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Date: 10/26/2023
AGAWAM — The seven candidates vying for six School Committee seats participated in an Oct. 5 candidate forum presented by the Agawam Public Library. Voters will choose among incumbents Shelley Borgatti-Reed, Dawn DeMatteo, Michael Perry, A.J. Christopher and Wendy Rua, and challengers Catherine McDougal and Christoper Pass, at the ballot box Nov. 7.
In answer to the question, “What do you think is the most important item the School Committee will need to deal with in 2024?” Borgatti-Reed, DeMatteo, McDougal, Pass and Rua said it will be funding a new or renovated high school.
“We have a lot of community outreach to do to educate and allow people the time and the information to hear which of the high school proposals rises to the top. That’s at the forefront,” said Rua.
“I think first and foremost is the state of our high school and the fact that we do need a new one to bring it up to a quality educational facility for our students,” said DeMatteo. “I’ve enjoyed being on the School Building Committee and working with that group of people. It was very eye-opening to see the state of our current high school and the environment in which our kids are learning.”
Borgatti-Reed said Agawam has one of the oldest high school buildings in the area.
“Now is the time to act. It’s almost 70 years old. If we say no, the state is moving on. We won’t see state funds for a new high school for another 15 years.”
McDougal and Pass said while they agree that the most pressing issue is doing something about the high school, looking at the infrastructure in the other schools is also important.
“Climate control is a big issue within the buildings. It’s not good for energy efficiency and it’s not good for student learning or for teachers to concentrate,” said McDougal.
Pass said the high school project is “a hot-button topic” from a school perspective and a taxpayer perspective. But, like McDougal, he said the town also needs to deal with infrastructure issues in the other schools, especially climate control.
For Perry and Christopher, the biggest issue for the committee is the ongoing social-emotional needs of children.
“Social media is putting a lot of stress on children — not just in the school environment, but throughout their days as they try to repair their social and emotional needs from COVID,” said Christopher.
“I don’t know if I want to call it a crisis,” said Perry, “but social and emotional issues facing the students are persisting.”
The incumbents also were asked a second question, “What accomplishment are you most of proud of during your years on the School Committee?”
Borgatti-Reed said for her, it’s organizing a community parade for the high school’s 2020 graduates when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from having many of their in-person senior activities.
“I came up with the parade idea to recognize them, to show them that they’re important and that it takes accomplishment to be a senior. They were feeling so down, and then the whole community showed up for the car parade,” Borgatti-Reed said.
Perry said his “good, respectful working relationship with the administration” helped him when he asked the school administration to add financial literacy as a required curriculum piece at the high school: “Having a respectful partnership, we got together with the principal and superintendent about this. And now they will begin to implement a required financial literacy/personal finance course for students.”
Getting out of the “Agawam bubble” and getting involved with School Committee members from across Massachusetts is Rua’s proudest accomplishment.
“It’s really helpful to network with peers from across the state,” said Rua. “I now have a unique perspective that’s a little broader than Agawam.”
DeMatteo said since she runs a private preschool in town, her biggest accomplishment is “being relatable to the teachers” as an educator herself.
“I teach the youngest learners in town,” she said. “I’m very dedicated to their education and to their success in our school system.”
Christopher, who sits on the board of directors of the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative in West Springfield, said he’s proud to bring awareness about the success of Agawam students who attend its programs.
“We’ve had many students recognized as students of the month at LPVEC. I’m really making sure that they get highlighted.”
Challengers McDougal and Pass were asked, “What would you have done differently in the past two years if you had been on the School Committee?”
McDougal said it’s difficult to “second guess the people who are in the driver’s seat as a School Committee when you’re not there.” However, McDougal said she would have pushed for more transparency at meetings.
“A lot of business happens in executive session, or in subcommittee hearings, subcommittee meetings. It can be difficult to follow the different agenda items when you’re tuning in to regular School Committee meetings,” she said.
Pass said he wouldn’t have done anything differently, but in the future, he said it would be good idea if each school PTO sent a liaison to School Committee meetings.
“They can report back to their PTOs if there’s a topic people weren’t familiar with until after it’s been voted on by the committee,” he said.
All six elected seats on the School Committee are up for election, for two-year terms. The committee is guaranteed at least one new elected member next year, as incumbent Kerri O’Connor is not running for reelection. There will also be a new chair of the committee, as that post is occupied ex officio by the mayor, and incumbent William Sapelli is also not running for reelection. The School Committee election will appear on the same Nov. 7 ballot as the City Council and the race between Christopher Johnson and Cecilia Calabrese for mayor.