Meet The School Committee Candidates, Part 5

FINAL Meet the SC Candidates...

This is Part 5, the final portion of the Meet the Candidates Series. Each candidate was asked to conclude this series by writing a final OPEN STATEMENT to the community. There are 2 seats open for SC and currently 4 candidates running for election.

The School Committee Candidates on the ballot are Flavia Benson, Tim Knight (incumbent), and
Lauren Liljegren. Robert Worth's name will still appear on the ballot but he is no longer campaigning.

Michelle Kirkby recently announced she is a Write-in Candidate and she was willing to take part in this final posting.

Please read the Candidates views and final statements. Please VOTE on Monday, March 28th.

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"My wife and I moved to Medfield in 2002, and have had the pleasure of raising three daughters here in Medfield. I grew up on the South Shore and attended Villanova University where I studied Engineering. Professionally I work in the technology space helping large organizations in the private and public sector visually monitor how they are performing against strategic goals from any device. I enjoy spending time with my wife and children, traveling, skiing, golfing, and being on or near the ocean.

I currently serve on the Medfield School Committee, Social Emotional Learning School Task Force, and as a coach for Medfield Youth Sports. I serve the town of Medfield based on my belief that we all have a duty to support the needs of the community, along with the enjoyment that I have in coaching and supporting our schools.

I am very comfortable professionally bringing groups with differing opinions together to successfully deliver large and complex projects and am experienced managing school policy, budget, community engagement, and operational issues as an active member of the School Committee.

I am committed to strengthening our community, modernizing the schools, and driving increased transparency across the schools. I plan on continuing to advocate for our students, teachers, and members of the community in order to elevate our district as a source of pride for all of Medfield.

I have participated in several interviews while campaigning with questions about my priorities, background, and views on topics such as Net-Zero 2050, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Student Performance, Special Education, and managing conflict. If you did not have a chance to review, please learn more about me by clicking on the detailed answers or summary. (See Background and Various Interview Questions from Tim Knight or Vote for Tim Knight One-Pager.) Finally thanks to Colleen Sullivan from Medfield Patch for delivering this series and helping all candidates prioritize and share their thoughts in order to better serve the community."

Thanks,

Tim Knight (Incumbent), Medfield School Committee

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"I was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. I have personal experience as an English learner and overcoming educational challenges. I moved to the Boston area in 1996 where I attended Brandeis University followed by New England Law, receiving a scholarship for academic excellence in my last year. My husband, Robert, and I moved to Medfield in 2005, and we love this wonderful community.

I was an attorney in private practice for 10 years. Currently I am founder of Dovetail Mortgage, LLC, and Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Lighthouse Environmental Infection Prevention. Additionally, I was President from 2017 to 2022 and, since January, a board member of The Born to Run Foundation, Inc., which provides prosthetics, not paid by insurance, to children and young adults who have lost a limb. In Medfield I was a member of the Wheelock Site Council and acted as the Blue & Gold Banquet Chair for the Medfield Cub Scouts Pack 200 for 5 years.

My strengths include working collaboratively with cross functional teams and departments within institutions to achieve successful program implementation and results that are balanced with cost effectiveness, sustainability, risk assessment, regulatory compliance, and within contractual constraints. I am a skilled contract negotiator, and a leader in business management. I believe my professional qualifications and personal experiences as an immigrant would provide added proficiency and diversity to the School Committee.

Running for school committee is a decision I made after much thought and candid discussions with fellow residents, friends, and family. I knew that making the commitment to campaign, and, if elected, to serve our community, would take time from my family and friends. I’ve been a Medfield resident for 15 years. My husband and I moved to Medfield before we had kids, and we chose it as the place to start our family because of its school system and suburban vibe. We currently have three kids in Medfield schools: Dale, Blake and MHS respectively. In the years we have lived here we’ve seen our taxes increase and our school ratings decrease. As a taxpayer and mom of kids in the system, this is certainly not what I expect in terms of educational excellence.

My campaign is founded on transparency within our community, building on academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and to be a voice for students, parents, and taxpayers"

Flavia Benson

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Medfield’s Boston Magazine school ranking has gone from #20 to #31. The rate of attrition has jumped from 2.0 to 4.0 (with a concerning increase in the middle school grades). Medfield has a long history of proudly supporting our schools. The elected School Committee is responsible for setting the direction of the district. Our district is trending downward. We are paying more and getting less.

Our School Committee wasted $600,000 on a failed proposal for a new school. The school committee controls 70% of our towns budget; that is about forty million dollars of tax-payer money. We cannot afford another failed plan. If elected, the next school proposal brought to
the town will be one that will succeed.

Parents consistently say they want a greater focus on academic achievement. If elected, I will advocate to create a district scorecard using objective, measurable inputs and a mechanism for disciplined year over year tracking. We can’t improve what we don’t measure.

There are five School Committee seats available to members of the Medfield community. Continuing to re-elect the same school committee members will get us more of the same. This shouldn’t be a popularity contest. There is much work to be done and we need committed, tenacious people who will speak up and focus on the priorities of our town. I hope to
earn your vote on Monday."

Lauren Liljegren

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"To the Medfield Community...I’m asking you to vote for me as a write-in candidate in this Monday’s election for School Committee. I recognize that a write-in campaign is unconventional, but when Robert Worth withdrew from the race I felt compelled to put my name forward.

I’m a born and bred New Englander and grew up in a small town very similar to Medfield. I attended Tufts University where I earned a master’s degree in Computer Science. I’ve worked in huge multinational corporations as well as small startups — a career that I am very proud of and one that has taught me a great deal about building relationships, collaboration, and consensus building.

More recently I’ve become an active and engaged volunteer with our schools and town. I was president of New ’N Towne and currently am president of the Memorial School PTO. I have 3 young children (3, 6 and 8) and during the time they have attended Medfield schools, I have built strong working relationships with both teachers and school administrators.

The children of Medfield deserve a School Committee member that will work to truly understand both the challenges, as well as the things that make our schools so wonderful. We need somebody who will add a new perspective, while also clearly communicating a long-term vision for public education in Medfield.

I believe I am that candidate and I hope that you will vote for me as a write-in candidate on Monday.

Thank you for your consideration."

Michelle Kirkby (Write-In Candidate)