Newtown Election: Jennifer Padilla For Board Of Education

NEWTOWN, CT — Election Day is approaching fast, and a number of key positions in Newtown will be on the ballot.

To help readers make an informed decision on Nov. 2, Patch has reached out to local candidates to share their views on various topics of importance in town.

Patch will post these candidate profiles over the next several days, so check back often to see the latest.

Democrat Jennifer Padilla, 41, is running for Newtown Board of Education in Newtown.

Occupation: Stay At Home Mom Focused On Volunteering In My Community

Family: I live in Newtown with my husband Jon and two school aged daughters Lillian and Violet. We have lived here for 13 years and moved here for the stellar schools and wonderful community feel.

Experience: PTA Co-President at Hawley Elementary

Family in government: No.

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

I believe one of the most critical areas for improvement in our schools is the continuation of work focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Our district has worked incredibly hard to find and hire a new DEI Coordinator to put some focus on this important work and I see the role of the Board of Education as a critical one to support that new hire, provide oversight and guidance by way of clearly laid out policies, and access to resources and tools to make sure our coordinator feels empowered to affect real change in our schools. In addition to ensuring our district has appropriate policies in place, I believe we should help identify people in each school building to collaborate on a shared DEI mission and work with the coordinator, and to create clear and measurable goals and a plan to create a truly inclusive environment that celebrates every member of our diverse community and aids in the success of all students and staff in our schools.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I have been an incredibly active volunteer in our community for almost a decade and focused on supporting children in our community and improving our school district.

Accomplishments:

I have spent the last 7 years on a PTA school board, 4 of those as a President/Co-President, I am a founding and current member of our town’s Parent Educator Advisory Council (PEAC), a 3 year current member of our district’s Safety and Security Committee, a member of our districts hiring committee for the Director of Teaching and Learning, and a 2021 nominee for our districts Profiles in Professionalism Award. Prior to these commitments, I spent over 12 years as a Human Resources professional focused on Recruiting, and Learning and Development. I have spent time creating policies and workflows in both retail and financial environments. I believe these skills would serve me well on our Board of Education.

Other issues:

I believe in responsible spending and budget creation for our schools, addressing the learning gap left behind by the COVID-19 pandemic, the constant and consistent improvement of our Special Education services and supports, and ensuring quality decisions for the health and safety of our children and staff based on facts and science, and to be some of the most important issues facing our district today.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I take the opportunity to serve on our Board of Education incredibly seriously and am humbled by the support I have received thus far. I have a proven track record of not just raising issues I see that need improvement in our district, but also have always been willing to roll up my sleeves and get things done. That will not change. If elected, my town can expect me to continue to be approachable and open-minded and to approach my responsibilities with vigor, logic, and a high sense of integrity. I deeply care for my community and feel passionate about this work and am invested in our success as a school district.