Greenwich Board Of Education Candidates Face-Off In Debate

Greenwich CT

21 October, 2021

3:56 PM

Description

GREENWICH, CT — Candidates for the Greenwich Board of Education took part in a debate Tuesday night, which was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greenwich. The 90 minute event was streamed online via Zoom, and featured five candidates: Democrats Laura Kostin and incumbent board Vice Chair Kathleen Stowe, and Republicans Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony, Megan Galletta, and Cody Kittle. The Board of Education is an eight member board, split between Democrats and Republicans. Kostin and Stowe are running unchallenged, while the three Republican candidates are vying for two seats. The candidates touched on a variety of topics on Tuesday, from masking to the district's strategic plan for students. Priorities As Board Members For Kostin, her top priority on the board would be to improve Greenwich Public Schools' special education system as well ADA compliance around the district. She also said she'd like to see more communication between Board of Ed. members and the community. Galletta agreed with the need to improve ADA accessibility, and added that she wants to address infrastructure and improve air quality in buildings. She said she'd like to focus on the declining scores and addressing student achievement. Stowe, the only incumbent candidate in this year's election, said she'd "focus on delivering a best-in-class education system while recognizing we need to balance that with the financial priorities of our district." In her next term, she also mentioned improving infrastructure and improving achievement for all students. The top priority for Kittle involves student outcomes and increasing academic performance, something he said must be changed. Fixing what he sees as "dysfunction" on the board would also be a goal. "I think that everyone stands to benefit from a refreshed board that is able to work not only across the aisle, but in the BOE, and with the Board of Estimate and Taxation and governing groups in Greenwich," Kittle said. Mercanti-Anthony, who has previous experience as a Board of Education member in New Jersey, agreed, and said the board's organization and relationships with other town bodies, most notably the BET, "is a significant concern." Fiscal responsibility would be a priority of his, and taking care of the town's "perennial special education" crisis. On the contrary, Stowe said the board has been able to work together over the last four years. "A lot of people talk about dysfunction on the board. I can say personally I haven't felt it. I can say the majority of us really get along very well," she said. A New Or Revised Strategic Plan The next Greenwich Board of Ed. will be developing a new or revised strategic plan for the district. The candidates were asked about the district's shift away from focusing on personalized learning opportunities for students, and what their focus would be. Galletta said special education would be a key area of focus for her. She said overall, performance in the district has declined recently. "Over the last four years, we've seen a huge decline. Our academic achievement is down, student enrollment is declining, curriculum and teaching have become politicized," she said, noting that she feels the board has become "confrontational" with the school community. She said focussing more on Social Emotional Learning would not help address low test scores. Kostin said personalized learning is important for students, particularly those in special education. "I think students should be offered opportunities to learn that meet their individual needs and meet them where they are. I really believe social and emotional learning is a valuable tool for that," she said. Kittle noted that from his understanding of the research, personalized education "is not particularly effective." "And so it's probably not a bad thing that the board has drifted away from it," he said. Stowe remarked that she has seen the benefit of personalized learning in her three children. "I think it's something that's valuable, but I'd like to hear from the experts on that and what's current," she said. Targeted board goals which are measurable, time-bound, and tied to student achievement would serve the board well, said Mercanti-Anthony. "COVID no question has really impeded many students' learning. Any strategic plan, any talk about supporting all students, really needs to be rooted in what we're going to do to support these students to make sure their learning is accelerated in the near term, and then move forward from there," he added. Speed Round Prior to answering questions, the candidates took part in "speed round" with rapid fire questions. The candidates were instructed to hold up signs that read "yes", "no", or "unsure." Of note: The candidates were asked if they supported pre-K for all students in Greenwich: Galletta: UnsureKittle: UnsureKostin: YesMercanti-Anthony: NoStowe: No On if the candidates agree with the views of the Greenwich Patriots group, which has been controversial and outspoken against mask and vaccine mandates: Galletta: UnsureKittle: NoKostin: NoMercanti-Anthony: NoStowe: No Do you support a requirement that all eligible students get vaccinated against COVID-19? Galletta: NoKittle: NoKostin: UnsureMercanti-Anthony: NoStowe: Unsure Do you support the Greenwich Public Schools' implementation of the Governor's mask mandate? Galletta: NoKittle: UnsureKostin: YesMercanti-Anthony: YesStowe: Yes Later on during the debate portion of the event, Galletta brought up masking and how she believes it's detrimental to student learning. "Our children are suffering from an emotional, social perspective, experiencing a ton of depression and anxiety. I feel like one major reason for that is that we're asking our children to remain in masks for many hours per day," Galletta said, adding that children learn from seeing facial expressions. She held up an index card that covered her mouth during her remarks on masks. "I believe there should be choice, and it should be up to the parents to determine if their children should be wearing a mask or not wearing a mask," Galletta said. Mercanti-Anthony disagreed, as did Stowe. "There's no secret that Megan and I disagree on masks. I don't like masks. I look forward to the day when my kids don' t have to wear masks to school. That day hasn't come yet," Mercanti-Anthony said. Stowe pointed out that masking is not up to the Board of Education at the moment. "It's not our call. We're under an executive order," Stowe said. "No one enjoys it, it is what it is. What [the students] do enjoy is being back in school." To view the entire Board of Education debate, click here.