1. HHU: Hardy hunnewell upham facilities project

There are three options the administration is offering for the HHU project.

I believe that we need to stagger the three school options across several decades so that we don't get caught spending all our money at the dawn of a massive change in educational protocols.

The current HHU plans are flawed in the eyes of many in the community. The school has been denied in four separate requests to the state for funding support. Thus the taxpayers are on the hook for the total amount. The budget is $100-150 million dollars without line item detail. The committee members need to specifically direct the flow of money to express community values. My suggesting an indoor track be part of the plan is an example of line item detail that conveys community values: providing the track team and others safe practice space. I will vote for a fiscally responsible plan that makes the education for K-5 kids more local and more fitting for them as individuals.

HHU Official Documents

2. Special Ed

WPS dropped from Level 1 to a Level 2 school, and the official WPS position is to blame it on minorities and special education students. As a consequence, the school is not looking at the curriculum the kids missed and assessing the schools' need to close the content gap. Meanwhile, the school’s special education litigation costs doubled from 2015-2016 years. We need to stop fighting our kid’s uniqueness and start inventing ways they can create and sustain their own support systems to enable them to flourish. See http://wellesley.wickedlocal.com/news/20161013/wellesley-school-officials-address-mcas-scores.

3. Diversity

Kids of many colors and economic strata need a place to meet and enjoy each other’s company. So many kids don't feel socially welcomed and equal contributors to the school's activities. Statistics are needed to accurately understand why we have fallen from Level 1 to a Level 2 school because if the demographics indicate that financial status impacts our scores then it means that most of us have personally taken on filling the gaps the school system is not addressing but should be. The school needs to be a self-sufficient platform to deliver a solid education to everyone, regardless of financial status. See http://wellesley.wickedlocal.com/news/20161013/wellesley-school-officials-address-mcas-scores.

4. Athletics

We founded our public educational system on the principle that individuals should not pay our school employees directly as this creates an unequal environment and the concern over favoritism whether it were present or not. Umbrella Booster organizations span all sports, and are more likely to comply with ethics and tax laws, relieving parents of the burden of the uncomfortable position put on them by coaches under the current system. http://theswellesleyreport.com/2016/10/wellesley-athletic-program-review-uncomfortable-but-productive/