Thank you to everyone who attended the 2015 School Committee Candidate Forum on Monday, March 16th at Bancroft. We hope you found the event informative and helpful as you weigh options for the three open school committee seats.
Special thanks also to the candidates who spent the evening taking questions submitted by email to the Bancroft PTO and League of Women Voters. We compiled an outstanding list of questions, and while we didn’t have enough time to get through them all, we were excited by the breadth of topics covered by the candidates at the forum.
A replay of the entire event is now available on the Andover TV website.
If you would like to forward the video to a specific section or question, they are listed below along with the video timestamp for each:
Opening Statements (minute 3:30 of the replay)
Question 1 (minute 13:20 of the replay): The School Committee and superintendent have adopted a strategic plan for the district. What part of the plan is a priority for you? How will you inform and involve the public in carrying out the identified steps?
Question 2 (22:25): Many parents are worried that Andover students spend too much time preparing for and taking standardized tests. Do you share these concerns, and could you offer your opinion on the pros and cons related to the Common Core and PARCC testing?
Question 3 (31:15): What do you see as the pros and cons of charter schools in general, and what impact would you anticipate to Andover if students had an opportunity to attend a local charter school?
Question 4 (39:00): There is a challenge in creating school & town budgets in that many want to keep taxes from spiraling up each year as there are many people on fixed incomes, but many want our schools to maintain or even improve services. How will you balance these two perspectives, and do you find that there are any improvements that could be made to the budget setting process?
Question 5 (52:05): The Superintendent has presented a budget for next year that includes reduction of full-time-equivalent teacher positions. She stated this cut could impact class size at all levels above third grade, with initial estimates of up to 29 students per class. Do you believe this was an acceptable budget tradeoff or are there other areas you would have preferred to see cut?
Question 6 (62:35): Some Andover citizens believe that too much money is spent on Special Education in the Andover Public Schools; while others believe that Andover provides too little support. What do you think about current funding for Special Education in Andover, with respect to both the level of spending and how the money is being used?
Question 7 (73:40): Do you think school committee members should routinely experience activities at each level—elementary, middle and high school? If so, what events or activities would you attend in order to accomplish this goal?
Question 8 (77:10): How would you describe your personal tone & style that you would bring to school committee meetings?
Closing Statements (79:15)
Please don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, March 24th. Polls are open in Andover from 7am to 8pm. All precincts vote at the Andover High School field house.