The last of five candidates to pull papers for next month’s School Committee election, incumbent Alison Taylor, is asking voters for a second three-year term. Taylor’s young son attends Marblehead schools. She is a trained civil engineer who works as a “senior manager of customer success” at biotech firm Labviva.
“One of my primary goals for the next term is to continue supporting and collaborating with this leadership team to further improve the district’s culture — one that values transparency, fosters trust and prioritizes student-center decision making,” Taylor wrote to the Current.
She added, “Another important goal is to maintain fiscal responsibility and ensure property stewardship of district resources. Over the past two years, we have tremendously improved the level of detail to the line item level and ease of availability of our budget, which dramatically increased transparency within our community. (Anyone remember the one paper binder on Widger Road?)”04
The School Committee has experienced a turbulent few years, with three superintendents, several high-level administrative departures, a student restraint crisis, a flag policy controversy, delays in repairing the high school’s leaking roof and at least three lawsuits that are still pending.
“This School Committee has certainly encountered a number of situations that no other elected board has in town,” Taylor said. “While the past two years have undoubtedly been challenging, the commitment to transparency and focus on student decision-making have helped guide the committee through a period of necessary change.”
Taylor sits on the School Committee’s policy subcommittee where she supported a policy to allow only the U.S., state and POW/MIA flags on school property, by right, along with flags marking six heritage months. It gives the superintendent the power to recommend additional flags to the School Committee.
Taylor is also passionate about passing a new policy extending recess time, especially in the younger grades.
Asked about her position on recent federal orders to remove diversity, equity and inclusion language and programming from the schools, Taylor answered, “Should there be any directives or commendations regarding DEI curriculum, good governance, which I pride myself on practicing, would require the full committee to thoughtfully review and deliberate on those changes in a public session. It’s important to remember that DESE (the state’s Department of Early and Secondary Education) provides all frameworks (math, ELA, social studies, DEI etc.), and all local school committees must ensure that the funds are available to support these frameworks.”
Other candidates running for two open seats on the School Committee are incumbent Sarah Fox, attorney Kate Schmeckpeper, graphic designer Henry Gwazda and Emily DeJoy, who works in investments but declined to offer further details. “I’m currently employed and involved in several closely held ventures, each under strict confidentiality agreements,” she said.
