communicating about where I stand, where I think we need to go, and how we can get there. I hope everyone has a great night, and I'm really excited for the conversations to come.
[Nicole Branley]: So thank you all for being here tonight, for watching and listening from home. I'm grateful to the Medford Democratic City Committee for this opportunity. I want to thank my fellow school committee colleagues. Serving with you has been quite an honor. And all of you running for office for the first time, as I know firsthand the guts, the time, and the commitment that this really takes. I bring a unique aspect to the role of a school committee member, have been educated here, a lifelong member of our community, worked in our schools, being a parent of a current student and one who has graduated. I work in public education every single day. Medford runs deep within me, and I have been so grateful for the support of this city, for myself, for my family, and this truly feels, this position is an amazing way to give back. I show up and I will continue to show up moving forward. I vowed back in 2022 to do anything I could to step up for our children. and our staff, and I have done just that. I'm a woman of my word. I have a listening ear, and I believe that's truly what our public school system needs. We need to work together as a community to ensure every child has the opportunity they deserve to thrive. They need someone that is invested in Medford, who can work on issues affecting our city and its families and move us forward. It would be a great honor to earn your vote, and not one that I have ever taken for granted. Thank you.
[Lisa Kingsley]: Thank you. So if you haven't noticed tonight, I'm somebody who really digs into data, but it's not for the sake of numbers. It's because every piece of data tells a story about a student, a teacher, or a system that we can make even stronger. When you look at our current school committee data, it tells a story of opportunity. Our school committee members have been working so hard. There was 31 meetings that were held last year. But the special education subcommittee, the superintendent evaluation subcommittee, and the curriculum assessment accountability didn't meet. Across all of our school committee meetings from September to June student outcomes are indirectly mentioned on the agenda about 10 times. So I'm running to support progress to close these gaps and support the school committee moving forward with my deeply experienced lens. I want to help us connect the promises that we make to students and the systems that must deliver on them. That starts with clarity and accountability using data to understand what's working naming where we need to improve and following through on our commitments. It also means coherence, aligning our goals, budgets, and strategies so we're pulling in the same direction. And it means trust, built through transparent communication and consistent action. These are all levers that create lasting improvement. I bring the lived experience of a teacher and principal, the systems perspective of a district leader and Harvard-trained strategist, but the heart of a Medford parent who sees the incredible potential in our students and knows how to run or how to turn that potential into progress. On doorsteps across the city, families name the same priorities, better after school access, clearer communication, supportive special education processes, and real enrichment for kids. But unless we name our goals, design a plan to reach them, and hold ourselves accountable, those needs remain dreams without follow through. I'm ready to help us connect that vision to action with strategy data and collaboration so every child in Medford can learn, grow, and thrive. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: candidate Jenny Graham.
[Jenny Graham]: Thank you. As I was mentioning earlier, two hours ago, one of the things that we are working on as we move forward is a thoughtful strategic plan that starts with the community. We'll also be talking to you all when we are talking about the future of this building and get ready and keep showing up because we need to hear from you and we want to hear from you through all of these processes because you will help inform this path forward. The school committee is an important voice to make sure that the things that our community wants can be seen in our schools. If you know me, you know that I believe that we can listen, be bold and move fast all at the same time. It's possible and it's time for us to do that. There's a lot of momentum in our schools right now coming off a successful override, not having a bloodbath of a budget season, looking forward to a new high school, and I'm really proud of everything that we've accomplished. I'm excited for what's ahead, and I would just welcome you if you have questions. I can promise you that none of these topics were done service in two minutes, except maybe Jessica's question about the debt exclusion. None of these topics are two-minute answers, and they probably also don't really meet you where you are with what those questions are. If you have questions about any of these things, and you're like, gee, I wonder what Jenny thought of these questions, please call me. If you have questions about meetings that we may or may not have had, choices we did or didn't make, or all of the things that go on behind the scenes that are the invisible work of the school committee, please reach out. I'll meet you for coffee. We'll head to the bistro for lunch or breakfast. I think that's going to be like my home for the foreseeable future. So I'll see you there. But let me know, I'm happy to talk at length about any of these topics because they all deserve, they deserve more than two minutes. So, thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: Candidate Jessica Parks.
[Jessica Parks]: Thank you. The core of my campaign is truly meeting the needs of all learners. I struggled as a student and was diagnosed with learning disabilities in high school. I've seen how confusing the IEP process can be through our former foster child and I have a kiddo who quickly finishes classwork to go on his Chromebook. I've heard from so many of you that I'm not alone in these experiences. Every student, whether they struggle to access the curriculum, need alternative learning methods, or seek more challenges, deserves appropriate supports and opportunities to stay engaged in Medford's public schools. instead of having to look elsewhere. To make this happen, we must empower our educators, provide families with tools to advocate effectively and standardize procedures while measuring their success, because no child should fall through the cracks due to language barriers, financial limitations, or lack of information. Every student deserves an IEP, not just as a label of remediation, but as a roadmap for growth. Open, honest, consistent communication is essential to make well-informed decisions, but communication isn't only about sharing updates. It's also about listening, building trust, and addressing issues before they escalate. My experience communicating complex projects will be an asset here, and I will work to expand opportunities through office hours, regular coffee hours at the schools for educators, staff, and students, and one-on-one conversations. In closing, and full disclosure, public speaking is not in my comfort zone. But it's about doing the work, even when it's difficult. And with me, you're voting for someone who will listen, and someone who will work to turn your issues into concrete plans and follow through, whether that is helping one student or the whole district. And as you've heard, Medford needs a permanent superintendent and to create an updated strategic plan. Who better to be on the team than a project manager with a track record of strategic solutions and bringing diverse voices to the table? When you vote for me, you're choosing someone who will build systems that support educators and meet the needs of all learners, ensuring everyone is engaged, supported, and heard. Thank you.
