LETTER: 'As a Sudbury Parent, I Appreciate Christine’s Empathy'

SUDBURY, MA — The following letter was submitted to Patch.

I am enthusiastically supporting Christine Hogan for re-election to the SPS School Committee.

I have had the pleasure of working with Christine on the School Start Time Subcommittee, which she chairs.
The wellness and academic performance benefits of later start times for middle and high school students
has been well known for years, but it took Christine’s leadership to move the School Committee to evaluate
the issue within our district. This doggedness is indicative of Christine’s service on the School Committee.

She is passionate and persistent in moving initiatives forward. Just as Christine’s advocacy got the Start
Time Committee off the ground, she is the strong voice we need to move critical initiatives for our district
forward, which include evaluating optimal class sizes, exploring consolidation of SPS and LS school
districts, working with town institutions such as Goodnow to expand STEAM learning opportunities, creating
a Challenge program for students that require an advanced academic curriculum, and championing the arts
in our schools.

Christine is a practical and capable collaborator, who is naturally oriented towards inclusiveness and
transparency. I have observed first-hand her easy rapport with the teachers that participate on School
Committee subcommittees and task forces. She has consistently called for cooperation between the SPS
and LS School Committees. For example, as Chair of our Start Time Subcommittee, she has leveraged her
strong relationships to generate interest from the LS Committee for a joint committee that would benefit the
widest range of students and offer the clearest path to a cost-neutral option.

As a Sudbury parent, I appreciate Christine’s empathy. As part of the budget process, the administration
recommended to move the start time for Loring School starting in September 2017. This recommendation
took place without discussion with the Start Time Subcommittee about the impact for potential later start
times for the middle school, nor with meaningful dialogue with the Loring parent community beyond an
email. While this change seems financially unavoidable given our present budget circumstances, the
changes to work schedules and child care schedules will be painful for many Loring parents and staff.
Christine was the one School Committee member who recognized this impact, and she was vocal in her
concern that the district had not engaged the Loring community prior to making the recommendation.
Anyone who has gone to or watched the School Committee meetings knows that Christine strongly
advocates for the administration to provide a clear set of goals for our district, and to clearly articulate how
investments will benefit students and align to district goals. She is dedicated to being fiscally responsible
with our taxpayer dollars, while being focused on what’s best for the students in our district.

I have not agreed with all of Christine’s positions over the years. In fact, on occasion I have strongly
disagreed. However, I have complete confidence in her to approach every issue thoughtfully, to assess all
sides both with compassion and with data, and to always put what’s best for students first. I am looking
forward to voting to re-elect Christine Hogan to the Sudbury School Committee.

Ada Vassilovski
Singletary Lane