1. Concerns have been raised in School Committee meetings and elsewhere about incidents of racism in the schools and a sense that some members of the community don't feel they are welcome. Besides expressing support for the superintendent's emphasis on 'belonging,' what specifically can the School Committee do to address those concerns?

Incidents of racism are one of several manifestations of prejudice we must address. Our top priority is creating a welcoming environment where all learn and thrive. We've had surveys done of the community, met with interested parties, and brought many experts to talk with us and the district. Reaching out has resulted in identifying and committing proper resources to effectively support teaching and learning (such as adding a DEIB coordinator and more social workers).

Eventually, however, everyone is a minority of one — we need to find ways to come together as Mounties. Many people feel unable to bring forward concerns; for years I've served as a bridge to ensure issues are acknowledged and addressed. I recognize the difference between doing what we as a committee want to do, and what we legally can do. I strongly support the administration's handling of these issues, but these are complicated and actions can have unintended consequences. For example, I was the lone vote against putting a BLM sign on the Mount Greylock lawn because I was afraid of the precedent we would set.

District counsel confirmed my fears: in other towns such posting led to groups successfully arguing that they have a right to display their signs, signs containing messages that our governing body would never endorse. Instead, I suggested we have students, staff and teachers talk and come up with a sign and statement that reflects our values and commitments: use this as an opportunity to come together as Mounties and show racism and bullying are not tolerated.

2. The current fiscal year's assessment to each of the district's member towns is more than 4 percent over FY22. The town governments in each community have made no secret that they would like to see the increases come in closer to 2.5 percent. Does the School Committee have an obligation to advocate for a budget with more modest increases or should its primary focus be to advocate for the number that the administration deems appropriate? How would you strike that balance?

The budget's a process, done over months and many meetings of the various stakeholders. Our job is to hear from school councils, administration, students and families and create a budget supporting our students with the available funds. We must prioritize, often making difficult decisions that while X would be nice, the benefit isn't enough. Other times we make the case, to town boards and voters, that something is essential and must be funded.

We must be careful with taxpayers' money, creating the most opportunity without unnecessary spending or spending that could be postponed. This is why I voted against the multimillion dollar multipurpose administration building project, and voted to hold off on the six-figure cost of a DEIB director until we could pay for that from our Excess and Deficiency funds (available within the year).

In my first budget, the Lanesborough Select Board recommended rejection unless we made more cuts; at a budget meeting in Lanesborough, and in conversations with the principal of Mount Greylock, we heard how these cuts would impact the community. In a 4-3 decision, I helped restore the after-school bus and the 7th/8th-grade teacher meetings, and successfully made our case to the voters. Despite fears, we still have the bus, which has aided many in participating. We have an excellent administrative team working with the towns’ finance committees and the district’s finance subcommittee, on which I serve. My job is to listen to all, get a sense of the needs and resources, craft and then advocate for an appropriate budget.

3. That said, are there spending priorities that you would want to see included or bolstered in the budget that you feel are currently underfunded?

I've volunteered with students and teachers at all three of our schools for a decade. Through this and my service on the committee I have a good sense of the excellent work being done, the areas needing attention, and how to determine where resources will be most effective. First, as always, is talking to the students and teachers — they know best what is needed, and I frequently pass their requests along.

For example, at the last finance subcommittee meeting, I mentioned a concern raised by many students: last year you could do multiple practice problems for free on Quizlet; this year that requires families to buy Quizlet Plus. I want to ensure equal access to resources needed to succeed, so we discussed how we can use existing funds to implement full access to all this year. I want to see more academic enrichment / curricular diversity. I have talked for years how this can be done through some supplemental zoom classes; we and perhaps several schools could share a teacher who rotates where they teach in person.

I also suggest working with local colleges. I am a math professor at Williams, and have taught numerous independent studies for Mount Greylock students. In addition to the district's commitment to DEIB professional development, I want to ensure we have a rich set of academic development opportunities for teachers. I've taught many such courses over the years, and know the value of exciting our teachers and giving them new items for their classes.

4. One issue that has been on the School Committee's plate for years is the plan to address the athletic fields at the middle-high school. Do you feel the School Committee should make it a priority to preserve a portion of the Williams College capital gift as a 'rainy day' fund for future extraordinary maintenance needs at the school, or should it use as much of the gift as is necessary to complete the field project?

