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Date: 1/11/2022
BELCHERTOWN – With the recall election set for Jan. 24, candidates in the race for two School Committee seats discussed their goals and motivations for running ahead of the election.
Three people are running for the seat currently held by Michael Knapp, which is set to expire in 2023. He faces newcomers Stephan Corbin and Kristen Lech. Diane Brown, whose seat is set to expire in 2022 is running unopposed.
Each candidate was sent a set of questions from Reminder Publishing to answer about the race.
Newcomers
Reminder Publishing (RP): What made you want to run for School Committee?
Kristen Lech: Running for School Committee is something that I have always considered doing. There are several reasons why I have chosen to run. First, to work together with other members of the committee, school personnel, families, students, and community stakeholders to ensure that the Belchertown School District is equipped to create and sustain the best possible educational experience. Secondly, I am running to ensure that our educators have the resources and support that they need to be highly effective for all of our student populations. Finally, I am running to give back to the community. Since moving to Belchertown, my daughters have been the happiest they have ever been. Their school experiences have been positive and supportive. Their friendships, not only with other students, but with their teachers and school administrators has been exceptional.
Stephan Corbin: I am running for School Committee because there is a growing distrust in our committee which was brought to the forefront when they attempted to mandate the vaccination for extracurricular activities. The perception of many is that their voice is not heard, worst yet, that there voice is despised. I want to change that.
RP: Have you worked with schools previously and what experience do you bring to the table for this position?
Lech: I have worked in education for more than 15 years. My career within the K-12 public education system included roles as a special education teacher and special education administrator at the elementary and middle school levels. I transitioned to higher education to teach undergraduate and graduate courses as an assistant professor of Special Education and Educational Research at Springfield College. From there, I moved to Bay Path University as the director of Special Education and English as a Second Language Graduate Programs. My research focuses on evidenced-based special education practices. I have co-authored and published several international books, book chapters, and peer reviewed journal articles related to the unique needs of students with disabilities and effective instructional practices to assist with meeting rigorous academic expectations. In addition, I am appointed as an Educational Surrogate Parent for the Massachusetts Federation for Exceptional Children, I serve as the communications director for the New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO) and I am the president of the Learning Disabilities of America Massachusetts Affiliate Chapter (LDA of MA).
Corbin: I bring with me years of experience leading teams with diverse backgrounds and ideas and bringing them together to serve one common goal. That is exactly what this position requires, one who can unite rather than divide. Someone who can bring together a community of diverse backgrounds and ideas to serve one common goal and that is to create and foster a healthier more fruitful learning experience for our children.
RP: What are your goals if you are elected?
Lech: If elected my goals would include working collaboratively with the other members to identify and develop equitable plans to meet the needs of the district.
Corbin: Though I have many goals, I would first prepare for a post-COVID[-19] educational system that will require our district to fill the educational gaps that lockdowns, remote schooling, mask wearing and quarantining has caused. This can be achieved by allowing our teachers to do what they do best and that is educate our children. Engage them to understand what resources are needed and empower them to implement them. Don’t handcuff them with ever-changing curriculum. Next, we must strengthen our special education programs which are currently under a state review. Special education is going to be an integral cog in our districts success moving forward. In addition to those, improvements must be made in the transparency of our School Committee. I am not saying that any member of the committee is purposefully trying to mislead our community but vagueness of agendas and delay in posting meeting minutes does lead to a perception of no transparency. I will work to add a time for public comment toward the end of meetings as well as the beginning of meetings. Many times items are discussed throughout a meeting that spark the interest of those in attendance and may warrant comment then rather than waiting till the next meeting.
RP: What do you hope to do differently from the current members that are being recalled in the election?
Lech: If elected, I can assure the residents of Belchertown that I will work collaboratively with all members of the community to ensure positive growth as a district. I will not let my views hinder my decision making responsibilities, but rather make decisions based upon sound data and facts, as well as actively listening to all stakeholders in a respectful manner.
Corbin: My hope is that I will be more inclusive. I will treat all members of the committee, school staff, administration and our community with the utmost respect. By nature, I am someone who looks to unite rather than divide. I will never look down upon those who do not share the same opinion as I do. Rather, I will listen to them with an empathic ear. I will try to understand their perspective and let them be heard rather than berated.
RP: Why do you think residents should vote for you in the upcoming election?
Lech: Residents should vote for me in the upcoming election because change is good. I would bring a fresh and new perspective to the committee. I think my strong background in the field of education has prepared me to be an effective member of the School Committee board.
