Patch Candidate Profile: Heather Priest, Wilton Board Of Education

WILTON, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Wilton and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Wilton Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Product development scientist Heather Priest, 46, is running for a seat on the Wilton Board of Education as an unaffiliated candidate. She was culinary arts instructor at Middlebrook School for eight years, a culinary arts instructor in the Connecticut Technical School System for two years, and a personal chef and caterer for 16 years.

Priest and her husband John — a teacher in Wilton for 20 years — have been married for 18 years, and have twin 14-year-old daughters. She holds an MS in food science from Washington State University, a BS in nutrition from Florida State University, and a culinary arts degree from the Institute of Culinary Education.

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

No

Why are you seeking this office?

I have spent the past ten years raising my family in Wilton, eight of those years I was a teacher at Middlebrook School. We settled our family in Wilton not because we were teachers at Middlebrook, but because we believed in the power of the Wilton community. The Wilton Schools have cultivated some of the brightest, most successful students that Connecticut has to offer. I want to be a part of the legacy that continues to provide this district with the guidance needed to navigate an entirely new world of challenges that our students will face.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Plug and play curriculum and non-mandated testing have been a large portion of the educational spending over the past 8-10 years. I believe that we need to stop cutting programs that benefit our kids, stop outsourcing our learning and start empowering our educators. We need to do this, not by cutting the budget, but by using our resources more effectively.

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

There is a great deal of complexity and nuance that comes with overseeing a high performing district like Wilton. I believe that my unique insight, as an educator in Wilton, will help the board better interpret the challenges that we face and enable them to make more informed decisions that benefit all of the students in the district.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

While I am not facing an incumbent, I believe it is important to state that I am going into this election with the belief that all of the people that have come before me to volunteer their time for our community have come into their roles with only the best of intentions for our students.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Computer testing has become the de facto measurement of success, I would like to make room for other methods and measurements to hold value in our district.

As an unaffiliated voter I want to bring civility back to these local, volunteer based community boards. In recent years there has been a lack of trust and frankly vitriol that have polluted these critical bodies. If elected, I hope to help cultivate an environment where we have the humility to learn from previous decisions and acknowledge we all want what is best for our children.

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

My life and career have been an exciting series of challenges that have shaped me into someone that does not believe there are limits to what we can achieve. Whether that be pursuing a career as a chef, becoming a teacher, or completely upending my professional life to pursue my dream of becoming a food scientist, I have never shied away from hard things. As a teacher in Wilton I brought to life a zero waste program that brought all four schools together to recycle, reuse and remove 2000 lbs of food a week out of landfills. I completely redesigned the curriculum at Middlebrook to go from an outdated home economics class to a state of the art culinary and farm to table program. Not only do I believe that I can tackle difficult issues, but I have proven to my community that I have the willingness to do it.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Don’t try to be the smartest person in the room, be the one that listens the most intently and learns from their mistakes.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My parents spent their entire careers in academia, my mom was an elementary teacher for 25 years and my father was a college professor. They shared a passion for education and dedication to their community that I hope to pass on to my own children. I truly believe that while the world has changed and we must adapt, the foundation of what inspires children and educators is not new. They crave authentic experiences, creative outlets and curriculum that excites and motivates them to learn. Data and test scores have their place, but we need to refocus our efforts on what will make students excited to learn.