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Reminder Assistant Editor LONGMEADOW Four "very qualified" candidates spoke with the Select Board and the School Committee as the two groups held a joint meeting Tuesday evening, according to Select Board member Brian Ashe. Gwendolyn Bruns, Alex Grant, Janine Idelson and Armand Wray, all Longmeadow residents, applied for the open position on the School Committee. Jim Nittoli, who left the School Committee to return to the Town Finance Committee, was present at the meeting for the interviews of the applicants. When the position first opened, Christine Swanson, vice-chair of the School Committee, said the group was looking for someone who supports the committee's initiative, can balance fiscal responsibilities and is focused on bettering education for the students in Longmeadow. Each candidate was asked to introduce him or herself before answering a series of questions. Bruns has been a resident of Longmeadow for seven years and has been interested in joining a town committee for a while. She worked as a paralegal before resigning in March to focus on her family. Bruns has a private school background but joined the Center School council last year, as she has a child who attends classes there. "I think it's important for us to understand what our schools are going through," Bruns said. "We all want what's best for the kids." A town resident since 1994, Idelson is an attorney who has served on the board at the Grammar School at Somersville since 2000. While serving there, she helped craft budgets, negotiate contracts and assist with other issues similar to those in Longmeadow. "I admit I have no background in education," Idelson said, "but I am a parent. I served on a school board for years, though, and I was intimately involved in all aspects of the decision making." Grant just moved to Longmeadow from Washington, D.C. in March "for the schools." He's worked for the Department of Justice for eight years, mostly on cases involving children. "I knew what the schools in D.C. were doing and what they were not doing," Grant stated. "I believe in public schools and I want Longmeadow schools to aim even higher." The final applicant, Wray, has resided in Longmeadow since June 2006. His seven-year-old daughter has been attending Center School since kindergarten through the School Choice Program. His family moved to town because of that choice. A firm believer of a core knowledge background, Wray said that "knowledge builds knowledge." When asked how each person would solve the budget and contract issues the schools have been having, every candidate said that he or she would have to study the topic more closely before reaching a decision. Select Board Chairman Hal Haberman agreed that "it could be difficult to make these kinds of decisions right now when the School Committee hasn't made any yet." A potential override could be an issue the new committee member may have to deal with. "It would be great to get an override. We need one," Idelson said. "We need to tailor it to make it successful." Wray agreed, stating "We've reached the point where we can't ignore an override any longer. We just need to make sure all the facts are known." Select Board clerk Paul P. Santaniello asked the candidates who they would work for if they were appointed to the position. All four answered that they'd work for the children of Longmeadow; Grant added the parents and the students of the future, and Wray said that the School Committee also serves as "the custodians of the tax-payers' trust." The position on the School Committee would be an appointed position until June 2008. The four candidates all expressed interest in continuing in the position after the seven-month appointment has ended when elections are held for the position next spring. "The School Committee is doing an excellent job," Haberman said. "Twenty years from now, I want people to comment on what a great job the Longmeadow schools have done." He added that he wished he knew a way to place all the candidates on the committee. The Select Board and the School Committee will be voting on the position either this week or next week. | ||||||
