Unenrolled/independent

I graduated from Stonehill College in 2001 with a degree in English and Art. I worked in magazine design and production for Art New England Magazine and SAIL Magazine, before transitioning to my current job as Copy Editor at Boston University School of Public Health. I also teach fitness classes at Crunch Fitness in Braintree and Northeast Health & Fitness in Quincy.

For school activities: Currently, I'm an Executive Board member of Citywide PTO, Co-Vice President of Quincy High PAC, Co-Treasurer of Central PTO, and Treasurer of Point Webster PTO. I enjoy organizing and volunteering at school events across the city, including the Senior Stay Out after prom all-night event, Homecoming, bookfairs, candy bingo nights, movie nights, and concession tables. I am the Organizer of the annual Clifford Marshall/Point Webster Family Fun Run & Wellness Expo. I also am a member of the Massachusetts Gifted and Talented Advisory Council to DESE (a state-level board dedicated to expanding advanced curriculum opportunities across the state). I was a member of the Quincy School Committee for 10 months, from February to December 2021 (I fell just short of keeping that seat for a full term by 52 votes in November 2021's election).

For community at-large activities: I'm a member of the Ward 2 Civic Association, Friends of Faxon Park, Friends of the Ruth Gordon Amphitheater, and the Quincy Environmental Network. I am a parishioner at St. Joseph's Church in Quincy Point. I helped bring the Community Preservation Act to Quincy, which has funded many great historic preservation, open space, affordable housing, and school playground/outdoor classroom projects across the City.

I strongly believe we need the voice of a parent with children currently in Quincy Public Schools on the School Committee, who can raise up concerns and experiences of other parents across the City. That way we can make sure the discussions the School Committee has and the policies they put in place are relevant and necessary to address the concerns and challenges our students are facing today. I have three children in QPS - one at Point Webster, one at Central Middle School, and one at Quincy High - and my volunteer work with Citywide PTO and collaborating with other PTOs across the city has helped me make many connections with parents across other schools as well. I feel I am uniquely qualified to be a voice for families with children currently in QPS. Additionally, I have experience being a School Committee member (10 months in 2021) and am the only School Committee candidate who was endorsed by the Quincy Education Association (Quincy's teachers' union).

The purpose of public education is to give every child a foundational knowledge of academic areas (math, science, language arts, history, etc.), while also developing skills that will help them to be successful in life.

My top three funding priorities would be: 1) to complete a feasibility study researching ways to bring our 5th graders in Quincy Point and Southwest Quincy back to an elementary school setting, 2) to expand our REACH program so students in younger grades working above grade-level can have increased opportunities to access advanced coursework that will keep them engaged and learning, and 3) to ensure we have enough resources and supports to address students' needs post-COVID (academically, behaviorally, and socially).

It was heartbreaking this winter watching our teachers stand outside in freezing weather week after week, after teaching our children all day, to beg city leaders for a contract that speaks to modern teacher needs and aligns with what educators in neighboring communities already had. I was proud to stand with our teachers during those standouts, speaking up for them at Open Forum in School Committee meetings, and writing letters describing the ways they are the backbone of our school system. I will absolutely be a voice on School Committee that speaks about our teachers and to our teachers with respect. Negotiations are a give and take by definition, however, they don't need to be contentious or disrespectful. Working respectfully and collaboratively are how we get there, delving into each contract item through conversations and planning (even over multiple contracts) - working together to talk out and agree on a way to meet teachers' needs while being respectful of budget constraints.

The DeCristofaro Center is a great idea on paper - it will save huge amounts of money transporting students to and paying tuition for out of district schools, it will bring in money from students living outside of Quincy, it will save students and families the time traveling to further away schools, it will provide students and their families the opportunity to build friendships and find community within their city. However, it has to be done right. The programming inside that building has to be top-notch and have everything teachers there need to deliver a quality program to some of our most vulnerable students in order for it to be a true success. To make sure that happens, we have to reach out to and listen to teachers and staff who will be working in the building, as well as families and students who will go there. We then need to regularly check in with those same teachers, staff, families, and students once the building is open to find out how we can continually improve the program to deliver the highest quality education to those students. Any student who qualifies for placement in the DeCristofaro Center who is currently attending an out of district school must absolutely still have the option to stay at that out of district school if the family wishes. A lot of our students are thriving at those schools, so disrupting that could be detrimental to their progress.

There are many other ways we could improve special education services across the district, beginning with making the path to receiving assessments and services more clear and accessible for parents/guardians to navigate. It's often difficult for parents to find out how to start the process or even find out what services are available. Having that information readily available in school main offices, guidance centers, and nurses' offices, as well as detailed information on the QPS website would be helpful. The Quincy Parent Advisory Council to Special Education (QPAC) is a fantastic resource for parents. They provide parent-to-parent support and advocacy. I would love to see that volunteer group receive some funding from the district to continue and expand their work to assist and reach more families.

Hate has no place in our society. We need to make every effort to stamp out every instance of hate and bullying in our Quincy school community - encouraging students to support each other, respect differences, and embrace other cultures. We already have many programs and clubs in our schools, many of them student-initiated, that aim to do just that. Continuing to support those efforts and allowing students to lead efforts to boost each other up is very important. Allowing space and opportunities for students to collaborate and talk about issues together, rather than adults simply talking at them, has proven to be effective at building community as well. Some other ways we can promote community and EDI efforts are: hiring more diverse staff members and teachers, offering more professional development on EDI issues, expanding our media centers to include books on a multitude of cultures and family structures, listening to recommendations and suggestions from our ELPAC group and non-English speaking families, continuing to expand translation services to ensure all school communications going home to families are in languages they can understand, and hosting district-wide anti-hate meetings/conversations/rallies to show the district's commitment to stamping out hate in our schools.

There is definitely a need post-COVID to need hire and contract with licensed and trained mental health professionals to support our students (and staff) who need those services. We should not be adding that to the workload of our current guidance counselors, assistant principals, and school nurses, most of whom are not licensed/trained in mental health care.

I was glad to hear that recently more topics focused on civics have actually been added to the QPS curriculum - from younger elementary grades, all the way up through high school. Students should absolutely learn about the democratic process, how important politics and issues are to a community, understand what it is to be an informed citizen and voter, and be encouraged to pay attention to local politics, all in age-appropriate chunks through their time in QPS. We absolutely should be encouraging students to vote - having voter registration links/forms widely available and offering them to students once they reach age 18. Offering parent/caregiver academies on the importance of being an informed voter and going out to vote would be a great idea. I would even love to see student-focused local candidate forums where students can ask candidates questions that are important to them. There is a fine line between campaigning in schools (which I don't support) and allowing students to see democracy in action (which I do support) - but I think we can get a little closer to that line than we currently are without going over it.

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