Meet The Six Acton-Boxborough Volunteers to Serve on the Regional School District Study Committee

Wednesday night, The Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee (ABRSC) unanimously voted six volunteers to serve on the Regional School District Study Committee (RSDSC). Acton and Boxborough do not share elementary schools. The RSDSC is tasked with evaluating all options and reporting them back to the ABRSC over approximately a three-year period.

The model was to have three members from Acton and three members from Boxborough serving on the RSDSC.

Six qualified candidates volunteered for the position so there was no need for a debatable circumstance.

“We (The Acton and Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee) were in a happy circumstance having six highly qualified applicants for our positions,” said John Petersen, Acton Public Schools Committee Chair.

Meet the volunteers serving on the Regional School District Study Committee:

Acton:

Peter K. Ashton:

• Ashton is a parent of three daughters – two have graduated from , with the other daughter enrolled in her sophomore year.
• Ashton is the President of Innovation & Information Consultants, Inc. an economic, finance, and management consulting firm located in Concord, Massachusetts. He holds master’s degrees in business and economics from Columbia University.
• Ashton was a member of the Acton Board of Selectmen for nine-years and the Acton Finance Committee for one-year.

“I understand the myriad issues facing both towns, the give and take that is required to develop consensus, and the hard work and cooperation that is necessary to reach a meaningful compromise. The issues facing the two towns and the school districts, while not unique, certainly require these skills and I believe my personality is well-suited to the task.”

Adria O. Cohen:

• Cohen has lived in Acton since 1987 and is language immersion instructor at a different school system.

“While my family, educational and professional responsibilities did not allow me to volunteer on town committees in the past, I now have the time and energy to give back to the community, recognizing that the study group will require many hours of voluntary commitment. I believe that all of us in the community, whether our children are still in the system or not, have a moral obligation to think of how our actions will affect future generations of students and residents and in addition, keep in mind the financial and social advantages and disadvantages of decisions.”

Xuan Kong:

• Kong currently serves as a member on the Acton and Acton Boxborough Regional School Committee and has also served on the Acton Leadership Group, District Long-Range Strategic Planning Committee, Cost Saving Task Force, Special Education Financial Task Force, and Comprehensive Community Plan Steering Committee (Phase I). Kong is a senior manager at a medical device firm.

• Kong has been an Acton resident for 10-years and has two children in the school system: One enrolled at the high school and one at the .

“I understand the time commitment required and will strive to maintain an open and unbiased opinion on issues in front of the RSDSC.”

Boxborough:

Mary F. Brolin:

• Brolin was a member of the Boxborough School Committee for 3.5 years, served on the Blanchard School Council for one year, was a Trustee of the Sargent Memorial Library and was the President of the Parent, Teachers, Friends organization for Boxborough for three years.

“Although the Committee will work together to determine the research that needs to be done for this effort, I foresee getting input from other communities and the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, compiling cost data from both the Boxborough and Acton Public School Districts, and gathering community input through forums and perhaps electronic survey platforms.”

Kristin Hilberg:

• Hilberg is a livelong resident of Boxborough and has one child enrolled in the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School and the other in the Blanchard School. She is a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty.
• Hilberg received a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. She has served on the Boxborough Board of Selectmen for six years, started a recycling program in the early 1990s and served five-years on the Finance Committee.

“I believe I can offer the Region my unique experience as both a Boxborough student and parent in the ABRS system. I also know how to read and understand a municipal budget and have a lot of experience working with many different people with differing points of view.”

Malcolm (Mac) P. Reid:

• Reid has lived in Boxborough for 24-years. He was Director of Personnel for the Acton Public and Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools and was the Principal of for nine-years. He was also the Interim Superintendent/Principal at Blanchard.

• Reid has spent the last five years as the Superintendent of Schools in Shirley and served on the Ayer-Shirley Regional Planning Committee.

“I believe that I have a long track record of being a team player and willing to work with all issues and people in a thoughtful and reasonable manner to accomplish a task.”

“I have a great interest in the young people of Acton and Boxborough and an equal interest in the educational systems in which I worked here for twenty years.”

Note: All members of the RSDSC quotes are sourced from written letters from the volunteers, which is hosted on the Acton Public Schools and Acton Boxborough Regional Schools website. Also, there is no photo of Peter K. Ashton because he was not present at the meeting.