The school district’s PTAs and PTSA hosted a Board of Education Candidates Informational Forum at Newtown High School on October 17.

Three of the four candidates for the Board of Education attended: Republican Dennis Brestovansky, incumbent Democrat Rebekah Harriman-Stites, and Republican Deborra Zukowski. Incumbent Democrat John Vouros could not attend the event, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr Lorrie Rodrigue, who shared opening remarks.

Dr Rodrigue thanked all for attending the “informative night.” The Board of Education members serve in roles that have an important impact on the entire school community, she added.

The three candidates introduced themselves before they were asked to answer questions. NHS teacher Jason “J” Edwards moderated the discussion, and he shared the PTA event was non-partisan.

During an introduction portion of the evening, Mr Brestovansky said he has been a Newtown resident since 1995, his family lived in Minnesota for a time, and “Newtown is a place to come back to.”

After looking to “round out” expertise on the board, Mr Brestovansky said he has experience after spending “a career managing a budget the size of the $80 million budget we’ve got here.”

“I’ve been responsible for businesses, for optimizing a budget, for setting a strategy that drives a budget, so I bring that perspective to the job,” Mr Brestovansky said. “I’ve also been a teacher.”

Ms Harriman-Stites said she has lived in Newtown for about 14 years.

“I’m proud of this school system, and I am proud to be on the Board of Education,” Ms Harriman-Stites said.

She noted that she currently serves as the board’s vice chair, and she is on multiple school board subcommittees.

“I have a social work background, and brain health and social supports are something I feel our students and teachers really need,” Ms Harriman-Stites said. “That was the reason four years ago that I decided to run for the Board of Education.”

During her introductory comments, Ms Zukowski shared some of her priorities are classroom instruction, having teachers enthusiastically welcome each day “because an enthusiastic teacher inspires children,” and following-up on graduates to know if the education provided in Newtown is “actually successful.”

“The primary function [of a school] is that we educate the children to the level that they should be able to be educated,” Ms Zukowski said. “Children come in, they should be able to read. Children come in, they should be able to do math. And that should be the focus of the schools.”

Later, each of the candidates were asked what their top three priorities are if they are elected. Ms Harriman-Stites said her priorities are utilizing space due to declining enrollment to offer opportunities to meet behavioral health needs for both Newtown students and out of district students, which would provide a source of revenue from the out of district students; continuing to meet the needs of Newtown’s special education students; and continuing to look at concept-based curriculum.

Continuing her priorities list from her introduction, Ms Zukowski said her priorities include making sure money is well-spent to ensure as much opportunity for our children to learn as possible, and two-way communication with every community member.

“I know broadly what education can do for a wide range of people,” Ms Zukowski said, “and I know specifically what happens to people when they don’t have that education. And I don’t want that to happen to our particular children.”

Ms Zukowski said she is a trained engineer who is diligent, detailed, and “I think I can really deliver for you.”

Answering the priorities question next, Mr Brestovansky said, “One of my top priorities is making sure we are focusing on education as opposed to overhead or administrative spending.”

Referring to the school district’s mission statement, he said inspiring students to learn is laudable, but he thinks the mission should be to educate and inspire along with that education.

He also said the board appears reluctant at meetings he has attended to provide oversight for the district.

“What I mean by that is it is certainly not the job of the board to go in and tell teachers what to do or administration what to do, but we should be asking more questions around how is it going,” said Mr Brestovansky.

Other priorities he shared included that the community should know if the schools are getting better, and he thinks communication in important.

Later, during closing statements, Mr Brestovansky said, “We’ve got to really look critically at are we getting the value that we want to get for what we are spending?”

He added that if elected he would like to contribute by looking at what is happening in the district in “a measurable sense.”

“You have an opportunity with this election to add some different experiences to the board to round-out its skills. We need a whole variety,” said Mr Brestovansky.

Ms Harriman-Stites thanked the PTAs and PTSA for hosting the event and thanked the other candidates, saying, “It’s not easy to step up.”

“I believe that in my last four years on the Board of Education, I have proven that I am not afraid to be outspoken,” Ms Harriman-Stites said. She added that she has listened, learned, and she “brings a lot to the table.”

Ms Zukowski said she wants the district to “instill a lifelong love of learning in each and every child.” She spoke to supporting educational endeavors at a time when taxes are rising. Alluding to gardening, Ms Zukowski said pruning allows “things to blossom,” and residents need to know when people are pruning.

“I would love to be able to join the board. I am detailed; I am cooperative; I am inquisitive; very, very hard working; and a very fast learner because I have a [lifelong love of learning],” said Ms Zukowski.