To the editor:
I had the opportunity to attend the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum on May 20, and I’d like to thank the Marblehead LWV for organizing this event — it was an incredibly helpful opportunity to learn about the candidates running for local office.
I attended with a primary focus on the race for School Committee, because I believe that the outcome of that race will be the most consequential for our community. A few takeaways.
Each of the incumbents told major whoppers during the forum. First was Sarah Fox, who spoke of how she has consistently supported the voices of students. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Students spoke before the School Committee with unanimity against the recently adopted flag censorship policy that Sarah Fox insisted was necessary and voted in favor of. She, and every other Committee member besides Al Williams, ignored the voices of students and gave no real consideration to the student-proposed policy that our high school students had carefully researched and put forward as an alternative. That, along with the many leaks in the high school roof, is why students in Marblehead feel ignored and marginalized by this School Committee.
Then there was Alison Taylor, who spoke of her pride in having hired administrators who have “stabilized” the school district. Marblehead residents have not forgotten that it was this School Committee, including Taylor and Fox, who caused that instability in the first place through the firing of Superintendent Dr. John Buckey, for reasons that were never explained to the community and that remain a mystery. We have since experienced two years of resulting chaos, including a talent drain involving the loss of talented administrators and teachers to other communities. Two years later, we still don’t have a permanent superintendent under contract. You can’t claim credit for fixing something that you broke in the first place.
Then there is Emily DeJoy, who if elected would move this already very conservative Committee so far to the right that it would fall off the end of the political spectrum. No thanks.
The good news is that we have two well-qualified candidates running for School Committee who want to turn things around, Kate Schmeckpeper and Henry Gwazda. They are running based on a commitment to good governance, and moving the Committee’s focus away from divisive political issues and onto the quality of education in our schools. They want to repair the many damaged relationships in our school community, including showing some respect to our hard-working and talented teachers, and truly listening to the voices of students.
These are two candidates for School Committee that we can proudly vote for and feel good about on June 10th. I urge others in the community to join me in voting for Kate Schmeckpeper and Henry Gwazda.
Angus McQuilken
Ticehurst Lane
