Reading Election Profile: Megan Fidler-Carey For School Committee

READING, MA — Reading will have several contested races in the March 3 town election, including School Committee and Select Board. Reading Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles ahead of the election.

Megan Fidler-Carey, 45, is running for a three-year seat on the School Committee. She is the director of the Before and After School Program in Medford and lives in Reading with her husband, Charlie, and their daughter, Marlie, a seventh-grader at Parker Middle School.

Fidler-Carey has a master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She has worked in education for 18 years.

Are you running for office in Reading? Contact Alex Newman at alex.newman@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Reading Patch.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

While there are several pressing issues that the new School Committee will face right away (including continuing buildng planning to mitigate space and equity issues for students; working with the Finance Committee to come up with a plan for how to wean our budget off of the tuition for full-day kindergarten toward a plan for town-funded full day K (before the state mandates it); and continuing to tailor policies toward providing the best possible - and most appropriate - education for EVERY student), an immediate challenge we'll have to address is how best to recruit and hire a competent and effective Director of Finance to replace Gail Dowd. As a School Committee, we will need to take an honest look at the position posting and historical benefits. If one of our challenges as a district is attracting a large pool of qualified candidates, we must spend time looking at what we are asking of our staff and what we are offering. I would like to do a comparison of our DART districts (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's "District Analysis Review Tool," which compares "like" school districts in Massachusetts on characteristics such as enrollment, special populations, income-level, etc.) to see what their postings and benefits look like.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Having worked in three different school districts under five different superintendents, and as the only candidate currently working full time in a public school district, I have a uniquely relevant perspective to guide my understanding of the work of the Reading School Committee. Every day I go to work, I operate in policies set by a School Committee; under the leadership of a Superintendent hired and evaluated by a School Committee; and within a budget approved by a School Committee. As part of my job, I regularly present to the school board in Medford and have come to appreciate their thoughtful input and accountability-holding questions to help my program grow and improve. As of March 3, all of the educators currently on the Reading School Committee will have stepped down so my professional experience will fill that vital perspective that will otherwise be gone.

Another difference between the other candidates and me is that I will be the only Killam parent (albeit of a Killam alumnae) on the board. With Killam school in the forefront of discussions about future school building projects, my connection to current Killam families and my experience there will provide a personal lens through which to contribute to the decision-making process.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

I plan to approach the work on School Committee the same way I approach my job and the boards I serve on: with a fierce focus on equity for all learners.I have committed to supporting work to remove barriers so that all students can access education and educational opportunities, regardless of their learning style, different abilities, gender or racial identities, or economic status. This includes striving toward similar opportunities across the schools by offering similar programs across the district. Students shouldn't miss out just because of which school they happen to attend. Another example of a focus on equity is expanding the extremely impressive work that has started at Birch Meadow where social justice is part of every professional development as well as how to teach students about disrupting racial and other bias; this work should expand across the district to all educators.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As part of my work, I serve on several relevant committees and boards. I am currently the President of the New England Alliance for Concurrent Enrollment Programs (NEACEP) for high school level coursework and the Co-Chair of Network of Extended Day Directors for district-run after school programs across Massachusetts. I have also served on health and wellness committees; the Revere Mayor's education task force; ATOD task force (alcohol, tobacco, and other drug); safe streets task force and more. My doctoral research focused on partnership and collaboration as a means for academic success.
As part of my work as Director of District Partnerships for Revere Public Schools, I brought many different groups of stakeholders together to help address the needs of students. In an effort to facilitate the flow of information both from the schools out to the community, and from the community back into the schools, I learned that different audiences require different ways of speaking and proceeding. In other words, when meeting with a time-crunched group of action-oriented teachers for example, objectives must be presented one way, while a meeting with a process-oriented community committee requires a different pace and set of protocols. Most importantly, however, I’ve learned to listen, especially when meeting with groups whose voices are historically pushed aside or dismissed. I have come to understand that one cannot simply meet to discuss ideas, but must work with each community differently and approach discussions with a value for different cultural backgrounds and opinions.
My everyday professional experiences are evidence that I will thrive in the role on School Committee.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

When I first started working in Revere Public Schools, Superintendent Dr. Paul Dakin welcomed the full faculty and staff on the first day with an introduction on the importance of our work. He concluded his message by telling us that most challenges we faced when setting policy or making decisions in schools could be answered by simply asking the question, "What's best for kids?"

I have taken this advice with me and use it whenever I'm faced with a difficult decision at work or in parenting. So often the solutions we come up with prove to be what's easier for the adults, but aren't necessarily what's best for kids; once we ask ourselves that question, the answers are often very obvious.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Informed voters should know that I am running for a role on School Committee because it is the public service post where where my expertise can most effectively be put to work. When I think about the different services positions in town and ask myself what I can offer them, the obvious fit is School Committee.

My experience points directly toward serving in this role.
I am an educator. I've been working in schools for nearly 20 years, in three different school districts. I am currently the Director of a Before/After School program but have worked in schools at every level, including teaching teachers.
I am a parent. I have a daughter, Marlie, in 7th grade at Parker Middle School who attended Killam before that for elementary school so I have a vested interest in the success of RPS. However, I can also look to the 450 students enrolled in my AfterSchool program to inform my understanding of how kids access and experience school so I can be an advocate for all kids, not just my own.
I am committed to serving in Reading. Since my family moved to Reading, we have gotten involved with all the town has to offer. I am a member of Town Meeting for Precinct 1; since 2017 I have served on the Reading Cultural Council; I am on the leadership board of Reading Embraces Diversity; I am a board member for the Reading Educational Foundation.
Now is the perfect time for me to serve on School Committee. I have the professional experience to inform the work, I have a supportive family, and there is much good work to be done.