While we can do both, it's important to remember we've used a large amount of the gift for items that would normally be paid for by the towns, so effectively it has already been used as a rainy day fund. Our admin team has done an excellent job value-engineering with the project firms to keep costs down, and to determine what we need to do now and what can be done later without a significant increase in cost for delaying.

Once we finish some final borrowing, we can use funds from our Excess and Deficiency account, if we wish to keep money in the gift (which grows or declines with the Williams endowment). The main purpose of the gift is to support items from the building project not eligible for state reimbursement; we used a lot for temporary housing for the administration, and now a permanent building, but it is essential that we take accurate stock of what our students need. This has led to many changes in priorities over the six years I've worked on this project, moving from artificial turf to an eight-lane track and many additional items that we can include due to the lower cost from natural grass. We are fortunate that Williams has been so generous, and that the gift has grown over the years; we will have an excellent final result and preserve a sizable amount for the future; I support a smaller rainy day fund and more items our students can use.

5. Like all local elections, School Committee is non-partisan in the sense that candidates do not run on a party line. But there are, perhaps even more than with other local offices, political dimensions to the work of the district, particularly when it comes to issues of DEI, curriculum and, arguably, how to address a pandemic. How would you characterize your personal political philosophy?

My philosophy’s simple: Include everyone and all views. Get to know people, get everyone together, let everyone talk, listen to the facts, appreciate the diverse perspectives and experiences. Be transparent. Do what you think is right even if others disagree, but only after listening.

I've pushed for every meeting to have public comments/agenda requests. At the subcommittee level, I've welcomed people talking anytime. The fields subcommittee was recommending artificial turf. Several citizens were concerned; we encouraged people to speak throughout the meetings and not just at public comment. I ensured the minutes reflected all views, and eventually, the full committee supported natural grass. For the pandemic, I did extensive reading of the literature and fought to have our decisions science-based.

As chair of the Education subcommittee I brought parents, teachers, administrators and the School Committee together to brainstorm ways to handle the exceptional situation we faced. I've worked with finance/select boards to discuss concerns. I proposed, and the district implemented, two new formulas. The first adjusted the capital projects assessment, used when renovating Mount Greylock (the old framework was unfair to Lanesborough). The second correctly estimated how the state would allocate $3.5 million in Chapter 70 funds annually (total budget is $21 million); this led to a regional agreement with proper local budgeting for LES/WES. By being transparent and by opening up discussion to all interested parties, we are able to reach good decisions for the community.

Profile

Miller is a mathematics professor at Williams College and has two children in the school district. He served on the School Building Committee and as chair of the Education subcommittee and currently is the secretary of the School Committee. He is running for this third four-year term on the School Committee.

1. Concerns have been raised in School Committee meetings and elsewhere about incidents of racism in the schools and a sense that some members of the community don't feel they are welcome. Besides expressing support for the superintendent's emphasis on 'belonging,' what specifically can the School Committee do to address those concerns?

This is a topic close to my heart. First, we need to ask ourselves, are students and staff of color, LGBTQ and other diversities negatively affected by the policies of our school district? We need to investigate if diverse students and/or neurodiverse students are being suspended at higher rates than white, straight and neurotypical students. If we find this to be so, what is the cause of this and what are the implications for these students? Do any of the policies in our district benefit one group while placing other groups at a disadvantage?

I would argue that our community has brought awareness to the issue of systemic racism. However, we have not yet completely confronted the systemic change that is needed in our schools. We need to put DEI issues at the forefront of our priorities. We need to analyze our current practices in working through social and behavioral challenges in the schools and make sure we are bringing forth research-based strategies that are equitable for all.

2. The current fiscal year's assessment to each of the district's member towns is more than 4 percent over FY22. The town governments in each community have made no secret that they would like to see the increases come in closer to 2.5 percent. Does the School Committee have an obligation to advocate for a budget with more modest increases or should its primary focus be to advocate for the number that the administration deems appropriate? How would you strike that balance?

This would involve looking at every line of the proposed budget and seeing if a balance is possible. Obviously, the School Committee should make every effort to strike a balance but in turn we need to do what is necessary for the functioning of our schools.

3. That said, are there spending priorities that you would want to see included or bolstered in the budget that you feel are currently underfunded?

I am in favor of a director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in our school district. I realize there has been debate about this proposed expense to the district. It has been suggested that "teachers should set an example" in their classroom and that this will be enough. It is not.

