Tolland Candidate Profile 2019: Renie Besaw, 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.

Renie Besaw is running for Board of Education 2 year term as a Republican.

Occupation:

Controller, 25 yars

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

Previously Vice Chair Board of Education in Colchester, CT

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

The single biggest issue facing the Board of Education, in conjunction with the town, is prioritizing the needs of the school district while keeping in mind the resources available. Tolland has an excellent school system, however like all schools new challenges develop over time. We need to be able to keep up with the changing dynamic of the school district while respecting that there are limits on resources and other priorities on the town side as well. I would work with the rest of the board and the superintendent to prioritize the district needs and how to achieve those in a cost effective manner. Then I would want to work with the town council collaboratively to reach a budget that is fair to keep our students in a superior school system.

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

I have board of education experience from another school district. I believe that I can bring a fresh perspective to the board here along with some new ideas.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

The Republican platform is very focused on the curriculum that will make our children successful. Back to basics means establishing a committee in accordance with state statute 10-220 that will recommend, develop, review, and approve a strong curriculum around
major subject matter such as math, reading, writing, arts,and science. Foundational excellence will open doors after graduation and set students up for success in the real world. Teaching to 21st Century standards does not necessarily mean buying every student their own
iPad or chromebook. It means making sure that every student is given the opportunity to creatively and critically thinking. It means teaching them to collaborate and communicate. It means giving them access to information, media, and technology to ensure literacy
in these areas. Most importantly it means giving them the life skills such as social skills and leadership training. An example of implementing 21st Century standards means ensuring that our science teachers have the proper supplies, technology, and laboratory upgrades to ensure our students are successful in science pathways. Although we don’t want our educators specifically teaching to the test, we want our test scores to reflect that Next Generation Science Standards are working for our students.

This is just one example, and we want to explore it all. We want both educator and student proud of what they have accomplished. We want the best for our children present and future, so we must implement sustainable programming and mitigate the ECS cuts from the state.

If the state is removing funding we need to quantify unfunded mandates from the state that don't serve us. Identifying our priorities and looking at policies will give us what is needed to ultimately sell the investment in our schools to the community. We will accomplish this by understanding our budget and providing the public with simple and relevant information. We cannot draw the line and be combative with other boards. Bridging the communication gap between our educators, elected officials, and community is a must in accomplishing these goals. This is a response from the entire slate to this question.

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

As stated above I have four years of experience on a Board of Education. I have been chair of the Budget committee, on both the Personnel committee and the Policy committee and have participated in numerous contract negotiations.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Have the courage of your convictions

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

I am dedicated to any position or commitment I make, so if elected would do my best to represent all of the people in Tolland. I'm hopeful that people will understand that local elections affect them more directly than any other and that will lead them to come out and vote for our slate.