Natick 2022 Candidate Profile: Henry Haugland, School Committee

NATICK, MA — Natick voters in 2022 will have a big choice to make in the school committee race.

There are three seats up for election this spring, and the three incumbents holding those seats — Cathi Collins, Henry Haugland and Julie McDonough — are all seeking reelection. There are also two challengers in the mix: Kathleen Flathers and Elise Gorseth.

To help voters get to know each candidate, Natick Patch sent all five a questionnaire to probe their thoughts on school issues. Here's what Haugland had to say:

Occupation: Business owner
Ties to Natick schools: Natick School Committee member.
Experience as an elected official: Town Meeting member since 1998, School Committee member 1998- 2007, 2019-present.

What's the biggest issue facing Natick Public Schools and what would you do about it?

Covid recovery is our most urgent issue. We have approximately 500 children suffering measurable learning loss. Many others are experiencing substantial social emotional challenges.

We are addressing these issues by identifying students in need and providing the resources necessary to help them recover. We have an extensive array of assessments and interventions focused on academic as well as social emotional needs. Real time interventions — think on-demand tutoring — are having a major impact on improving learning loss.

The biggest issue which will impact NPS in coming years is a structural budget deficit. Revenues are not anticipated to keep pace with expense increases across the entire town. Collaboration between the Superintendent, the Town Administrator and our Finance teams enabled a proposed budget that meets most critical student and town needs for FY23.

However, our reality is that over time Natick does not have sufficient revenue to support the services being delivered to our residents. Additional revenue is needed, or service reductions will be inevitable. NPS has undertaken a substantial reorganization of personnel and is aggressively pursuing opportunities to improve productivity. An operating override is under discussion, and I will support such an effort.

Natick voted to close Johnson Elementary last year. If you voted for that closure, can you explain why?

I voted to close Johnson because of the financial risk to our taxpayers. Johnson is 75 years old, is not ADA compliant, has classrooms that are considerably smaller than the state standard, and will need substantial maintenance capital in coming years to correct these issues. Costs were estimated to exceed $18 million, all of which would be borne by Natick taxpayers. In addition, enrollment over the next several years is expected to decline making Johnson’s capacity redundant. Savings from closing Johnson can help pick up the costs of grant funded COVID recovery efforts after these grants expire.

What do you think of DESE's lifting of the statewide mask mandate? Do you think it was too soon, or maybe too late?

The Natick School Committee and administration, in collaboration with our Board of Health, have implemented a mask strategy that differs from the DESE mandate. Our flex strategy allows each parent to determine if their child should wear a mask and our teachers are working to ensure that our children experience a mask-friendly environment at school.

If you could snap your fingers and fix or change one thing in the school system, what would it be?

It is a challenge to attract and retain exemplary teachers and without them we cannot address Covid recovery adequately or deliver on our promise for all students. Approximately 59% of our teachers are at their top salary step and have been with us for 10 years or more. They are well-trained and highly experienced. Our teacher salaries for senior positions are below surrounding communities and state averages. We are working now to negotiate a new contract with the Education Association of Natick (the teachers union) that will be both attractive to teachers and affordable for Natick. Natick is steadily becoming more diverse and our families now represent over 70 languages. Our town leaders are working hard and collaboratively to increase our diversity and inclusivity. Achieving this requires that we find effective ways of attracting teachers and staff who reflect the diversity of our students and families.