Dear Friends and Neighbors:SUZANNE BARATTA
OWAYDA
SCHOOL COMMITTEE 2001
I'm pleased to announce that I will be a candidate for the Arlington School Committee in this year's March 31 election.
VISION OF FIRST-RATE SCHOOLS
I am seeking a position on the School Committee because I’m eager to help Arlington move from a good school system to one that is first-rate. My vision of a first-rate school system includes teachers who are well-paid and well-supported; use of broad-based decision-making when setting goals and priorities; use of performance-based goals which can be measured; and use of a dynamic, integrated curriculum that does not focus on MCAS numbers but on quality teaching and learning. Please join me in moving Arlington closer to that vision.
BACKGROUND
My four sisters and I grew up in Arlington and attended the Arlington Public Schools (AHS class of 1977). After college, I worked in business and management in different parts of the country, mostly California. During my stay in California I went to law school and became a member of the California Bar (member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1998). I also met my husband, Solomon, and our children, now 7 and 4, were born. When we decided to relocate to Massachusetts, we looked at many communities in the Boston area and chose Arlington because we saw vitality and community activism. We believe we made a great decision.
DEMONSTRATED COMMITMENT AND RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
As a parent, I'm very concerned
and actively involved in my children’s education. 
I
volunteered as Precinct 13 co-captain during last year’s Rebuild campaign.
In addition to rebuilding our school buildings, I am very concerned about
promoting quality teaching and learning within our schools.
For the past two years I have been a member of the Stratton School Council,
where we advise the principal on issues such as curriculum, student safety,
and school policies. I also volunteer in the classroom, at the teacher’s
request, because of large class sizes. Finally, as a Town Meeting Member
I am fully aware of the budget constraints facing our town and the need
to spend our tax dollars wisely.
I am involved in the lives of children in other ways. My husband and I have coached soccer for three seasons, we teach Sunday school to high school students, and in my professional life I work part-time as a lawyer who represents children. I believe all of these experiences qualify me to be a very effective School Committee member.
I have skills and experience that are different from, yet complement, those of the current School Committee. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science and Technology and 12 years experience managing professional and union employees in a business setting. With my legal training and work in mediation, I can bring practical experience to the educational issues this town will face.
PRIORITY ISSUES
As a parent, Town Meeting
Member and homeowner I have watched the following critical issues develop.
As a School Committee member I would work hard to find solutions on these
issues:
- Ensure that every Arlington school is rebuilt to the standards we've seen at the Brackett and Bishop Schools.
- Recruiting, hiring, and developing quality new teachers and support staff; specifically, hiring a top-notch new principal to guide Arlington High School.
- Maintaining small class sizes, especially for K - 2, while the school population is rising but funding remains relatively level.
- Continuing to study the effectiveness of MCAS testing in our schools. I support the current School Committee position to eliminate, at this time, the test as a graduation requirement, and use other methods of evaluation. While MCAS is emerging as a good tool to assess the effectiveness of our curriculum, no school, student, teacher or school system should be penalized based on the MCAS results. As a School Committee member, I will support the efforts of teachers to find ways to teach each student effectively and creatively and at the same time comply with state curriculum frameworks.
- Ensuring a process for community participation in the development of the upcoming redistricting plan for the elementary schools.
- Improving communication among parents, teachers, residents and the School Committee.
I am prepared to spend time and to work diligently to benefit our schools and our children, and to repay this community that gave me a great foundation. This is my first venture into politics and, although exciting, it's a major challenge to achieve name recognition and get my message out. Currently, there are four people vying for two seats, and I would very much like to be one of the two people elected. To reach this goal and get new people involved takes hard work, resources and people power.
Most important, I ask for your vote on March 31. And volunteers are needed to carry out the many tasks necessary to get my message out to as many people as possible. If you would like to help as a volunteer or make a donation, please contact Cathy Clement Saleh at cathysaleh@mediaone.net.
Please contact me at suzowayda@cs.com if you have questions or advice.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Baratta Owayda