Allison McDonald

  1. Why are you running for a seat on the Amherst School Committee?

    I am running for re-election to the Amherst School Committee because I believe public schools play a transformative role in the lives and well-being of children and families and are central to our Town’s thriving community and civic life. In my three years of service on the Committee, I’ve made significant contributions in the work of the Committee and the District, most recently as Chair of both the Amherst and the Regional School Committees, and helped us navigate the many challenges of the past year and a half. I am running for re-election so that I can use the knowledge and experience I’ve gained to continue to help our Schools move forward and be a thriving community.

  2. What would you say are the biggest challenges facing Amherst’s public schools? What actions would you want the Committee to take to address these challenges?

    ~ Ensuring the Elementary School Building project does not fail - I will continue to partner closely with the School Building Committee to inform and engage the community throughout project and propose that the Amherst SC host joint meetings to ensure the project has a broad platform for reaching and engaging the community

    ~ Ensuring the Amherst elementary and the Regional secondary schools have appropriate funding to continue to deliver the high-quality services we do today - with members of the Amherst Town Council questioning the overall level of funding for our schools, and the ongoing challenge in building agreement among Regional member towns, ensuring the continued high-quality educational program and service of our schools is one of the biggest challenges we face. I propose the Amherst and the Regional SCs strongly advocate for appropriate District funding, engage the community and elected officials in Amherst and the Regional member towns in understanding budget drivers and constraints, re-align the community on our Districts’ stated values and mission, and engage with State elected officials to advocate for adequate funding from the State.

    ~ Ensuring the Amherst and Regional Districts continue to make progress on diversity and anti-racism goals among the multiple pressing and critical priorities - I propose the SC engage an advisory committee of educators and staff, students, and caregivers to support and advise the District in its work toward diversity and anti-racism goals, including evaluating the ongoing implementation of an anti-racism curriculum

    ~ Repairing and rebuilding an effective and collaborative relationship with our teacher’s union - in advance of the upcoming new contract negotiations, I propose the SC and APEA engage in a restorative circle and collaboratively identify ways to improve relations.

  3. How would you work to communicate with the community about the Committee’s work (please be specific)?

    I will continue to use Facebook, as well as occasional columns in local print and online publications, to communicate with the community, and am creating an email newsletter to connect and communicate with community members who do not use Facebook. I will continue and expand the use of public forums on topics of significant community interest, connecting with PGOs to help with outreach. And, I am creating “office hours” for informal conversations with community members.

  4. Would you vote to support an educational plan developed by educators and community members to support a new school building of 575 students to replace both Fort River and Wildwood? Why or why not?

    YES. A single building to replace both Fort River and Wildwood is frankly the only way we can equitably provide a healthy and appropriate learning environment for ALL of our students. It is unacceptable for us to consider asking Wildwood students and staff to remain in the crumbling and inadequate building for even one more year longer. A single building, K-5, also enables us to continue the Caminantes program without significant changes to enrollment zones.

  5. What is a School Committee member’s role and responsibility? How does that role differ from the role of the superintendent or the administration?

    The School Committee’s role is to lead the school District by writing and enacting policy, guiding and approving budgets, and hiring and evaluating the Superintendent. We collaborate with and advise the Superintendent in setting goals and vision for our schools, and support them in monitoring and evaluating progress toward those goals. The key difference in our role versus that of the Superintendent is the implementation -- the School Committee draws the map and sets the destination, and the Superintendent and administration define how we’ll get there, checking in with the School Committee along the way to ensure the journey is on-track and on-budget.

  6. Could you support a Committee decision you did not vote for? Why or why not?

    Yes, and I have. I respect the process of debate and discussion during School Committee meetings, particularly when my colleagues share perspectives or opinions that are different than my own. While I might disagree with some aspect of a motion or resolution, that discussion enables me to understand how the vote serves the interests of our students and school community. Though each of us brings our individual opinions to the debate, the School Committee ultimately is a single unit, and our work would be ineffective if I or any others did not support the decisions of the Committee.