Phoebe Merriam
Why are you running for a seat on the Amherst School Committee?
As a graduate of the Amherst public school system and the Mother of 3 current Amherst School children, I am running for School Committee because I believe that this is one of the most important jobs in any town. We need a school committee that "looks like, sounds like and has similar experiences" to the people that they are representing and speaking for. I believe that the School Committee needs to support each and every student to reach their full potential with equitable access across the board. The School Committee needs to be an advocate for ALL children and families, those that currently have a voice and those that historically and currently have none or have no idea how to have one.
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?
Primarily, the biggest challenge facing Amherst's public schools is the pandemic. We have been through a year and a half of instability, confusion and anxiety, not just for our children but for families, staff, educators and administrators. The school committee needs to work with the administration to create opportunity to reach out to all the members of the community that have been significantly affected to find out how we can support and bolster our students and families to thrive in the coming year. We need to offer support to our teachers so that we can ensure that our children and families have the ability to then thrive at school AND at home.
The other big challenge facing Amherst are the physical buildings themselves. Not only have we known that the school buildings, especially Fort River and Wildwood, are in significant need of updating and repair, but the past year and a half has shown us just how important this issue really is. We need to take significant and immediate steps toward ensuring safety and health in the schools that we send our children to on a daily basis
How would you work to communicate with the community about the Committee’s work (please be specific)?
We need to do a better job of outreach. It is not enough to assume that we can hold meetings online and that gives everyone access to them. We need to hold in person events where those that have typically not been able to attend, can. Let's use the resources we have of outreach groups that are already in our community to meet these families on their turf. We need to figure out a way that there are translations available for every meeting, whether in person or zoom, so that we can get the input of people who have typically not been able to have any. We can still use online resources, social media, youtube, etc. to share information with the public that we then back up with community forums.
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?
I would support a school building of 575 students. It seems that the only way we will be able to ensure better health and support for our students and staff that attend our 2 most unhealthy and aging schools is by utilizing the MSBA Building Project. We need to do a great job at showing our community as well as getting feedback from the community about what people expect in this potential project and how this will make a positive impact on our school system.
What is a School Committee member’s role and responsibility? How does that role differ from the role of the superintendent or the administration?
I think the primary role of the School Committee is to set policy and goals, in all aspects of curriculum, finance, health, safety, etc. to ensure the well being of the entire student body of the Amherst Public School System. The job is to ensure that these policies and goals meet the academic and social/emotional needs of our student body as a whole, especially those that have historically been silenced, forgotten and/or marginalized. In order to do this, it is the School Committee's job to find out from the families and students what it is that they need to create those measures of success. It is the School Committee's job to hold the Superintendent accountable with regards to the implementation of the policies and goals that have been set.
Could you support a Committee decision you did not vote for? Why or why not?
I am sure that this is like the rest of life. We can't all agree with all decisions that are made. In other words, in any committee, different people have different beliefs and that is why we voice our thoughts, understanding and opinions. We have the opportunity to ask questions that help us determine what we believe is the best course of action, we have the opportunity to vote for what we believe and then we have the opportunity to support the outcome no matter what that is. While we can, personally, be disappointed or not in agreement, it is the responsibility of any committee member, and especially a committee member that deals with such important people, to then use the final outcome to better the schools and community at large. I would commit to do just this.