Head Start director to fill vacant post on Northampton School Committee

Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, left, and Council President Alex Jarrett listen as Anat Weisenfreund speaks remotely over Zoom. Weisenfreund was chosen as the interim Ward 2 School Committee member in a joint meeting held on Monday.

Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, left, and Council President Alex Jarrett listen as Anat Weisenfreund speaks remotely over Zoom. Weisenfreund was chosen as the interim Ward 2 School Committee member in a joint meeting held on Monday. STAFF PHOTO/ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

Staff Writer

Published: 01-14-2025 1:58 PM

NORTHAMPTON — The director of Head Start and early learning programs in the city is joining the School Committee as Ward 2’s representative.

Anat Weisenfreund, who works professionally for Community Action Pioneer Valley, was chosen by the majority of City Council and School Committee members during a joint meeting Monday night.

Weisenfreund, who attended the meeting remotely due to visiting a family member in Vienna, Austria, was sworn in over Zoom by City Clerk Pamela Powers.

“I have worked with very young vulnerable children and their families for over 30 years in many different roles, in clinical roles, leadership roles, advocacy roles and in many different places,” Weisenfreund said in her opening remarks during the joint meeting. “I would be honored to lend my experience and skills in service of our city’s children, families, and educators and to have the opportunity to work alongside all of you.”

Weisenfreund will serve as an interim member of the School Committee for 2025 after the departure of Karen Foster, who had also previously served on the council for Ward 2. Foster stepped down from her position on the School Committee on Dec. 16, citing personal reasons. Ward 2 voters in November will select a permanent replacement during the municipal elections.

In addition to Weisenfreund, the other candidate seeking to fill the Ward 2 post was Angela Wack, who moved to Northampton from Gainesville, Florida in 2022. Wack told city officials at Monday’s meeting she was inspired to run for the position due to her two children who are in Northampton public schools. She had served as president of a Parent Teacher Association while in Florida, helping navigate the schools during the pandemic.

“After reviewing the requirements, I realized this was my opportunity to make a difference,” Wack said. “Reflecting on my background in education and community leadership, I knew I was ready for this challenge.”

But it was ultimately Weisenfreund who emerged as the victor, with backers citing her experience and longer time in Northampton as key reasons for their decision.

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Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, who chairs the School Committee, noted that Foster had been a part of the schools’ Budget & Property Subcommittee, meaning whoever replaces her would become a member of that subcommittee. Sciarra said she met with Weisenfreund and was impressed with her budget experience.

“It was great to meet with her and sort of geek out with her on some of the humongous budgets that she’s been responsible for or been a part of,” Sciarra said. “It is my intention to appoint whoever we choose to the Budget & Property Subcommittee, so I really value that experience.”

Prior to her current role with Community Action, Weisenfreund held similar roles for New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services and for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

A graduate of Hampshire College, Weisenfreund lived in Northampton in the late 1990s and has lived in Ward 2 for the past eight years.

Ultimately, the final vote was 14-2 for Weisenfreund, with two abstentions by Ward 3 councilor Quaverly Rothenberg and Ward 4 School Committee member Michael Stein. Councilor at-large Garrick Perry and Ward 5 School Committee member Ann Hennessey were the votes for Wack.

Though Weisenfreund prevailed in the voting, city officials noted that Wack had been an equally impressive candidate, with some encouraging her to run again for the position come next city elections, when the position will once again be up for grabs.

“You both should run for a public office, because you might find running a campaign easier than this hour and a half together,” Ward 7 councilor Rachel Maiore told the two candidates.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.