Meet Salem School Committee Candidate Henry Mehmet Gulergun

SALEM, MA — Henry Mehmet Gulergun, a Salem volunteer who works in the non-profit education sector, is seeking a seat on the Salem School Committee.

Gulergun is one of four candidates seeking two spots on the School Committee in Tuesday's election.

He told Patch that among his priorities on the School Committee will be to be a voice for special needs students, the proposed new high school and the health care needs of students following the COVID-19 health crisis.

Patch sent a series of candidate profile questions to those in contested races with these Gulergun's responses.

Website: https://www.gulergunforsalem.c...
Social Media: @HenryForSalemSchools

Share some details about yourself, your ties to the city, your career in public office and/or professional life:

My name is Henry Mehmet Gulergun. I am a first-generation American, a lifelong public school student, and a passionate supporter of our public sector. I moved to Salem in 2020 following my girlfriend at the time — who has spent her whole life on the North Shore in Salem and Lynn. A week after moving to Salem, I proposed, and we made Salem our forever home. My wife and I plan to raise our family here and are excited to send our children to Salem Public Schools.

I began getting involved in Salem in small ways at first: building a community for our housing complex, fighting for safer traffic lights, and joining one of our amazing city committees — the Beautification Committee, which I chair. I have worked with some amazing volunteers to keep Salem beautiful. Picking up litter, taking care of our traffic islands, and thinking of our community as something worth cultivating.

I've taken some non-traditional steps in my journey, I took a gap year to work after high school, followed by community college, and later on, I received a degree from a public 4-year institution. I've spent my career in the nonprofit space where I first worked with the Boston public schools. Specifically, I focused on how we can infuse resources into our classrooms, working directly with principals and teachers on transformative projects. More recently, I have worked with New England non-profits and schools through a non-profit called ESC. As the program manager, I work to find low-cost consulting options for anything these organizations need: fundraising, strategic visioning, and even HR and DEI initiatives.

When the opportunity to run for school committee came up, I knew it would be a great opportunity to give more of my time to this amazing city. I was an IEP student with a learning disability growing up, and with 72% of Salem students classified as high-needs students, I hope to be a voice for those kids. I think it's important that the school committee be representative of the school district and that we give our children the education they deserve.

Why are you seeking this elected office?

The initial trigger that made me interested in running for the school committee in Salem was the national movement towards book banning and other anti-learning practices. These attacks on learning are alarming and we need to ensure the people who are involved in our schools oppose these extreme and deeply problematic ideals. After learning more about Salem’s school district’s specific needs, though, I realized I had more value I could bring to the table beyond my ideals. Growing up as a high-needs student in public school, I was lucky to have educators who believed in me despite my learning disability. Seventy-two percent of Salem students fall into high-needs categories as I did. With my unique lived experience I hope to be their voice and advocate on the Salem School Committee.

Another focus of mine is mental health care access for our students. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the social-emotional well-being of our students is a huge area of concern for parents and teachers alike. We must provide sufficient, high-quality mental health care that meets the needs of our district, with varied counseling options that reflect the diversity of our student body. Finally, Career and Technical Education is an area where Salem schools have room for expansion. As a student who took a non-traditional career path myself — I recognize the options provided by high-quality CTE programs are critical for many students. The trades offer promising careers, and we should ensure that students have access to these opportunities.

All these and more are personal reasons why I am excited for the opportunity to put in the work for Salem’s school students, educators, and families.

What are the key issues facing Salem Public Schools and how would you address them, if elected?

There are three areas where I think special attention will be critical from the Salem School Committee over the coming years. These are The New High School: As the city explores large investments in our school buildings, the School Committee must hold the planning committee accountable. Ensuring this project stays on track, on budget, and meets the long-term needs of our district is critical. It's important the new building is dynamic for the ever-changing needs of our district.

Loss of ESSER Funding: The 60+ staff hired in critical areas like early childhood development are put at risk with the loss of this federal funding. As the change takes effect in Fiscal Year 2025, the School Committee should be laser-focused on finding outside funding and additional efficiencies within our existing budget to offset the loss.

Teacher retention: Without teachers who are excited to work in the district for the long haul, no new initiatives will be successful, we must address this issue head-on. While pay is a critical piece of retention, it's also about how we treat our teachers holistically. Teachers deserve high-quality professional development and clear career progression paths for new teachers who are looking to make Salem their long-term home. Teachers are supported by critical paraprofessionals who are sometimes working two or even three jobs just to afford the skyrocketing cost of living in Salem.

We must make closing these gaps a priority in the coming years. What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this office? Each candidate brings their own unique life and professional experiences to this race. Mine would be my lived experience growing up as a high-needs student with a learning disability, in addition to my work with schools in the non-profit sector.

If you are a challenger, in what ways would you look to improve on the way the current elected official is performing duties of the office?

I would look to improve specifically on the School Committee's outreach with the student, teacher, and parent communities. We can't wait for families and community members to come to us with concerns, we have a responsibility as elected officials to meet people where they are and solicit feedback from the community. This is especially critical for families with work schedules or other reasons that the "traditional" forms of community engagement are less successful.
Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am running because I want our district to be on a long-term path to success, and I want our children to receive the best education we can provide. The current School Committee has done a lot of good work, and I agree with many of the existing priorities. But, I know if elected, we have a lot of work to do. I've described my platform highlights above, but I think the highest priorities due to their time-sensitive and wide-reaching impact are the ESSER funding cliff and negotiations surrounding the upcoming teacher's union contract.

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

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can go to my campaign website to read more or contact me directly. Thank you for your consideration, and please remember to vote this Tuesday.