We must do more than display Black Lives Matter posters and have a once-a-year speaker on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. Implementing anti-bias curriculum is an undertaking of large proportions. Teachers need the time, training, and resources to implement this successfully. A director who works in tandem with curriculum coordinators is going to be a key factor for our schools in this area. This needs to be an ongoing dialogue between all students, families, educators, and facilitators with action goals established and accountability measures put in place.

4. One issue that has been on the School Committee's plate for years is the plan to address the athletic fields at the middle-high school. Do you feel the School Committee should make it a priority to preserve a portion of the Williams College capital gift as a 'rainy day' fund for future extraordinary maintenance needs at the school, or should it use as much of the gift as is necessary to complete the field project?

I have been following the progress and debate regarding the decision the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee makes about how to spend the remainder of the capital gift from Williams College for years. I'm pleased to see the district has unanimously selected a firm to design the new field and track.

I agree with the current committee that we should use a portion of the funds from the Williams College capital gift while still leaving an appropriate portion for unexpected needs that might arise. If elected to the School Committee, I would work to find grant funding, personal donations, and create fundraising efforts to see this project come to fruition. Our student-athletes and their families have been waiting a long time for the completion of this field project.

5. Like all local elections, School Committee is non-partisan in the sense that candidates do not run on a party line. But there are, perhaps even more than with other local offices, political dimensions to the work of the district, particularly when it comes to issues of DEI, curriculum and, arguably, how to address a pandemic. How would you characterize your personal political philosophy?

My motto is simply "Do No Harm." How can we promote a growth mindset for all and yet do what is realistically possible for the school community? My political philosophy starts and ends with the question of what is my/our responsibility to our society? Sometimes the right choice is not the easy choice but really getting to the heart of things, hearing all sides, and then weighing what is right for the collective good is necessary. I have yet to align myself with a political party, I consider myself an independent voter who will vote depending on the people involved and the issue at hand. When it comes to the very important issues of DEI, curriculum, and how to address a pandemic, we need to be open, curious, willing to think outside the box and work in collaboration for the greater good.

Profile

Christine Enderle is a kindergarten teacher in the North Adams Public Schools and has three children in the Mount Greylock district. This is her first time running for School Committee.

1. Concerns have been raised in School Committee meetings and elsewhere about incidents of racism in the schools and a sense that some members of the community don't feel they are welcome. Besides expressing support for the superintendent's emphasis on 'belonging,' what specifically can the School Committee do to address those concerns?

The School Committee is responsible for approving the superintendent's goals and the district goals. we are responsible for approving the annual budget and for completing the superintendent's evaluation. These are all areas where we can either support or question expenditures around DEIB work.

During the last budget season, the School Committee supported funding for the DEIB Director amidst some opposition from community members. We've supported both the Mount Greylock Listening and Learning project with Courtney Tunis, as well as multi-year funding for the Institute on Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice with Dr. [Khyati] Joshi. The need for DEIB work is described in the Superintendent's goals, the District's goals, and the individual School Improvement Plans. All of these were reviewed and discussed at School Committee meetings. It is our job to give feedback on these plans, not to passively accept them.

I believe the work of "belonging" must include all members of the school community, as well as our many district alumni and broader community members. Simran Jeet Singh will be speaking to the community this month, in part because the need for community and family support around DEIB challenges was raised by school committee members. And finally, there are many reasons why someone may feel they are/were not welcome in our district schools. It is each school committee member's responsibility to listen to the concerns of our constituents and to bring this information forward to the full committee and administration as appropriate.

2. The current fiscal year's assessment to each of the district's member towns is more than 4 percent over FY22. The town governments in each community have made no secret that they would like to see the increases come in closer to 2.5 percent. Does the School Committee have an obligation to advocate for a budget with more modest increases or should its primary focus be to advocate for the number that the administration deems appropriate? How would you strike that balance?

The School Committee's job is to advocate for the needs of the district. It is also our job to respect the fiscal constraints of our member towns. How the district needs are determined begins at the building level (teachers and administrators), factors in the goals of the district, and ultimately becomes a discussion between the School Committee and the central administration.

What are the district's goals for the coming year and what resources are needed to accomplish those goals? While state and local funding are the two major sources of revenue for the Mount Greylock budget, we always seek to offset increases to our member towns by using our discretionary funds, such as Excess and Deficiency (E&D), tuition, and school choice. What might have started out as an 8 percent budget increase to our member towns, hypothetically speaking, may "only" be 4 percent by the time we do our work. Is that still too high? Is what we are asking for worth risking a negative vote by either member town?

