Back to School!

 

As it relates to the City Council, our role is primarily to fund the needs of the school system including the construction and upkeep of public buildings and the salaries of employees. In the current fiscal year, approximately 52% (~$43M) of the overall Newburyport city budget goes toward schools. Two committees of the City Council liaise with the School Committee on financial and education matters. Those are Budget & Finance and General Government respectively.

 

As I have previously talked about, I was a student of public schools for my whole K-12 education. My mother was a public school teacher for 25 years and my mother-in-law was an award-winning public school teacher for many years in Amesbury. My husband attended Newburyport schools and graduated from NHS. As a member of the Human Rights Commission, I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with many teachers, administrators, and the superintendent himself regularly. I am a big believer in public education. There is never enough funding, but I am proud of the work our City has done, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, to strengthen our schools and explore innovative ways to enhance the classroom for kids learning in the 21st century. 

 

When I talk about investing in our kids as a key priority on this campaign, I focus on the issues most directly before the Council like safety at the Lower Atkinson Pioneer League fields and building a home for Newburyport Youth Services because I will have the biggest influence for Ward 4 in those discussions. But I will be an ally and advocate for our schools in whatever ways I can, including understanding the funding needs and their potential impact on the kids in our community, participating in public debate on issues, and representing the interests of parents of school-age kids in Ward 4.