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I am asking for your vote for the 3-year seat on the Sudbury School committee. I have a PhD in Anatomy and Neurobiology and 6 years of postdoctoral training researching breast cancer, 3 of which included training in pedagogy and student engagement. I have taught college level biology for 14 years and have been the department chair of the Mathematics and Computer Science department and the Health and Human Services department at my university. I have developed Massachusetts high school biology curriculum and served on the Nixon School Principal’s Parent Advisory Council. Most importantly, I have four kids, one of whom attended Curtis Middle School and two who are currently enrolled in Nixon Elementary. I have seen how education can transform lives, and I am excited to work with other members of the school committee to advance the excellence of our schools.
My university asked me to chair two departments where I installed clear processes and improved the decision making in the departments. I also worked with the faculty to further the interest of their departments, worked to find consensus on sometimes contentious topics and standardized processes to streamline the workload of the chair. I can bring all these administrative experiences to the school committee as they negotiate teacher and staff salaries in the coming years. I will use my unique perspective to work with all parties to identify issues of common ground. I promise to put policy advancements over personal feelings and work together with all members of the committee to bridge our differences to put our students first.
As an educator I have worked with students of multiple learning styles and understand first-hand how every student learns differently. These different perspectives, however, enhance the learning experience for every student. Research shows that all students achieve higher educational standards when educated in an inclusive classroom, not just those receiving additional supports. I understand this personally, as a parent of one child with special needs and another who is a member of the LGBT+ community. I support the work of the School Committee in drafting a Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Student Policy and would continue work on this policy if elected. I also understand from talking with many parents that they feel their children in the middle may not receive as much attention as others with more direct needs. I will work to ensure all students enjoy a sense of belonging and are appropriately challenged in Sudbury classrooms.
I see the outcome of elementary and middle school education in my work as a professor. Students entering college now are very different than those 5 years ago. Students educated through COVID suffered losses that are still apparent in my classrooms today. They suffered, not only educational losses, but also socially and now experience more mental health challenges. We need to identify the losses, whether related to COVID or otherwise, and develop strategies to combat these losses as a district to better prepare our students for post-secondary success. It could be reinforcing basic educational principals or re-evaluating the use of technology in the classroom, or, more likely, a combination of the two. I see the value in technology in certain instances, but I also see the distraction that devices present to students in the classroom. I applaud the work of the current school committee who passed the Student Use of Technology policy. I would like to continue this work to include a review of all technologies used in the classroom including the use of educational technology.
One area that I would like to improve upon is communication. The School Committee can work to improve its meetings to make them more inviting and productive for the community. One small step that would make a large impact would be to project or screen-share the documents being discussed in committee meetings so that the audience can follow along. I also would like to implement listening sessions so that we can have a dialogue when the community expresses its concerns and how the committee can address their needs. I think the committee can work with the superintendent to make small adjustments in how the schools communicate information to parents. I have personally experienced frustration in this area and know many other parents who feel the same.
I am running uncontested but am not taking this race for granted. I hope to listen and learn from you and earn your votes. Please contact me at mccready4sps@gmail.com with any questions or concerns. And please remember to vote!
