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Date: 10/31/2023
NORTHAMPTON — With the Nov. 7 biennial municipal election only days away, Reminder Publishing reached out to the two candidates vying for a spot on the Ward 4 School Committee seat.
The two who are running, Endamian Stewart and incumbent Michael Stein, answered questions posed by Reminder Publishing about their goals and views for the upcoming term.
The candidates and their answers to the questions are listed below in alphabetical order.
Reminder Publishing: Why did you decide to run for re-election?
Stein: The district has had a difficult few years with changing leadership and a number of crises. Throughout my term I have been willing to stand up for the vulnerable, for our staff, and to hold our district accountable so that we can provide the education our children deserve. I am eager to build on the work of the past few years and look forward to playing an important role in charting the course forward as we begin our strategic planning process. I envision a district that embraces the challenges of climate change as both a catalyst for green infrastructure and a climate curriculum, a district that compensates its talented staff fairly and provides the necessary resources to enrich our children’s educational experience.
Stewart: As a parent, I have been engaged in the day-to-day issues facing our students for 13 years, and now that my kids are older, I have time to devote to the school system. It is the right time for me to get more involved, and I decided to run for a few reasons including to:
Give back to the community. As someone who was raised in a single-parent household [by a mother who worked nights], I know firsthand that not all students have the same level of support. If elected, one of the ways I would use my role as School Committee member is to provide support to students and families who need it.
Ensure that ALL of our students have great educational experiences and access to opportunities. This item relates to budget — and also to making sure all student voices are heard, valued and acted upon.
Facilitate open, honest and respectful communication throughout the school community. This is especially important in terms of getting input and holding conversations on an ongoing basis — and especially as issues arise, whether around budget cuts, the grading system or harassment incidents.
RP: I know budget season always beckons major discussions around school funding. If re-elected, how would you approach those discussions?
Stein: As a member of the Budget and Property subcommittee I have spent a lot of time understanding our budget and learning about all of the variables that surround it. For seven to eight years the district unsustainably added dozens of positions and paid for them from a revolving student choice account. Over that period these positions were funded by a $5 million reserve in our student choice account, plus each annual student choice disbursement. Coming into this current fiscal year this practice had depleted all of those funds and overspent the account by $1.2 million. This is what is referred to as the “fiscal cliff.” Instead of tying these positions to increases in the annual appropriation from the city, these costs were hidden. During the last budget cycle the mayor devoted $1.2M from the city’s reserve funds to avoid painful cuts. This year the mayor, who also serves as chair of the School Committee, has told the district to budget a 4% increase minus the $1.2 million. In effect, this means that we only delayed the $1.2 million cuts by one year and we will see many positions eliminated and a painful budget process.
I reject this approach. We cannot continue to balance the city’s budget by underfunding our schools. That chronic underfunding has led to our district having staff and teacher pay that is uncompetitive and created the unsustainable dynamic that encouraged and produced the fiscal cliff. You will hear many voices pointing blame at the state and federal government. Yes, they should be providing more funding, but it is not coming despite the efforts of many in the city to lobby for changes. Ultimately, it is the city’s responsibility to fund the schools and for too many years it has balanced its overall budget on the backs of our staff to the detriment of our students. Two years ago the School Committee voted to add an additional $250K to the annual budget in order to be able to offer a decent contract to NASE. The vote was 8-2 with the mayor and member Agna voting against the measure. Thankfully the City Council honored our request and included the additional $250K in our budget. If I am re-elected, I will be calling on my colleagues once again to approve a budget worthy of our students and staff over the austerity budget proposed by the mayor and ask the City Council to weigh the city’s overall priorities.
Stewart: If elected, as a new member of the School Committee, I would approach discussions around school funding in the following ways:
Spending time to learn about and understand all aspects of the school budget including how much is being spent in each area, how money is allocated throughout the year, how centralized or decentralized things like purchasing and facilities maintenance are.
Getting guidance from meeting members with the most experience [for example, Gwen Agna who had been a school principal for 24 years; Dr. Portia Bonner — our new superintendent — who comes with a wealth of experience; and Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra who understands how the school budget fits into the overall city budget].
Finding sustainable solutions for the school budget, including long-term funding on the local, state, and federal levels and finding efficiencies within purchasing and maintenance.
RP: What are other issues relevant to Northampton Public Schools, and how would you address those?
Stein: I will continue to work with the Northampton Youth Commission to pursue electric school buses and the infrastructure necessary to support them. Our district recently implemented a new K-5 reading curriculum that serves all students. I will advocate for increased services and a remediation plan that identifies students ill served by the prior curriculum who are struggling to read. As the district updates its bullying plan I will call for greater clarity for caregivers and students and improved accountability. The district is in the early stages of exploring restorative justice. I embrace this work and recognize the positive potential it has to improve the culture and climate of the district.
Stewart: There are so many issues that are relevant to the schools, so first I would ask for input from the community — especially from students (and their families), and from teachers. The types of issues are also very different depending on the grade level. Some issues that I have heard from parents include the following: