Keeping Parents Informed and Engaged

One of the most important duties of our elected officials is to make sure the children of Somerville parents and caretakers are kept informed of developments that effect them and their children, and that when important decisions need to be taken, they are consulted and their needs and concerns are seen incorporated into the city’s plans.

The Benjamin B. Brown School

For many families in Ward 5, the Brown School is a cherished community school that helps maintain a close-knit community of Somerville students. The building itself, however, has long suffered from underfunding and a critical accessibility failure. Part of our long-term plans for the school needs to include funding full ADA compliance and repairing critical structural issues and exposed materials concerns. Fire safety remains a critical challenge for the school that not only poses a grave issue in an emergency but also an issue when faulty sprinkler systems prompt an evacuation of the building. There are other physical limitations of the school, including its lack of a proper library, cafeteria, and gym facility that make a full capital reinvestment into the school necessary—likely with the need to add new facilities to the existing building.

The Winter Hill School

Winter Hill families have suffered from some of the most severe effects of the neglect of our municipal buildings. The stairwell ceiling colapse this summer was shocking and urgent work is required to ensure that the city provides for a fully proper educational setting, both in the intreim and long-term.

While the city continues to move forward plans for either a gut renovation of the building or for a new school we need to ensure that Winter Hill students receive a good education and that accessing that education remains feasible for parents to facilitate. We need to imporve transportation to temporary location and ensure that support for families continues while the city works to find a permanent solution.

I am glad to see that the Council advanced this summer funding to begin the design work for a new school, and will stay carefully up to date with information about that as it becomes available. In general, I have learened through this process that the city could imporve its communication about ongoing work, and could better facilitate parent engagement in the feedback process.

Universal After School Care

We need to acheive universal afterschool care. This is a critical part of supporting parents, especially parents who work. We need to provide limited-cost care to everystudent after school until 6pm. Principally this entails secuiring proper locations to host after care locations in the city. By working to expand our ability to use municipal buildings and partering with additional non-profits in the city I aim to get us to universal after care coverage.

Student Representation on the School Committee

One of the reforms in our charter I would personally like to see advanced is a student representative to be chosen for the school committee. I think that adding a SHS representative would improve the direct connection of the committee to the school system. This process would require a charter change and home rule petition, which I would support.

Making Raising a Family Affordable in Somerville

A critical part of making raising a family in Somerville easier is reducing costs for families living here. We especially need more affordable homeownership opportunities and three-bedroom units in our rental market. Supporting a multi-generational Somerville is a personal issue for me and something I will work diligently to achieve. I encourage you to read my affordable housing policy platform here.