EASTHAMPTON — The race for six seats on the School Committee in November’s election is heating up in the wake of last spring’s failed permanent superintendent search and surrounding controversy.

Ten candidates, including four incumbents, have pulled nomination papers to run for the six positions on the ballot. The only position not up for grabs is the one held by Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, who is not up for reelection this year. Aspiring candidates will need to gather a total of 100 signatures and submit those papers to the Board of Registrars for certification by Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. in order to run for School Committee.

Interest in the position comes after several tumultuous months for the committee last spring in its search for a new superintendent. On March 23, the committee offered Vito Perrone the position, which he accepted pending successful negotiations. Just a week later, on March 30, the committee entered an executive session and rescinded the offer after Perrone used the word “ladies” as a salutation in an email. Later, committee Chairperson Cynthia Kwiecinski, who announced late last month that she will not seek reelection, told the Gazette that there were a number of other concerns before negotiating his contract.

Shortly thereafter, two school committee members quit amid the controversy, and a citizen effort to recall both Kwiecinski and the mayor later failed.

Since then, the two vacant seats were filled by former school committee members Sam Hunter and Laura Scott, and the district hired an interim superintendent, Maureen Binienda, to run the schools this year while a search for a permanent replacement takes place.

Binienda and the school committee have since discussed goals including rebuilding trust within the community, examining enrollment numbers, and investigating bullying in schools.

Who is interested

So far, the incumbents to pull nomination papers include Megan W. Harvey and Ben Hersey, along Hunter and Scott.

At a school committee meeting on Aug. 22, Kwiecinski announced that she would not run for another term, due to a “very serious health crisis” in her family.

“I’ve loved working here; I love the committee; and I’m proud of the work that we’ve done,” Kwiecinski said at the meeting. “I trust the remaining members and the mayor completely, so I know that the district is in good hands.”

Member Marin Goldstein has not pulled papers.

Six newcomers have also pulled papers for school committee: Lynda Broadhurst, Linda Markee, Eric Guyette, Patricia Covalli, Raymond Sliz, and Gina DiCarlo, who said she is no longer collecting signatures after moving out of town.

In an unusual move, the four sitting school committee members wrote a joint statement announcing their candidacy in the upcoming election.

“The four candidates bring a body of institutional knowledge to the work while placing an emphasis on fresh new leadership for the committee in the upcoming term,” read the statement, which then listed responsibilities that will immediately face the committee in the next term: a renewed superintendent search, developing the annual school budget, and building community.

The statement went on to highlight the “diversity of their professional and personal backgrounds that informs their individual priorities for the future.”

According to the statement, Harvey would focus on making the budget more accessible and understandable by the public, and would work to improve the use and efficiency of school bus transportation.

Hunter’s work would center on improving special education services and support for families of those students.

Hersey would emphasize family engagement and student agency, particularly around bullying incidents and students’ social and emotional well-being.

Scott would look to increase collaboration between the school department and community groups like the Council of Aging, Easthampton Community Center, Easthampton Public Library, and Easthampton Parks and Recreation department.

Altogether, reads the statement, “the four candidates acknowledged the challenges faced by the district in recent months, and each expressed a desire to move forward in good faith. Priority will be placed on more clarity in committee communication with the public, to enhance the understanding of the committee’s duties and guidelines, and to highlight effective pathways for interaction with district authorities.”

Lynda Broadhurst

Lynda Broadhurst has been a resident of Easthampton for 25 years and “would like to give back to the community” by running for school committee.

“Our school committee the last couple of years has struggled a little bit and I think that they lost trust,” she said. “I believe in quality public education and want to help create a better relationship between the school committee and our community and teachers and students.”

Among items on her action list are getting a school resource officer into the school; helping children with disabilities; and teaching students skills like budgeting, taxes, resume writing and interviewing skills.

Broadhurst has been in customer service for over 30 years, ran her own day care for a few years, is a member of the Easthampton Congregational Church, and has four kids – three of whom went through the Easthampton school system.

“The important thing is community and getting Easthampton known for greatness instead of controversy,” she said.

Linda Markee

As a former Illinois elementary school educator and longtime SAT test prep business owner, Markee said she is running for school committee because “public education is what really made America what it is.”

“I feel I can relate to both teachers and students,” she said. “Plus, having businesses, I am very business-minded about the bottom line financially.”

Markee said she values LGBTQ rights, access to all books, paying teachers adequately, trade school and college education. She said the top three things she stands for are: critical reading and thinking; communication abilities; and building a vibrant community.

“I moved here about four years ago, and I found a very welcoming community. I really love Easthampton,” she said, adding that she has two grandchildren at Easthampton High School. “I felt it’s time for me to use my educational background and business background to ensure that every single student… have their educational needs met.”

As for the school committee controversy, she said, “I was not in that room… and I think it’s time that we move on from that.”

Eric Guyette

Guyette declined to interview before collecting sufficient signatures to appear on the ballot, but in a short email statement, he said, “I have been a teacher for 15 years and I have two children in the Easthampton school system.”

“My reason for running is that I would like to take an active role while my children are in the heart of their time in the Easthampton school system.”

Raymond Sliz,Patricia Covalli

Attempts to reach Sliz and Covalli were unsuccessful.

However, in a post in the “Easthampton Republican City Committee” public Facebook group, Covalli wrote, “The disaster that our present school committee members created for Easthampton trying to fill the superintendent of schools position made me realize that it is definitely time for a change.”

“I believe that our teachers and our parents of Easthampton are our greatest assets for our children,” she wrote. “You need to be heard and to be listened to. I intend to do that.”

At the end of the post, Covalli wrote that she, along with Raymond Sliz, who is a former police chief of Easthampton, “both want to put education back as a priority in our schools keeping politics and agendas out.”

City Council

As for City Council, five precinct city council seats are open for terms of two years. Incumbents James (JP) Kwiecinski, Homar Gomez, Thomas Peake and Salem Derby have pulled papers, in addition to Tamara Smith, a former city councilor, for precinct five. Precinct city councilor positions must gather 50 signatures to run.

Four at-large city council seats are also open and require 100 signatures to run. Incumbents Brad Riley, Koni Denham and Owen Zaret, along with newcomer Jason Tirrell, have pulled papers.

The only incumbents who have not pulled papers to re-run for city council are: At-Large Councilor David Meunier and precinct five Councilor Daniel Rist. Rist announced in March that he will not seek reelection this fall.

The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Maddie Fabian can be reached at mfabian@gazettenet.com or on Twitter @MaddieFabian.]]>