[Phyllis Morrison]: with candidate John Intapa.
[Lacey Intoppa]: Hello, my name is Lacey, and I'm John's sister, campaign treasurer, and MPS alumni. I'm here to give his closing statement on his behalf. I apologize for leaving this amazing event. I am currently on my way to Hartford, Connecticut, driving two of my incredible students to a conference for their continued professional development. I'm so gracious for their patience in assisting me in attending for most of tonight. Working with higher education students on a daily basis is such a blessing, helping them grow as student leaders and members of the community. It's what I hope to assist in as a school committee member here in Medford. It's why I love programs like the Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility or the CCSR. Sorry for the tongue twister, Lacey. Thank you, John. If I haven't made it clear enough tonight, one of my huge focus areas is the co-curricular experience. Student success is the handshake between many things, but especially academics and extracurriculars. These extracurriculars are often the saving grace for our students. All three of us in Taupo siblings have that to thank for our success in school, as all of us have been involved in the arts, athletics, and student government. This has been such a wonderful journey so far, and I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for helping fulfill a childhood dream of mine. I hope to have impacted at least one student so far, just how I was by the school committee's support so many years ago. I'd love to continue my work. It would be an honor to have one of your six votes on November 4th. Thank you.
[Aaron Olapade]: Thank you everyone again for coming out and hearing us speak. I want to thank you to my candidates as well for working with me. It's been a really nerve-wracking, I think, night for all of us just because we're so excited about this work and we want to be the best we can be for each and every one of you. Something I think I noticed that we all talked about was every student, every path, everyone, we all have informed consideration about what is best for this district and we all have to be involved on how to impact students to the best of their abilities. When I'm talking about a vision for Medford, where every young person, no matter their background, learning style, or circumstance, has access to an education that is consistent with what they need best, not a one-size-fits-all education. It should prepare them not only for graduation, but life after graduation. That means celebrating all pathways, college, career, trades, and community service alike. As a current member of the school committee, I've seen firsthand how much progress we've made and how much more work remains. From building stronger academic supports to playing for a new Medford High, our momentum depends on experience and collaboration within the team. The work of governing isn't just theoretical. It's practical, detailed, and deeply human. It requires someone who knows how to navigate different cultural understandings, policies, partnerships, and relationships while keeping students' voices and student understanding at the center of every decision. But it also requires lived experience, someone who understands what it means to come up through our schools to face inequities and to turn those lessons into advocacy. I bring that perspective every day, being a representative of a growing population of diverse students and student learners. Our schools are changing, our city is growing, and we need leadership that reflects in response to the full diversity of our community. Something I learned during my gap year when I worked for City Year Boston is the spirit of Ubuntu. I am because we are. When we embrace Ubuntu, we recognize that every child's success is tied to our shared responsibility and collective strength. Together, we can remind our kids that they are not an afterthought, but the heartbeat of Medford's future. So tonight, I'm asking for your support, not just to continue serving, but to keep building a Medford that lives up to its promise, where every student has every opportunity, every path, for everyone. Thank you.
[Mike Mastrobuoni]: Thank you. Tonight's conversation has been really great. Thanks for teaching me a lot of things, folks. You're all amazing candidates. It's clear that everybody here on stage, and you all for sticking with us, you care deeply about the schools. You care deeply about Medford. So thank you. Something that really resonated with me tonight, a little bit of anxiety, a little bit of concern. What are the feds going to do to us? What does Proposition 2.5 mean for us? How do we find the resources? to keep the promise that we have to keep to our kids. They're not here to advocate for themselves. That's what we're all here to do. We're looking ahead. We're not sure what, you know, the word of the year is uncertainty, uncertain economy, uncertain federal environment, uncertain state environment. What I'm certain about, in this beautiful blue light that I look great in, is that we don't have to do more with less. We need to make these hard choices with clear eyes. We need to discuss with the community what's important to them. And we need to choose those priorities and execute them. When I think about the committee, what I bring to the committee, years of managing public budgets. turning community goals, concepts, ideas into real funded plans. That's what I do every day. We need school committee members who can both champion our public schools, be cheerleaders and deliver results. What does that mean? That means steady, transparent leadership guided by best practices, not chasing whatever's new. I'm running because I wanna support our schools. I wanna support my kids. I wanna support your kids. I wanna support our neighbors' kids. I wanna support our teachers. core to the responsibility of a local government is educating our kids. I want to ensure that we're communicating clearly with our constituents, with our families. I want to make sure that we're budgeting soundly. And I want to make sure that every decision we make as a school committee strengthens the most important responsibility we have. Thanks to MDCC for hosting this conversation. I think I speak for everyone and to everyone who took the time to hang out with us tonight. I'm proud to be a parent and a public servant in this community and Medford deserves a school community that's focused, informed, grounded in values and a vision for the district. We need a team that can plan for the future while protecting and enhancing what makes our school special today.
[Bruce Kulik]: Thank you to all the candidates and thank you to the Medford Public Schools for allowing us the use of the auditorium. Also to the volunteers from Tufts and from Medford High and finally the staff here who helped us this evening to set up the stage, get everything ready. We truly appreciate your help. That concludes tonight's School Committee Candidate Forum. Please note that the Medford Democratic City Committee will hold a forum for City Council candidates next Thursday at 7 p.m. here in the Caron Theater. and it will be broadcast, streamed, and recorded by Medford Public Media. Thank you for attending and viewing this forum. Have a good night.
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