Corbin: Residents should vote for me because I will not discount their opinion simply because it does not align with mine. Residents should vote for me because I will be a good steward of their hard-earned tax dollars and will work tirelessly for the greater good of this school district. A district whose heart and soul is its staff. The teachers, paraprofessional, maintenance and food-service in concert with district administration are the life blood of a school district that should be united with the community in the common goal or preparing the children of Belchertown to succeed in the future.
Incumbents
RP: What made you want to run for school committee again?
Michael Knapp: I know firsthand that a good education can set a child on the path to a rich and fulfilling life. I have been honored to serve on the School Committee, where I’ve advocated for equity, academic excellence, and keeping our students and staff safe.
RP: Other than serving as one of the current members of the committee, what kind of experience do you bring to the table for the committee?
Knapp: As a father, I know the impact that our local schools have on my kids and their friends. I am a professor of chemistry at UMass-Amherst, which gives me ample opportunity to teach and mentor recent high school graduates, as well as engage in strategic planning in an educational setting. I coached youth sports for more than five years, led a 4H group, and engaged in many science outreach activities – all of which helps to inform my deep belief that the schools must serve all kids.
RP: What are some of your goals for the schools/ the School Committee if you are elected to continue your term?
Knapp: The ongoing pandemic continues to challenge our committee and our schools, affecting not only student health and well-being but also educational goals. This is why mitigation efforts are absolutely necessary if we are to keep our schools open and our students learning and growing. Obviously, this is a difficult balancing act, but we always have to strive for what’s best for our students. As a School Committee member, I don’t make these decisions in a vacuum – I listen to not only our community but also to health experts.
There is a student mental health crisis. In addition to academics, our schools offer kids and teens the tools to increase agency and self-control and provide adjustment counselors and medical supports for those who need them. I will continue to advocate for these important interventions and programs that help our students build positive relationships.
The pandemic has also led to student learning gaps. Addressing them is our biggest educational challenge. I support the district in addressing this by supplementing current lessons and focusing on social-emotional growth.
RP: What is some of the work that you have already accomplished during your current term?
Knapp: I strongly advocated for opening our elementary schools in a hybrid format in Fall 2020. Health experts advised it was the best option, and the majority of our families agreed. Our students benefited greatly from the schools being open, and in the future I will continue to follow the guidance of health experts when making these difficult decisions.
Transparency is central to serving the public and has notable benefits. Last year, I pushed for a line-item budget to be shared with the committee. Once the school budget was shared, I found a $300,000 error that helped to balance the town’s budget without additional cuts. In this case, my training made clear that the committee had the authority to insist on this level of transparency for the budget, which ultimately helped us to better serve the community.
As chair in 2020 I advocated for an equity training for the committee that led to the district-wide Diversity/Respect/Equity (DREAM) team, which is a community/district group working to identify policies and practices in our schools that could better advance equity.
RP: Why should residents vote for you in the election?
Knapp: Voters need to make four marks on their ballots: Vote against both recalls, and vote for Brown and Knapp. We’ve worked as strong voices to bring in a Diversity/Respect/Equity (DREAM) team, keep budget priorities on children, and ensure that the school staff and students are safe so that kids can go to school.
RP: What made you want to run for school committee again?
Diane Brown: I was elected to this position by the voters of Belchertown, and it is my intention to serve my full term on this committee.
RP: Other than serving as one of the current members of the committee, what kind of experience do you bring to the table for the committee?
Brown: I believe I bring a unique perspective to our Belchertown School Committee. I am a retired teacher, and have spent almost all of my teaching career in our Belchertown District. I have been a volunteer, helped run the Great Books program with early elementary students, have worked with special needs students, taught Title I, and was a sixth-grade teacher at Chestnut Hill Community School for 23 years.
RP: What are some of your goals for the schools/ the School Committee for the remainder of your term?
Brown: For the remainder of my term, my goal is to address the educational and emotional challenges our students have faced because of the pandemic. We know that for many students remote learning did not meet their needs. How can we provide additional support in both the academics and areas of social/emotional learning? That is my focus for the remainder of my term.
RP: What is some of the work that you have already accomplished during your current term?
Brown: The last two years have been dominated by addressing the challenges that the pandemic has caused. I feel that our district has done a good job of keeping our schools open and keeping students and staff safe. We were not a district that had multiple shutdowns.
An area that we have been working on for the past few years is improving racial and social equity. A D.R.E.A.M. team was formed with volunteers from the community, as well as students, teachers and administrators. They have been meeting and working on identifying where we are as a district, and what steps we can take to improve. Another accomplishment has been being accepted into the state’s MSBA program that would help us fund and build a new middle school.