Meet the Candidates: School Committee, Ward 4

A note for voters: Each ward has one School Committee representative, which is an at-large position, meaning it is voted on by everyone in the city.

This year, the Ward 4 School Committee race is between two newcomers: Josh Krintzman and Diana Fisher Gomberg.

Newton Patch posed six questions to all 38 candidates running in this year's election, regardless of whether the race was contested. We will be running the profiles by Ward each day, starting Oct. 26.

The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8. 

Running for: Ward 4 School Committee seat

Q: Why are you running for this seat?

A: I am running for this open seat on the School Committee because there are very serious questions facing the committee regarding the direction in which we want our schools to move. I feel that as an individual who personally gained so much from the Newton schools, as a graduate of Zervas, Brown and Newton South, with a strong sense of civic duty and obligation to my community, the time is right for me to bring my experience and knowledge to help the Newton Schools in anyway that I can.

Q: What is your background in local government or community involvement andhow will it help you in this seat? Do you have other experiences that will helpyou in the position?

A: I have worked for the Massachusetts Senate for more than seven years, both directly for Newton and for the whole commonwealth, and currently serve as assistant Senate counsel. I was the President of the Lower Falls Improvement Association for five years, co-founded the Riverside Station Neighborhood Coalition and served on the Board of Directors at Riverside Children’s Center. I’ve gained tremendous experience working on public policy issues and on executive boards. I am very familiar with Newton’s schools, both at the local level and at the state level. I also have considerable knowledge of state laws, regulations and grant programs. My experience and knowledge will be of particular benefit to the Newton School Committee.

Q: With Newton facing several tough budget seasons in the recent past -- andlikely several in the future -- what do you feel needs to be cut, added or changedin the budget to keep the city's finances balanced?

 A: The most important priority is to make budgetary decisions and establish terms of the collective bargaining agreements that enable the city to be in a fiscally sustainable position. Costs must be in line with revenue so that the schools can expand their programming from one year to the next and adapt to a constantly evolving society. Our educational programs need to prepare our children for the world into which we are sending them, and the best way to do that is to build in fiscal and programmatic flexibility enabling our excellent educators, who are dedicated to their profession, to teach our children in the best way possible.

Q: What is the most important issue Newton faces today?

A: The two most important issues facing the schools are bringing the budget in line with expected revenue and repairing and maintaining the crumbling infrastructure. The schools have been forced to make drastic cuts recently just to
attempt to maintain the same programmatic offerings from one year to the next. We need to find a way to expand our programs and offer our children more opportunities. In addition, 12 out of 15 elementary schools are in need of renovation, expansion and renovation, or reconstruction. That is far too many buildings to be in such dire need. We need to find a way to fix up the building sand put a plan in place to ensure that such wide spread deterioration does not happen again.

Q: If elected, what is something you are going to focus on in your position for thenext two years?

A: Expanding the programming in the schools, including technologically based offerings and fixing our school buildings in such a way that reduces the overcrowding we have now and anticipates enrollment growth in the future.

Q: Name one thing the residents of Newton may not know about you.

 A: In addition to being the dedicated father of three young children with my wife, Julie, I was once the Wheel of Fortune contestant of the week. I won a bunch of money by buying vowels, solving puzzles and spinning that glorious wheel of fortune in an episode that aired on February 26, 2009. [Video is available on my Facebook page]

Running for: Ward 4 School Committee seat 

Q: Why are you running for this seat?

A: I am passionate about public education and I believe that the knowledge and experience I've gained while being active in the schools for the past 8 years has prepared me to immediately contribute solving the tough problems facing our schools. I've served on School Councils and PTO Boards, I've attended and made statements at School Committee meetings for years, and I have volunteered with Stand for Children to bring in additional state and federal funding to the Newton Public Schools. I want to make sure we have a School Committee full of people who are knowledgeable about the schools, very accessible to community members, eager to find innovative solutions to our challenges, have a solid track record of working hard for the schools, and have the energy and persistence to get things done.

Q: What is your background in local government or community involvement and how will it help you in this seat? Do you have other experiences that will help you in the position?

A: In addition to the work I have done directly with the Newton public schools described above, I also bring a professional background in program management and evaluation through my training in public health and my work with state government. My first career was in environmental policy where I worked for the federal government, and I have served on two boards of directors (at a domestic violence shelter and at my synagogue.)  With two children currently in the schools and a niece and nephew who will soon enter elementary school, I will have family at all three levels of the school system within my first term on the School Committee.

Q: With Newton facing several tough budget seasons in the recent past -- and likely several in the future -- what do you feel needs to be cut, added or changed in the budget to keep the city's finances balanced?

A: Public schools are the bedrock of a strong community so we must work to maintain the quality of a Newton education, even in this challenging financial climate.  I’m proud that my work with Stand for Children helped get Newton additional state and federal funding, and it has also helped get the issue of teacher health care benefits on the state and city agenda, which is essential if we are going to have a fiscally sustainable teacher contract. We must actively seek ways to reduce costs and we need to explore creative options for generating reliable revenue streams. We can achieve savings through innovations in educational methods, administrative efficiencies, and contract negotiations, while revenue options include innovative private fundraising, thoughtful use of fees, and debt-exclusion ballot questions.  

Q: What is the most important issue Newton faces today?

A: The most important issue facing Newton today is the challenge of maintaining our city’s services and infrastructure during the fiscal crisis that now faces virtually every municipality in Massachusetts.  I believe that educating our city's youth is a primary responsibility of our city, so preservation of Newton's school programs and buildings is a top priority.  We need to restore and maintain excellent programs and we must properly maintain our school buildings and ensure we have adequate space for our growing student enrollment.  

Q: If elected, what is something you are going to focus on in your position for the next two years?

A: My priorities include preserving effective class size and breadth of programming (including the arts and electives), providing appropriate and well-maintained space for our growing student enrollment, and improving communication between the School Committee and the Newton community.  All are formidable tasks but I am able and eager to devote myself to these challenges.  I would be very happy to elaborate on any of these issues (without a 3-sentence cap!) so please contact me at Diana@Diana4schools.org, through www.Diana4schools.org, or watch me on NewTV at http://www.newtv.org/video/civicaction/diana-gomberg/.  

Q: Name one thing the residents of Newton may not know about you.

A: Although many people find the fact that it's a School "Committee" a turn-off, I really enjoy working with a diverse group of people. I have an independent voice and I like to collaboratively solve problems with other motivated people.  Also, I have been advocating for modular classroom for Burr School for nearly four years and I am thrilled that Burr will finally get a modular this year, along with Zervas and Horace-Mann, which also desperately need the additional space.

Interested in the other School Committee candidates? Check out our profiles:

• Ward 6: Claire Sokoloff (Note: Sokoloff declined Patch's questionnaire so there is no Q&A for Ward 6)

Want to learn more about this year's Board of Aldermen candidates?