Page 2 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 13, 2019 Ward 8 votes next Tuesday in the city’s only preliminary election By Barbara Taormina W ard 8 voters will cast ballots next Tuesday to decide the preliminary election for the Ward 8 seat on the school committee. Incumbent John Froio, who is seeking a seventh term on the committee, is facing challenges from Rachel Running and Amy Friedman, who are both first-time candidates for elected office. Voting for residents in both Precinct 1 and 2 will take place at the Linden School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. While the three candidates in this race agree on some of the major issues, they have different priorities and goals they would like to pursue as members of the School Committee. John H. Froio John Froio, a retired vocational and instructional technology teacher who taught in Malden Amy Friedman for 28 years, would like to see the school district rebuild its vocational programs. “For the past 12 years we’ve been cutting positions and programs,” he said. “Malden High is supposed to be a comprehensive high school, and to be comprehensive I think we should restore some of the voke programs instead of sending our students to Northeast Metro Tech in Wakefield.” Froio believes that vocational and technical courses that offer the chance to learn a real-life marketable skill keep some John Froio students on track and prevent them from dropping out. He also believes tech classes could benefit all students, including those who plan to go on to college. “Everyone should know something about how to fix a car,” he said. Froio would also like to see the district expand its business and arts programs. “And I would like to see them return to project-based learning,” said Froio, who has a background in curriculum development and feels offering student Rachel Running the chance for hands-on experience with real-life challenges is an effective way to teach. As co-chair of the school committee’s budget subcommittee, Froio’s focus has been on providing resources to the district’s classrooms and ensuring that there are enough teachers to maintain reasonable class sizes. Froio supports the recent calls for more diversity among the district’s teachers to better reflect the diversity among the student population. “The superintendent is working towards that,” he said. “But we can’t just do it overnight.” Like his two challengers, Froio thinks natural grass is the best solution for Roosevelt Field, but he acknowledges there are some problems with drainage at the site. Rachel Elizabeth Running Rachel Running, the communications coordinator for the Massachusetts AFL–CIO, said she was inspired to run for a seat on the committee because of her two children who are new to Malden schools. And as a parent of two Malden students, she feels the school department needs to improve the way it communicates with families. “I think one major issue is transparency in decisions that are made,” she said. Running said parents often find out about decisions and changes after the fact. She pointed to this year’s changes in the afterschool program as an example. Like Froio, Running feels the district should expand its vocational and technical education programs to give student the chance to explore different career pathways. “We need to make sure that students are counseled on college, apprenticeships and the trades,” she said. “We need to make sure they know their options.” Running supports increasing diversity among the district’s teachers but acknowledges it could be a challenge. She feels the district needs to explore ways to encourage Malden High graduates of color who are pursuing careers in education to come back to the district as educators. Running also supports restorative justice practices that would replace school disciplinary measures with dialogs that would give students who are victims in conflicts a chance to explain how they have been harmed, while those who are responsible for that harm would have a chance to make things right. Like other parents, Running believes fresh air and exercise has a positive effect on a child’s ability to learn. She supports protecting recess and exploring the possibility of expanding it. Running feels a natural grass surface is beneficial and probably the best option for Roosevelt Park. Amy Friedman A native Nebraskan, Amy Friedman moved to Malden two years ago and devoted most of her time to caring for her son, who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a toddler. But that child is now thriving at the Beebe School, and Friedman, who practiced law for 25 years, feels as a member of the School Committee she can return to the focus of her legal career, which was advocating for children. Friedman’s campaign has focused on several issues drawn from her personal experience. “Accessibility issues are a concern and I think we need to look at how our kids are getting to and from school,” said Friedman, who has called for improved transportation for special needs students. She also supports adding swimming and water safety to physical education classes for students with special needs and installing bathrooms in special needs classrooms. “I would also like to see more art, drama and music in our schools,” she said. And she wonders if the district has the resources to support programs for advanced students. Friedman volunteers at the Beebe School Library for two days a week and supports hiring more librarians and making better use of school libraries. “I would also love to pay teachers more but unfortunately, we have to work with the budget we have,” she added. She supports increasing diversity among Malden educators but feels it may be difficult to find candidates for those jobs. She does, however, think the district can do better reaching out to a diverse community of students and families. “Effectively communicating with a diverse population is something I think we can improve,” she said. Friedman supports a natural grass field at Roosevelt Park if it possible, but she also acknowledges the field has significant problems with drainage.
3 Publizr Home