Sudbury School Committee Member Julie Durgin-Sicree To Run For Re-Election

SUDBURY, MA — Sudbury residents will head to the polls to vote on two open seats on the Sudbury School Committee, and current member Julie Durgin-Sicree has announced her candidacy for re-election.

Durgin-Sicree currently serves on the School Committee, having been appointed in December following the resignation of former member Mandy Sim.

"I found in the short time that I've been on the committee, the work we've done in implementing a number of new policies and helping to get the budget to a place where we're voting on it next week," Durgin-Sicree told Patch. "When we start to nudge our initiatives forward and get them across the line, it's really rewarding to me on a personal level."

Durgin-Sicree has lived in Sudbury for over 10 years and has two children in the Sudbury Public Schools system, a daughter in fifth grade and a son in first grade.

Related: 11 Open Positions For Office In Sudbury: Select Board, School Committee And Others

In addition to her role in town, she works as a senior HR business leader, with more than 20 years of experience at organizations, including Takeda, Biogen and Genzyme. Durgin-Sicree said she would bring the same skills to the School Committee, including collaborative problem-solving, people-centered leadership, and evidence- and values-based decision-making.

"I think my role as an org effectiveness expert and HR professional, it's really helping bring people together, so it's seeking to understand different perspectives, thinking about what we are all rowing towards," Durgin-Sicree told Patch. "I'm not afraid to push back, I'm not afraid to ask difficult questions."

Sudbury’s top priorities right now

Durgin-Sicree identified three top priorities for the Sudbury School Committee: navigating the budget while protecting core educational quality; strengthening family and community trust and engagement; and supporting educators and staff through change so students can thrive.

"We don't have unlimited funds in the budget... so in my interim role now, it was getting my head around the numbers, seeing where there might be able to be some nips and tucks, while making sure we're preserving our core programs," Durgin-Sicree told Patch. "It's really understanding the data, understanding what the needs are, and then thinking about how we can best spend each dollar to make sure it's leveraged as fully as possible."

Durgin-Sicree said she sees a lot of the role as being a liaison between the community and the administration, especially when making sure the board is being as transparent as possible about certain communications and decisions.

"This is something I feel really passionate about. I find it rewarding, I find it interesting, I'm learning a lot," Durgin-Sicree said.

Sudbury Annual Town Election

The Annual Town Election is scheduled for Monday, Mar. 30. 11 town-wide office positions will appear on the ballot, including one seat each on the Select Board, the Board of Assessors, the Board of Health, the Park and Recreation Commission, and the Planning Board. There are two open seats each on the Sudbury School and the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional District School Committees.

Along with Durign-Sicree, resident Ellen Lederer-DeFrancesco will also be on the ballot. Last week, another resident and parent in Sudbury, Jonathan Sullivan, launched a write-in campaign for the election.

The deadline to register to vote in Sudbury is Mar. 20, and voting by mail will be available for the election.

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