Pamela Walsh, Concord School Board Candidate

Pamela Walsh

Age (as of Election Day)

48

Position Sought

Concord School Board At Large

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

8-year-old son

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

I work for the federal government.

Education

Master's of Business Administration

Occupation

Senior Adviser, U.S. Senate

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Concord School Board, elected November 2020

Campaign website

https://www.facebook.com/PamelaWalshforSchoolBoard

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running to continue to rebuild trust between the community and the Concord School District; to improve transparency; and to improve the quality of education for all students. I was elected last November to fill out the remainder of a term. In the past 10 months, we have gotten our students back to school full time and begun to address the impacts of the pandemic. We have also taken concrete steps to improve communication with the public; to address racial and gender inequity issues; to begin the process to create a strategic plan for the district; and to begin working toward a new middle school.

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

Keeping our students safely learning in school, as well as addressing the academic, social and emotional impacts of the pandemic. I will keep working to make sure the District is following sound public health advice to avoid outbreaks that risk children's health or force quarantines that disrupt education. We are directing the District's COVID relief dollars to help students deal with the impacts of the pandemic, including providing additional educational assistants in the younger grades, providing math coaches, and increasing social and emotional supports. I will keep working to make sure we are using these federal dollars effectively to help our students recover, while making sure we are not adding long-term costs to the district's general fund.

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

To focus on my own experience, I am the parent of a child in Concord schools, and bring a firsthand understanding of the challenges facing the schools and families in these unprecedented times. I have used that experience to bring attention, and to propose solutions, to some of the issues students, teachers and families are facing in our schools.

Professionally, I have an MBA and 20-plus years experience in all aspects of government management on the state level, from communications and crisis management to budgeting and policy development. I would bring practical problem-solving, strategic-planning and communications skills, which could help the District better define and work in partnership with the community, teachers and staff, to address the challenges our district faces

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

There were a number of things I would have done differently in the first year of the pandemic, which is part of why I ran for the school board last year. My focus was on getting all children back to school full-time as quickly and safely as possible, something I pushed for as a member of the board.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

1) Ensuring that the school district is responsive to its community, including better understanding and addressing the needs of working families. As a member of the board, I advocated for retaining remote access to Board meetings. While unfortunately I was unsuccessful, I intend to keep pushing to make the School District more accessible.
2) Keeping students, teachers, and staff safe and learning this year, and helping them all recover from the academic, social and emotional losses of COVID.
3) Addressing racial equity and sexual discrimination, including modernizing curriculum, training, rules for staff, teachers and students, and disciplinary standards, work that we have begun in the last year.
4) Developing a strategic plan for Concord School District that sets a long-term vision and goals for how we will continue to improve quality and opportunities for all our students.
5) Planning a modern, safe middle school that incorporates community and student input in both design and offerings, and that is affordable to build and operate.
6) Using tax dollars efficiently and effectively, including using federal COVID relief dollars in ways that help address the challenges of the pandemic without adding unsustainable costs to the district budget.

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

In my first year on the School Board, I have served as chair of the Finance Committee, and as a member of the Instructional and Capital Facilities committee. I have worked to be responsive to community concerns, to ask hard questions about administration proposals, and pushed for greater transparency.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The Golden Rule: Treat others like you would like to be treated.

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

I would appreciate your vote on November 2!