East Haven Election 2021: Lynn A. Torello For Board Of Education

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

Patch contacted candidates to answer questions about their campaigns.

Republican Lynn A. Torello, 50, is running for Board of Education in East Haven.

Occupation: Hospitality Management

Family: I have 3 children who currently attend East Haven Public Schools.

Experience: None

Family in government: No

The single biggest issue in town is ______, and I plan to do this about it:

The single most pressing issue facing our town is the lack of a quality education for our students. Approximately 65% of our students perform below grade level in math, our reading and writing scores aren't much better with 53% performing below grade level. These numbers are prior to Covid and they have been stagnant for many years. Our teachers are our greatest resource, we need to better utilize them. I will look to build a partnership between the teachers and administration where we collaborate to find creative solutions to greatly improve the quality of education. We need more teachers and smaller classes with individualized learning. I also think that more hands-on learning and less computer programs is the best approach, but we will need to agree on the best strategy as a team.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

The critical difference between myself and many of the other candidates is that my motives aren't political in any way. I solely desire to improve the quality of education for all students in East Haven. I am not running because I want to, I'm running because I feel compelled to. I have seen families in my community struggle and their issues aren't being addressed. Someone needs to stand up for those that are unable to stand up for themselves. I will insist on transparency and due diligence from my fellow board members.

Accomplishments:

I have instituted programs to improve efficiency resulting in savings in labor dollars spent. I have also uncovered individuals misappropriating funds on two separate occasions. I have a proven ability to stick to a multi-million dollar budget. While these are all things I am proud of my greatest accomplishments are the teams that I have built. I have had the opportunity to work with and develop many teams. Watching those teams continue to grow and become high performing is very rewarding.

Other issues:

According to district data 35% of our students in East Haven are Spanish speaking and I will work to provide an enriched program to fit the needs of our ESL students. I will also work to ensure that we better prepare our students by offering life skills programs as well as more alternative programs for those high school students not interested in going to college.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

Communication, transparency, and accountability are essential to success. I believe that politics have no place in education. I will always do what I feel is right for the students and I will never sacrifice my integrity.