Unopposed Worcester School Committee candidates in four districts outline platforms
WORCESTER — Voters in Districts C and E will decide on Nov. 7 who they want to represent their section of the city on the Worcester School Committee.
But for voters living in Districts A, B, D and F, the decision has likely already been made for them, as the candidates in those districts are running unopposed.
Incumbent members Molly McCullough and Jermaine Johnson are running for two of those seats, McCullough in District A and Johnson in District F.
Two newcomers, Vanessa Alvarez and Alex Guardiola are running for the two majority-minority districts, B and D — Alvarez in District B and Guardiola in District D.
Majority-minority districts means that more than 50% of the voting-age population in those districts are Black, Hispanic and Latino combined. Each district contains approximately the same number of residents.
The schools in each of the districts are listed below:
District A
Norrback Avenue School
Burncoat Street Preparatory Elementary
Worcester Arts Magnet
Thorndyke Road Elementary School
Burncoat Middle School
Burncoat High School
Nelson Place Elementary
Forest Grove Middle School
Francis J. McGrath Elementary School
District B
Lincoln Street School
Wawecus Road School
Harlow Street Challenge/Reach Academy
Belmont Street Community School
City View Discovery School
Chandler Elementary
District D
Goddard School of Science and Technology
University Park Campus
Union Hill School
Grafton Street School
Jacob Hiatt Magnet School
Claremont Academy
Woodland Academy
District F
West Tatnuck Elementary School
Tatnuck Magnet School
Chandler Magnet School
May Street School
Elm Park Community School
Doherty Memorial High School
Midland Street School
Flagg Street School
The candidates shared why they chose to run for School Committee, and what they hope to achieve while a member on the body.
Molly McCullough - District A
Age: 42
Education: Bachelor's degree from UMass Amherst, MBA from Nichols College
Occupation: Senior territory manager at Eli Lilly and Co.
Molly McCullough had two motivations for running for reelection.
The first, to continue supporting the work of Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez and her administration, and the second was to give back to her community.
“We've seen a lot of progress with the superintendent…and I really want to be a part of supporting that so we can have the best schools for our students, staff and families,” McCullough said. “And the Worcester community has been such a strong part of who I am, and I’ve gotten so much from being a community member here.”
But while McCullough may be running to represent a district seat, she still aims to serve the entirety of the city’s public school district.
One of her priorities, she said, is strengthening academic opportunities for students and expanding course offerings. She pointed to the return of civics courses at the secondary level, which she said is “really back in full swing.”
“Really wanting to make sure there are opportunities for Advanced Placement courses, but we also want to make sure that we're meeting all students where they’re at,” McCullough said. “That includes providing rigorous and challenging work as well in those class levels.”
She also wants to see an increase in social-emotional and counseling support in schools as well, for both students and staff.
She said that, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, issues surrounding student mental health have been highlighted, and that their needs need to be met. But staff have also had issues and need support too, McCullough said.
“They really do go hand in hand,” she said.
McCullough is also prioritizing school safety for staff and students, she said, and is looking forward to what will be revealed in the safety audit in November.
She said the audit will be important, with both improving the infrastructure of schools and looking at the day-to-day of what is going on in schools and improving the policies in place to keep students and staff safe in the buildings.
“That includes really getting feedback from our educators, our administrators, our students and our families,” she said. “That’s really important when we're making these decisions — to always get voice from all stakeholders.”
One of her top priorities, she said, is to continue advocating for funding to renovate and repair buildings, and secure funding to build a new Burncoat High School.
The building is in disrepair, she said, and in need of replacement, like Doherty Memorial High School.
“It’s not really ideal for 21st-century learning,” McCullough said. “We want to make sure that our students and our staff have the best opportunities when it comes to facilities and infrastructure, in addition to the educational experience that they're being provided.”
Vanessa Alvarez - District B
Age: 29
Education: Bachelor's degree at former Wheelock College, now Boston University; master's in social work at Regis College
Occupation: Mental health worker, testing soon for social work license
When Vanessa Alvarez looks back on her journey through the Worcester Public Schools district as a student, she thinks about the different aspects that went into shaping her experience — some good, some that could be improved.
Those experiences, and her desire to use her voice to ensure the district continually improves, as well as some encouragement from friends, helped motivate her to run for the School Committee.
“I am a Latina, I have my own experience within the public school system, I've attended WPS my whole life,” Alvarez said. “Because of my mental health background, I want to influence the School Committee and the lives of students from a mental health perspective as well, something that I didn't really see growing up in WPS.”
While studying social work, Alvarez said she learned more about brain development, particularly with children, and wants to look at that when supporting students experiencing mental health issues.
“Mental health affects academic performance, their emotional well-being, their social relationships, their relationships with their teachers, and how they behave as students in and outside of school,” she said. “I really want to understand what is impacting them and what is a barrier for their academic performance if there are any.”
