Three Seeking Two School Committee Seats

With a write-in candidate mounting a campaign, there is now a race for two seats on the Wrentham Elementary School Committee.

Edward Goddard, Lynn Desrochers and write-in candidate Heather Cunningham will be facing off for the seats in the April 4 election.

Desrochers, who has lived in town for nine years, said she had three children, two of which in the elementary schools.

"For the last two years, I've been the vice-president of the Parent-Teacher Organization," she said. "I've also been the School Committee liaison for the PTO."

Desrochers she believes her background in business could help the board.

"You can't just have teachers on the committee," she said. "There has to be balance... you need to think about every aspect in decision making."

Desrochers said the School Committee must be more consistent in its communication to town residents.

"The school doesn't operate in a vacuum," she said."Budget season shouldn't be the only time people know the school needs money."

She suggested a more thorough discussion of how town decisions — like those involving development — affect the schools.

"Maybe we could have a newsletter," she said. "I don't want to influence the vote, but we should make our voice heard."

In a press release, Cunningham wrote that she had been a Wrentham resident for seven years, and has been involved in education for some time.

"I am currently an elementary literacy specialist at Cottage Street School in Sharon," she wrote. "I served as a literacy coach at Sharon Middle School, as an elementary literacy specialist in the Foxborough Public Schools and was an elementary classroom teacher for 10 years in Sharon."

Cunningham wrote that the elementary school district faces many challenges.

"Our current per-pupil expenditure is lower than any neighboring town — less than even the state average," she wrote. "Our current class size and student/teacher ratios are far from ideal and not consistent with Department of Education recommendations or area schools/districts by a large margin. As a parent and educator, this concerns me greatly."

In the release, she also called on town residents to become more involved with the schools, as a good school system can have a positive impact on the entire town.

Goddard could not be reached for this story.