NORTH ANDOVER — Three newcomers will be vying for two open seats on the School Committee.
Stanley Limpert said a priority for him is bringing more money to the schools, in part by lobbying state representatives to dole out more state money on a local level. Chris Nobile said he would bring a professional, "roll up the sleeves" approach to resolving problems. Michael Quinlan said he wants high and enforced academic standards at the schools.
One of the main roles of the School Committee in the next year will be hiring a permanent superintendent to replace interim Superintendent James Marini. The district has not had a permanent superintendent since Harry Harutunian resigned in April 2006.
The School Committee will also deal with a tight budget. Cuts over the past few years reduced staffs at all the schools and let to reduced programs. Some cuts have been restored and a Proposition 21/2 override last year raised property taxes to give $1.35 million to the schools. School officials say that more staff and programs have to be restored to get the schools to the level they would like to see.
A recent report by the accrediting agency New England Association of Schools and Colleges gave recommendations to the school, including increasing electives, making it easier for more students to get into honors and advanced placement classes and allowing teachers to have more time for professional development and collaboration. The association will let the high school know if it receives full accreditation later this spring.
North Andover voters cast ballots on Tuesday in the North Andover High School Auditorium, 430 Osgood St., from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.
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What will you be looking for in the next superintendent?
Limpert: I think the quality that really stands out is leadership. We need someone who will set a positive tone for the school department, somebody who is a good communicator and tries to get everybody into the discussion.
Nobile: Someone like Dr. Jim Marini. He brings a leadership and a willingness to listen and a vision that people want to be a part of plus tremendous proven experience and that gives him the credibility.
Quinlan: They need the ability to be a strong leader of the schools and take direction from the School Committee successfully.
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What is one cut made in recent years you think is a priority to restore?
Limpert: I think the thing we really need is more teachers. We are still gaining students in elementary school. We have to have enough teachers to keep class sizes at a reasonable level.
Nobile: I think we have to get more teachers in the elementary schools to keep class sizes down because that is a direct impact on the quality of learning. What studies show is the larger the class, the less time each student gets. Particularly in the first years of schooling, those kids fall behind and that can trigger special needs.
Quinlan: For education, arts and music is something that is vital.
What action should be taken in response to the recent report from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges?
Limpert: I think one of the things we need to do is we need to start looking at the curriculum at the high school in terms of making sure it is the same or reasonably the same across various academic levels.
Nobile: We have a road map as to how to make our high school as successful as it can and should be. It would be one of my other priorities to do everything we can to make that happen. It is not all dollars. That is such a crucial independent evaluation.
Quinlan: I haven't read it, so it is hard to comment.
