Deanne O’Sullivan, Candidate for School Committee

On Tuesday, March 27, 2012, Acton voters will have the opportunity to elect two of three candidates running for School Committee. Candidate Deanne O’Sullivan emailed this statement to Acton Patch about what she hopes to accomplish should she prevail.

My name is Deanne O’Sullivan and I am excited to run for the AB Regional and Local School Committee. I have made the decision to run for the School Committee because it felt like a natural progression based on my experiences and my invested interest in the school system, having 4 children at the elementary school level. 

Before moving to Acton, I lived in another School district where I learned valuable lessons about the need to work together for common solutions.

I have lived in Acton with my husband and four children for five years.  Throughout the past five years, I have volunteered in a variety of positions within the elementary schools, most recently serving as a PTO Co-Chair. I have learned and become involved with many aspects of our schools and would like to utilize that experience to serve our school district. 

I previously worked for over 12 years in two very large corporations, Colgate Palmolive and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, learning how to manage/negotiate many different types of teams domestically and internationally and understand the value of collecting and evaluating information to try and understand situations from many different perspectives.

Our community has many challenges and opportunities ahead, as do many other communities across Massachusetts and across the nation. We need to be fiscally responsible and creative, while still meeting the needs of our children by providing proper funding to the schools. For instance, in regards to “user fees”, we are in a challenging economy. It seems that certain activities may demand more of a fee to accommodate for charges that are brought on by the use of specialize facilities and/or equipment demand. A slight increase may be appropriate to cover costs such as ski passes, ice time, breaking down of gymnastic equipment, etc. But this needs to be kept in balance. And most importantly, it needs to continue to be reviewed and monitored so it is affordable to all students.

As a community, we need to understand the changing demands on teaching and the requirements this entails. As a parent, I understand the emotional impact the decisions the school committee makes. As tax payer, a volunteer within our educational system, and as a business woman, I understand how these opportunities are not just decisions, but require the need to understand the facts, listen to the experts, value the different opinions and reach decisions that reflects this understanding. 

In regards to regionalization with Boxborough, this opportunity is still a work in progress. The Regional Study Committee is evaluating potential savings as well as other opportunities this may entail. I look forward to being involved in such an important decision.

I look forward to meeting and listening to community members, learn about their needs and help to support and serve our town as it relates to our schools.

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