Why I am Asking for Your Vote for Westfield BOE

As many of you know, I am running for Westfield Board of Education. But what you may not know is why I want to be on the Board.

Education is a very important topic to me. I make my living helping schools and universities understand legal and policy issues. But it is more than that. My own life has been changed thanks to the education I received. By all accounts, growing up in a single parent home could have rendered me and my sister mere statistics. But thanks to my mom’s love and encouragement, and some wonderful, caring teachers, we were able to change the predicted course of our lives through education.

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to serve in the Department of Education where I was first exposed to education law. Believe me, it’s not a topic that gets discussed much in law school. Through that exposure, I realized my professional calling. Since leaving federal service, I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to help so many schools work through legal issues that are unique to them. And all the while, I’ve felt satisfaction from both my work and the knowledge that, in a small way, it enables the schools with which I work to help each graduate change their lives through education, just as happened to me.

That’s why I’ve worked in education for over a decade. The boards on which I’ve served all relate to education. Even my pro bono work has focused on helping schools and parents navigate education law issues. It all goes back to trying to enable the next child that could become a statistic -- particularly those without means or from single parent homes – to lift themselves up through education. We owe it to every child to give them a world class education that lets them become the best form of themselves. Being part of the Westfield School Board would give me the chance to help our board and wonderful administrators and teachers do that for our town’s children.

Dennis Cariello is an education lawyer and running for Westfield Board of Education in Column 1.