Tolland Candidate Profile 2019: Jacob Marie, Board of Ed

TOLLAND, CT — Tolland's election season is at its peak, and there are plenty of contested races with candidates eager to represent their town in November's municipal election. Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns, and has been publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Jacob Marie is running for Tolland Board of Education, 2 year term as a Republican.

Occupation:

student

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

I'm a member of the Tolland Water Pollution Control Authority

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

It's really hard to narrow it down to just one. There are 3 major issues facing Tolland Public Schools. Number one is the loss of ECS funding from the state. The BOE will need to adapt and figure out how to do more with less resources. In particular, I'm prepared to look at overhead costs, which have grown even as enrollment has declined and see if we can be more efficient in that area.

Secondly is our curriculum, if elected I will push to establish a BOE curriculum committee to evaluate the current curriculum and work with teachers to ensure that it (a) challenges students at all skill levels so that they can strive to be their best and (b) prepares kids for the 21st century challenges they will face in a modern work environment. Finally, our schools face a mental health crisis that really is unprecedented.

There are no easy solutions to this problem, we are operating in uncharted territory here. However, a good place to start is by building a strong relationship between school counseling staff, parents, and cognitive therapists who work outside the school system. This will help us identify students with mental health issues sooner and get them help more quickly. We can also hold programs to help decrease the stigma of mental health so that students are more comfortable seeking help.

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

The big advantage I have is that as a recent former student, I have a good understanding of the current state of the school system. This will help me better evaluate the system's needs and the effects future plans will have on the schools.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Transparency is very important to the Tolland Republican Board of Education platform, especially when it comes to the budget process. We also want to get more input from teachers when we make decisions.

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

Recently I worked with the school system to organize a student led Town Council debate, which had never really been done before (at least not in a formal format). This was a large project that involved working with school staff and finding solutions to new problems. Yet, in the end it was highly successful. The experience required me to think outside the box and cooperate with a large number of people and parties, which are skills that will serve me well on the BOE.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

It's hard to narrow this down but what's particularly relevant would be the idea that you are often more capable of doing things than you think; you just need to push yourself. This advice can apply to a complex organization like the school system as well. Even in light of the budget problems and mental health problems the district faces, the BOE, the staff, and the students will be able to overcome these problems and thrive if it adopts this attitude and acts in a resourceful way.