These are questions we must deliberate as a committee. But what we ultimately request of our member towns is a School Committee decision and a School Committee decision alone.

3. That said, are there spending priorities that you would want to see included or bolstered in the budget that you feel are currently underfunded?

This fall, we are preparing to negotiate a new three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Mount Greylock Teachers Association that will serve as the foundation for recruiting, hiring, and maintaining high quality and diverse faculty and staff for years to come. Balancing our belief in the importance of the classroom and demonstrating the respect we have for our employees will have to be balanced with the need to keep the budget affordable and sustainable for our member towns. Always a challenge.

The district has not yet been able to fill the director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging position approved in the last budget cycle. It will be important to support the vision of this position (especially if we are unable to fill it) by continuing to fund professional development and other means of creating belonging for both students and families.

Perhaps the most pressing issue right now is the mental health and well-being of our students and families. The majority of our families lived through two years of pandemic-era living and learning, and now we are seeing the highest rates of inflation since the early 1980s. The continued stress and trauma our families experience cannot help but affect our most vulnerable community members. We must work as a Committee and Administration to understand and try to meet the needs that have arisen. I look forward to learning from my colleagues around the state at the joint conference for superintendents and School Committee members and attending "Understanding the Student Mental Health Crisis: Causes, Impact and Solutions" in early November.

4. One issue that has been on the School Committee's plate for years is the plan to address the athletic fields at the middle-high school. Do you feel the School Committee should make it a priority to preserve a portion of the Williams College capital gift as a 'rainy day' fund for future extraordinary maintenance needs at the school, or should it use as much of the gift as is necessary to complete the field project? Why or why not?

When Williams College announced the $5 million in 2016, the funding was to go toward projects outside of the scope of work in the Mount Greylock Regional School building project. As Williams College President Adam Falk stated at the time, "The fund is designed to support supplementary capital projects in ways that will increase educational value and reduce costs to the district and its member towns."

We have used the gift to reduce costs to member towns for many years, constructing much-needed buildings on the school campus, among other things. The committee also expended funds planning a new synthetic field at Mount Greylock, but the committee did not commit to funding an actual construction project.

We now have a rough estimate for a natural grass field (with drainage and irrigation) inside an eight-lane track, the cost of which (at this early stage) is approximately the same as the value of the Williams gift.

I have supported reserving funds for long-term renewal in the past and would still like to support it moving forward. However, I also understand it may not make sense to reserve funds in the gift account if we want to accomplish this project. We will have to ask ourselves, is it better to reserve funds in the Williams gift account (and continue to invest with the college endowment) if it means taking money from our own reserve funds, in order to cover the cost of the project? Might that limit our ability to bring lower percentage increases to the towns?

5. Like all local elections, School Committee is non-partisan in the sense that candidates do not run on a party line. But there are, perhaps even more than with other local offices, political dimensions to the work of the district, particularly when it comes to issues of DEI, curriculum and, arguably, how to address a pandemic. How would you characterize your personal political philosophy?

I would like to say my personal political philosophy is irrelevant to my political service, but I know the lens I bring to this work is influenced by both my personal philosophy and my upbringing. I was raised in a liberal democratic household. My father, a college professor, was a World War II veteran who considered himself a Kennedy liberal but was viewed by many of his colleagues as a moderate. He spent many years on leave from Williams doing service in the State Department. My mother was a model volunteer. She had a weekly shift at the Women's Exchange, was president of the League of Women Voters, and served on the town Finance Committee. In other words, public service is in my blood.

My own political philosophy is to stay open to ideas from multiple perspectives, to weigh all views, and to try to create solutions (or voting positions) in the best interest of those concerned. I try not to dismiss arguments made from opposing viewpoints but rather to integrate the best elements of those arguments into the decision-making process. The track and field project is an example of this philosophy. When I came back on the School Committee in summer of 2020, the Committee was divided over whether to move forward with a synthetic turf field. I was in favor of moving forward in order to keep the discussion going. The solution ended up being a compromise. It has taken a long time to get this project done, but I believe we now have the right project and the right team to move forward.

Profile

Greene is Williams College's director of commencement and academic events. A veteran School Committee member, she is a former chair and was a member of the School Building Committee and Berkshire County Education Task Force. She served between 2009 and 2018 and returned to the committee to fill an empty seat in 2020.