East Haven Election 2021: Michele A. DeLucia Running For BOE

EAST HAVEN, CT — The State Municipal Election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Patch contacted candidates to answer questions about their campaigns.

Democrat Michele A. DeLucia, MAIOP, 46, is running for East Haven Board of Education.

Occupation: Professor Of Psychology (Master of Applied Industrial/Organizational Psychology MAIOP)

Family: Husband is Steve DeLucia, son is Marchello, 19, an East Haven High School 2000 graduate, daughter Charlotte, 16, is a senior at East Haven High School, and daughter Ellerie, 10, in 5th grade at East Haven Academy.

Experience: Chairperson East Haven Board of Education

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I have served on the Board of Education since 2013, utilizing my knowledge and skill set as an Organizational Psychologist to Chair subcommittees such as Personnel and Curriculum. In 2017, I was first elected as Chairperson of the Board of Education, and in an effort to better understand both the challenges and policies that shape education, I returned to school in pursuit of a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. I am currently a doctoral candidate conducting research on the achievement gap, specifically examining the relationship between parent/family engagement and student achievement. Lastly, over the past 18 months I have served in my position as Chairperson with diligence and professionalism during what has been deemed the most unprecedented time in the history of education, while working to support the administration, staff, and fellow board members to develop practices and procedures to increase academic opportunities and educational outcomes.

Accomplishments:

Over the past two years, I have worked to develop partnerships with local universities, including both Southern Connecticut State University and Yale University. I have also negotiated several bargaining unit contracts, including most recently our paraprofessional contract, in which we were able to develop a new salary scale that reflects the value of their services. Over these past few summer months, I have also assisted in hiring top administrators to lead both our school buildings as well as overall district initiatives.