Michael Novinson: Ready to Meet the Challenges Seekonk Schools Face

I've met so many wonderful people since moving to Seekonk seven years ago, and my oldest is over the moon about starting kindergarten at Aitken in the Fall. While I've heard terrific things about the teachers and staff at our schools. I'm concerned about some of the challenges our district faces.

Despite adding 10 classrooms to Aitken just a few years ago, class sizes at the elementary level are as high as 26, and art and music are once again being delivered on a cart. At the middle school, we've spent more than $100,000 since July just to keep a heating system that's on its last legs operational. And at the high school, we continue to struggle with attrition, as an increasing percentage of eighth graders choose to continue their education somewhere other than Seekonk High.

I've spent the past decade as a business journalist, and I believe that professional experience will help with taking on these long-term challenges, as well as the ongoing responsibilities of School Committee: budget, policy, and evaluating the superintendent

From a budget standpoint, I work with balance sheets and financial statements on a daily basis, drilling into numbers and asking difficult questions of leaders. As far as policy is concerned, my deep experience writing and my attention to detail will help with the work that's been taking place over the past year updating our policy manual.

I've also been fortunate enough to attend many School Committee meetings over the past few years, and it's given me a strong sense of the areas where Superintendent Kidwell excels, as well as where there's room for growth. If elected, I plan to focus on communicating with the public using social media, having an ongoing dialogue, and letting people know on a meeting-to-meeting basis some of the most important things we're working on.

My youngest isn't going to graduate from Seekonk High until 2042, and I want to ensure that our schools are just as excellent 17 years from now as they are today. I'm running to be the leader that helps our schools achieve their potential.  Visit michaelforseekonk.com or "Michael Novinson for Seekonk School Committee" on Facebook to learn more.