Stamford Board Of Education Leader Weighs In On Election Issues

STAMFORD, CT — Election Day is only a week away, and Stamford voters are getting ready to head to the polls and make their choices. As previously discussed, the city is in a somewhat unique position this election season, as there are only a couple races residents will have to vote on: Board of Education and Board of Finance.

Additionally, there is one race for a seat on the Board of Representatives in District 14.

This is not to say these races are unimportant by any means. This year, there are seven candidates running for a full term on the Board of Education, three of which are Republicans and three who are Democrats. There is also a Green Party entry.

Those candidates are: Fritz G. Chery (D), Daniel Dauplaise (D), Jennienne Burke (D), Nicola Tarzia (R), Rebecca Hamman (R), Margaret Feeney (R) and Rolf Maurer (G).

Additionally, Democrat Jack Bryant will face off against Republican Eva Maldonado to fill a one-year vacancy on the board.

See also: Stamford Election 2019 Preview: What You Need To Know

In light of the added focus on the Board of Education race this year, Patch reached out to the board's president, Andy George, to discuss some of the big issues new board members will need to weigh in on if elected.

Facilities

According to George, one of the biggest issues this year concerns school facilities.

"We still have a certain amount of overcrowding in schools," George said, "and we know, because of all the mold from last year, that a significant amount of money is going to have to be invested in the buildings to basically get them water-tight so we don't have mold issues."

George said a number of the district's school buildings, specifically Westover Magnet Elementary School and Westhill High School to a lesser extent, have had mold problems this past year.

Last October, Westover was forced to temporarily shut down due to "elevated mold levels discovered at the school following preliminary air quality tests." Students were relocated to the former Pitney Bowes headquarters on Elmcroft Road as the building undergoes mold remediation.

"The school was evacuated so they could do major work, which has just gotten underway," George said. "There's some problems [at Westhill] too. We've addressed some of them, but there's still more to do and more to look at. Other schools have problems, but I would cite those as the two with more concerning issues."

Technology

In a candidate profile for Patch, Feeney said one of the issues she intends to address if elected to the board is technology in schools.

"I intend to focus on...ensuring we get the right technology into the hands of our students," Feeney said, "and that includes making sure there is executive leadership overseeing the management and prioritization of that."

She also said she would like to see a 1-to-1 technology ratio for the city's high schools and ensure there is an appointed technology leader to coordinate IT efforts across the school system.

George said he is a "big proponent" of technology, and agreed it was an area the district could continue to improve upon.

"I think we could do a lot more there, but I understand that we have a lot going on right now," George said. "This would probably not be the year to focus on that, but I think as we go into next year and get past January and develop budgets for next year, I would like to see more focus on technology."

He also noted that school districts have a tendency to simply purchase new hardware for students, but that alone doesn't help.

"You have to have the teachers able to utilize the [hardware] and instruct using it," George said, "which goes back to the issue of what applications we are using...do we have more of a centralized approach to that?"

Safety

In her Patch candidate profile, Maldonado noted her focus is on safety in schools. With over a decade of experience as a school resource officer, she was actively involved in several violence prevention task forces, as well as developing policy regarding school violence.

"My focus is safety," Maldonado said, "where teachers are safe to teach and students are safe to learn."

George said safety can be a sensitive topic, as there will always be people who want the schools to be safer.

"Everyone is going to have a different tolerance or different way of perceiving safety," George said. "We want [the schools] to be safe for everyone, but 100 percent absolute safety is almost impossible."

He compared it to driving a car and how simply getting behind the wheel of a car is a safety risk in itself; the absolute safest option is to not drive the vehicle.

"Overall, I think the schools are perceived as safe," George said. "I think on a day-to-day basis, people are probably more worried about behaviors; bullying and that sort of thing, because that kind of slides into the realm of security and safety."

He said he "doesn't think [safety] will be a hot topic" unless something suddenly comes up, but it is "always kind of out there." He also noted it is more of an ever-present issue, as it is not something that really goes away or can be solved.

Effort and Time

Overall, George said he is excited about working with whoever is elected on Nov. 5 and bringing new voices to the board's discussions.

"I look forward to anybody who is willing to put in the effort and the time, because [these positions] are time-consuming," George said. "There's a lot to try and understand about the school system. It's not easy to get your hands around it quickly, because you not only have to learn about how Stamford schools work, but also how it fits in with the way schools operate in the state of Connecticut. You also have to learn how the school interfaces with the city...it's good to have lots of different perspectives so it’s not just one sort of mindset looking at problems."