That ties into Alvarez’s next priority, she said, which is school safety.
She said that she wants to focus on making sure students and staff are safe inside of school buildings and also outside of school. She wants to connect with students and families and make sure they’re safe in their homes and neighborhoods, and have support in the event of things like fires or other emergencies.
Alvarez said one of her top priorities is connecting with students, families and educators and connect them with each other.
She said she wants to do more outreach, becoming involved with things like neighborhood or school meetings, and working with vulnerable students and families, such as newly arrived immigrants or those whose first language isn’t English, and helping them get the resources and support they need to succeed.
One area she would like to see more engagement is during the budget process. Alvarez said that as she familiarizes herself with the budget and budget process, she also wants families involved in the conversations, so they can also learn more about where the funding comes from and how it is being used.
“I've learned there's so many things that go into a student's learning journey,” Alvarez said. “Policies, the environment where the school is located, even where they're sitting inside of a classroom, and I just wish to see more changes, more improvements.”
Alex Guardiola - District D
Age: 42
Education: Bachelor's degree from University of New Hampshire, J.D. from New England School of Law
Occupation: Vice president of government affairs and public policy for the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
Choosing to run for District D over an at-large seat was an easy choice for Worcester native Alex Guardiola.
As one of the majority-minority districts, Guardiola wants to not only give the Latino and Hispanic students and families an elected official who looks like them but also a “voice at the table” for the neighborhood he’s lived in for over a decade.
“I feel that you need someone to be able to be a voice at City Hall for these folks that may not have the ability to do it themselves,” Guardiola said. “Looking at the growing population we have here in the city of Worcester, this was just something near and dear to my heart to do.”
And when he gets to the committee, Guardiola said he wants to, among other things, focus on expanding vocational education programs. He pointed to the thousands of students on waitlists trying to get into programs at schools like Worcester Technical High School.
He said he’s interested in expanding programs to make them more available to students, and building career paths for students who may not go on to college.
Guardiola also wants to expand the types of trades to students, offering more modern options in sectors like biomanufacturing and life sciences.
“We continuously hear from businesses in the area that they're looking for folks who want to get into a trade,” Guardiola said. “These are positions that can really give opportunities to students in Worcester to grow wealth and equity in their own home and in their careers.”
Improving school nutrition and food security is another of Guardiola’s priorities. He said that the district should look at partnering with farms around the region to provide more nutritional food options to students.
He also wants to make sure that teachers and support staff, like paraeducators, are being supported and properly compensated.
“It's important to be able to not only recruit quality teachers to the district but retain exceptional teachers that we already have and not lose them to surrounding communities because of wage discrepancies,” Guardiola said.
Guardiola’s other priority, he said, is to revisit some of the school safety policies and practices. One of those policies he’d like to revisit is school resources officers in schools and have discussions about what their role inside the building would be.
“I think that with some of the things that are going on across the country, and in the world, being able to have that feeling of safety is so important for teachers, students, but also parents,” Guardiola said.
Jermaine Johnson - District F
Age: 49
Education: Bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Becker College
Occupation: Social worker
When Jermaine Johnson ran for his first term on the School Committee two years ago, it was out of a desire to bring his skills and experiences as a social worker to the table and help lead the district out of a “crisis” that came on from the COVID-19 pandemic.
But now, Johnson said, he is running again out of a commitment to the families and children he connected with in Worcester during his first term, and wanting to continue the work started under him and the other committee members.
“I’m looking forward to working with the diverse members that we're going to have on the School Committee,” Johnson said. “The different ideas, the new energy that I believe people are going to bring to the table. I want to see where this district will go.”
And now, with a first term under his belt, Johnson is bringing a wealth of knowledge from his career, his work in his community and his work on the committee to help shape his priorities in his second term.
One of Johnson’s top priorities for his second term, he said, is supporting Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez to make sure the groundwork she laid in her first year is realized.
He pointed to her building out her administration and support structures inside of school buildings as well.
“Increaseing our wellness and social-emotional supports, hiring a dean of students who put climate and culture people in the schools,” Johnson said. “I'm looking to see how that now plays out in the Worcester Public Schools.”
He said he’s interested in seeing how these things impact both the social-emotional health of students and their academic growth and performance in schools.
For his other priorities, Johnson is looking to make sure that the superintendent’s goals align with the strategic plan the community is putting place, and that work is being done to secure funding for schools.
He said he wants to continue working with city and school leaders, as well as the leaders to improve school infrastructure and safety.
“We have a lot of schools…and everyone keeps talking about how maintenance and facilities and infrastructure is lacking,” Johnson said. “We need to improve the district and improve an environment for our kids where they feel safe, they feel healthy to walk into a school that is up to code and up to par to improve their learning environment.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Unopposed Worcester School Committee candidates in four districts
