NORTHAMPTON — The Nov. 4 general election is right around the corner and Reminder Publishing has sent questionnaires to School Committee candidates on the ballot.
Of the openings for ward seats on the School Committee, there is only one race is ongoing into election day.
The race comes in Ward 2 where Anat Weisenfreund will face off against Angela Wack. Weisenfreund was appointed as the Ward 2 School Committee member in January of this year and is now running for the position.
Reminder Publishing asked each candidate the same three questions so readers can get a look at who they are and what they hope to accomplish if elected. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
This is the last edition of election preview coverage. If interested in reading the responses from candidates in City Council and other School Committee races, visit thereminder.com.
Reminder Publishing: What are one or two things you think voters should know about you?
Wack: I have dedicated my entire life to public education, both as a teacher in public elementary schools and as a tutor to students of all ages across the country, and as an educational advocate. I successfully led a school-based educational advocacy group with over 200 members that raised approximately $35,000-50,000 annually to support critical unmet needs. During my leadership, we expanded our support to include ALL school employees, ensuring that every member of our educational community felt valued and appreciated. I bring the perspective of a parent with three children currently enrolled in public schools — one each at JFK, NHS and HCC.
Weisenfreund: I am your current Northampton Ward 2 School Committee member. I have worked in service of children and families my whole professional life — in hospital, government and nonprofit settings, including in my current role as Community Action’s Head Start Director. I have managed large budgets up to $400 million, and bring innovation, teamwork and quality everywhere I work. I am an effective advocate, with good relationships at the State House and on Capitol Hill. I always put children, caregivers and teachers at the center, and I have already shown my effectiveness as a School Committee member.
RP: In your eyes, what are the two most important issues facing the School Committee over the next year?
Wack: The Northampton School Committee faces critical challenges ahead. Most pressing: ensuring ALL students — especially those with IEPs and 504s — receive educationally appropriate curriculum with fully aligned supports and interventions that transfer seamlessly between classes and schools. Additionally, hiring our fourth superintendent in five years demands attention. This leadership instability and institutional knowledge loss significantly contributes to IEP failures and widening achievement gaps. Our administrators and educational leaders need the same support we provide teachers. Effective, reliable leadership at every level is essential for providing the consistency and continuity our teachers, students and community deserve.
Weisenfreund: Recently, the state found our district in violation of not meeting many mandated services for children with disabilities. In this next year, we must ensure that the district fully corrects this, and we have to understand and address the systemic issues that caused these violations in the first place. This will mean ensuring that the district is well funded to meet its responsibilities to all children; in addition, we need to work to implement meaningful family engagement strategies so that the identified “deep erosion of trust” between the district and caregivers can begin to be repaired.
RP: What is your overall message to voters ahead of the election?
Wack: Northampton deserves a School Committee that will collaborate with all stakeholders to reestablish trust, professional respect, and open discourse lost over recent years. My fresh perspective and experience finding common ground amid passionate people with diverse viewpoints will provide a collaborative approach. In a city that widely shares common values, if we all work together, we will be successful in both upholding those values and meeting the needs of all our citizens. The work will not be easy; it will take the involvement of all stakeholders, but together we will strengthen Northampton Public Schools, no matter what challenges we face from outside the community.
Weisenfreund: I’ve talked with a lot of voters. Our residents believe in our great teachers and schools and want to make sure that all our children are challenged, and cared for, and get what they need to thrive. School budgets are complicated. But in our city, we produce millions of dollars in surplus revenue each year and we have built extraordinary reserves! We can figure this out: let’s really talk with each other, let’s recruit and nurture the very best leadership, let’s try new things, let’s be a model district that takes deep care of all our children, caregivers and staff.
