resources

EDUCATION is core to what the BOE supports.  Our campaign supports more than just the basic levels of education.  Yes, we support the basics – math, science, reading and writing.  We also believe in expanding educational opportunities for students, through curriculum (aerospace program, fabrication program, all the music programs, etc.) and extracurricular activities (sports, marching band, robotics, Interact, clubs, etc.). 

For those students who need them, we support special services to ensure ALL students are as successful as they can be.  We also support continuing education for our teachers. 

By encouraging teachers to continue their education, we are enabling them to bring the latest approaches to the classroom and our students.

RESPECT is critical to getting the most out of everyone – our teachers, administrators, parents and students – and we enable them all to succeed to their fullest potential. 

Respecting each other means we listen to each other, we learn from one another, and we embrace success for everyone.  Respecting each other also means we value different opinions and beliefs, and will bring that into our discussions and decisions, as this is often the catalyst to the most creative ideas. 

We believe bullying and name-calling is a significant deterrent to learning and growth, so we will do everything we can to ensure bullying is addressed as quickly and thoroughly as the state law permits.  We also believe respect shows up in how we compensate our teachers and staff, so we will support fair contracts and other support services so that our teachers feel respected and valued.

GROWTH is what we expect our students, teachers and staff to do every day.  Cultivating a growth mindset enables everyone to try new things, push harder to reach new achievements, and we will bring that mindset to the BOE.  This means we will embrace others’ opinions, consider new approaches and will not accept that we must do what has always been done, simply because that is what has been done before.  We will encourage our teachers and students to do the same.  This is key to making Roxbury schools a more respected and sought-after education system – “preparing the students of today for tomorrow…”

We believe in being fiscally responsible with the budget.  We will look for waste to cut from the budget, we will scrutinize any new spending and we will prioritize spending to best meet the needs of the students and teachers. 

But note, we will not cut programs that drive important education and growth initiatives in the district.   We will ensure that every dollar spent is spent in the most efficient and effective way possible for the benefit of the students.

No one in Roxbury wants increased taxes.  Neither do we. 

We will do everything we can to address funding shortfalls within the available funds, by prioritizing and holding vendors accountable for the services they provide to ensure we squeeze value from every dollar spent.

We also believe investing in certain programs will make the district more attractive to new families. Roxbury must improve its reputation for special services by providing more resources and manpower to special needs classrooms.

We will also support the superintendent in applying for state grants and programs such as universal pre-K funding. Our funding was cut due to lowered enrollment numbers.

We believe hiring and retaining strong teachers is critical to a strong school district.  We will work to ensure that our teachers are paid as competitively as possible.  We will look for other opportunities to support our teachers (continuing education, paraprofessionals in the classroom, school supplies and services, etc.) so they know how much they are valued.

We also believe in ensuring our teachers have a voice in the matters considered and decisions made by the BOE.  We will be sure to seek their input whenever possible, and make sure their voices are truly heard.  

We believe every student has the right to access any age-appropriate book in the school library.  

We also recognize that some books are simply not appropriate for children, so we support the current book-review process to address any concerns raised about any books.  This review includes a panel of students, parents, educators and staff who read the book in question and then vote on the appropriate placement.  This process ensures a fair, balanced review and is available to anyone who wants to raise a concern. 

We also believe that parents have the right to restrict what books their child may access, so we support the current process parents may follow to exercise such a restriction.  

The state mandated standardized testing and so we must and will comply. 

We respect a parent’s right to request their child opt out of taking the standardized tests.  

We also believe that standardized testing is just one of many factors that indicates how a student is performing.  Not all students perform well on tests.   Not all students like computerized testing.  Therefore other performance measures need to be incorporated into a student’s overall evaluation.  Classroom activities, homework assignments, individual and group projects, and student-teacher interactions are just some of the many other measures that drive the full picture of a student’s education achievement.

We also recognize that standardized testing is used to evaluate the district as a whole, especially among potential new residents.   We plan to work with the district to address learning gaps and identify ways to address them.  We do not believe teaching to the test is the best approach for the long-term potential of our students or district as a whole, we will seek broader ways to ensure each student receives the highest quality education.