My Goals & Policy Priorities

I’m an advocate for Belmont’s schools – I’m committed that they form a center of excellence that will engage all students. Our town is known for having good schools and it’s essential that we maintain that high standard.

But our schools face several challenges:

  • Finances. As a member of the Warrant Committee, I’ve examined the school budget in great detail. I’m very aware of the fiscal pressures facing our town and our schools. With the budgetary constraints we are facing, I want to make sure that our resources are put their best uses. I’ve been trained as an economist (I have a PhD in economics from MIT), and I want to see that we optimize the use of our funds for the instruction of the students in our town. One example: next year’s school budget shows an increase in transportation costs over what was spent last year, even after elimination of a bus route – perhaps we can find additional ways to reduce transportation costs (such as having students go to their neighborhood schools where possible since there are no longer capacity constraints at the elementary schools).

  • Planning. I also believe that we need to plan for the future and how we protect the spirit of our community going forward. At the last Town Budget Summit, the School Administration presented a slide showing that implementing in-district special education programming for 13 students resulted in costs that were almost a million dollars less than they would have been had those 13 students been placed out-of-district. We need to encourage and facilitate the strategic vision of the schools and keep Belmont schools a center of excellence.

I want to try and find ways to support all 4,500 students in the Belmont Public Schools, be it through the arts, athletics, special education, advanced academics, or whatever engages the students; we need to try to serve everyone. We will need to be creative, but we can explore alternative avenues for additional sources of revenue such as possibly renting out the school facilities when not in use.

Our guiding principles should be:

  • Academic Excellence

  • Success for Every Student