What You Missed at the Education Candidate Forum

The first thing to note from the Board of Education candidate forum held Thursday night at Union School, is that fewer than a dozen people attended. Of those, about half were elected officials or candidates. The remaining handful was parents.

The second thing is that all of the candidates present were incredibly articulate, well prepared and passionate in their commitment to the success of the town’s schools and its children. Two candidates were unable to attend – Republicans Bernie Erickson and Nitya Chakraborty.

The five candidates present introduced themselves to the audience, each listing substantial qualifications. All are parents.

Democrat Betsy Kaplan, the board’s current vice-chair, told her story of pursuing education for herself and Farmington children. When her daughters – two recently graduated and one a junior at Farmington High School – were born, Kaplan put aside her career as a nurse and began to pour herself into the community, particularly the Noah Wallace PTO.  The difficult budget deliberations in 2002 prompted her to seek a Board of Education seat, which she has since held. She has served on the negotiations committee, heping to secure the district's .

Kaplan said her priorities focus on enabling schools to implement the district’s new goals and to ready students for a global economy in which they must quickly apply their knowledge to create solutions.

In addition to recruiting highly effective teachers and supporting them through professional development, Kaplan pointed to technology, an area Farmington has not fully funded for several years. And more teachers at the high school, where dozens of students are shut out of classes like journalism, biotechnology, art and design and transportation technologies because of lack of resources.

“These classes represent jobs of the future,” she said. “The short-term financial savings associated with reducing the availability of these classes for students results in a much larger long-term opportunity loss for students.”

Mary Grace Reed, also a Democrat, who has been a Board of Education member for more than 20 years and is the current chairman, also serves on the Connecticut Commission on Children. The owner of a project management company, Reed said her knowledge of complex projects, budgets and relationships has equipped her to run the Board of Education but that the role has been itself been an education. She has three grown children, who were once in the Farmington schools.

“My experience being on the Board of Education for 20 years is a valuable asset to the community; if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be running. I’m not running to hold office but because Farmington citizens have invested in me for five terms,” she said.

In that time, Reed oversaw two recessions and headed the search committee to find a new superintendent, Kathleen Greider. She learned to see and understand the varying populations in Farmington and built relationships with the community.

“They entrusted me to amass personal relationships with so many citizens who sought me out personally when they’ve had joys to share, needs to be met and funds to be raised…. Farmington has entrusted me to help our parents, children and staff to navigate through whatever faces them and I have never stepped back when called upon,” Reed said.

Heidi Steir was a marketing professional when she decided to stay home and invest in her children’s schools instead. She saw the difference the town’s investment in the schools was making in her children’s lives and wanted to support them, too.

“I wanted to support these people, provide help and support and increase community involvement,” Steir said.

With her background in marketing, Steir set out to increase communications between the district and the town. She began overseeing a newsletter to the community that informs residents about the many accomplishments and activities of Farmington students and teachers. She also drove the effort to post Frequently Asked Questions on the district website to increase transparency and combat misinformation surrounding district budgeting.

She’s also served on the curriculum committee. Farmington’s curriculum, which is created by teachers and administrators and not taken off the shelf, and the level of success it brings to teachers and students of all levels of ability, is something to be proud of, she said. Steir is a Democrat.

Meredith Trimble, a Republican and the only newcomer in the room, brings with her a long list of impressive credentials and a new interest in the schools. Her children, almost 5 and 16 months, will soon be entering the district. Trimble is the former Director of Education for the Connecticut Office of State Ethics, which she created, including the development of an interactive, middle school civics curriculum and the state’s online ethics training module. In that post she also taught the state Codes of Ethics to public officials, state employees and lobbyists. When the agency was consolidated, Trimble had the option of moving from part-time to full-time or working not at all. She chose the latter to devote time to her children.

“Simply put, I feel I will be an asset to the board,” she began.

“In terms of the issues facing all of us — and we are all in this together — the obvious challenge is a threat of reduced resources and the will to provide our students with an excellent education and programming,” she said.

She ended adding that extraordinary schools entice families and businesses to come to town, driving property values up and taxes down. “And yes, that can be done in a fiscally responsible manner.”

Paula O’Brien, also a Republican, was appointed to the Board of Education in September 2010 to fill a vacancy. O’Brien holds a law degree and worked at a law firm, then at Westlaw, teaching legal research before going on to a sales position at Kraft Foods. Finally, she too became a stay-at-home mom, active in the community and in the West District and West Woods PTOs. She has served on the board of directors for the Village Nursery School and Winding Trails and now for the Farmington Public Schools Foundation.

“I’m proud of the work I’ve done on the Board of Education," she said. “We have a great administration, teachers, students and families. I believe I’m close to the pulse of our schools and have a good sense of the needs and concerns.”

“The Board of Education must work together with the superintendent to provide responsible and prudent leadership… and must meet the new demands of the 21st century.”

Finally, she said the board must control unnecessary spending and present a responsible budget.

Editor's note: Though word of the forum was intended to be spread throughout the schools and beyond, Patch has learned that at least some PTO members believed it was not their place to publicize the event.