Fairfield Candidate Profile: Trisha Pytko For School Board

FAIRFIELD, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Fairfield and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Fairfield Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will continue covering the races as Election Day draws near.

Pytko is running for Board of Education as a Republican. She is a science teacher, has a 7-year-old daughter and has served on the school board since 2015.

Are you running for office in Fairfield? Contact Anna Bybee-Schier at anna.bybee-schier@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Fairfield Patch.

Candidate responses appear as they were received and have not been edited by Patch staff.

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Contamination

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Currently, the superintendent is being proactive by testing all fields and playscapes. After testing from an independent firm, there are some that require some form of remediation. As a BOE member, I am asking for and receiving updates from our superintendent, Mike Cummings, and the director of facilities, Angelus Papgeorge. The BOE members and myself take the possible soil contamination issues very seriously and want our students and families to be safe. We are following the recommendations from the Fairfield Department of Health and the state.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

I am running for re-election as a Voice for ALL Children in Fairfield.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I taught middle school science for ten years. I am entering my 4th year of teaching science. I am in my second year of teaching organic chemistry at Sacred Heart University (part time). I have a daughter in elementary school. I am a graduate of Fairfield High and I have lived in our town for 33 years.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

In your first year as a board member, learn as much as you can without providing speaking on every issue. I reached out to other board members to learn as much as I could. It really does take a full year to understand our budget process and every line item, visit the schools, enjoy the concerts, and see how amazing each school is in its own way.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am a single mom to an amazing 1st grader. I am a member of the SEPTA Special Education PTA. I am running on a platform "A Voice for All Children" and as an educator, I believe our special programming is one of our valued traits in our public schools.