Medfield Candidates: Lauren Liljegren for School Committee

"Meet the Candidates" Lauren Liljegren for School Committee

The three School Committee candidates agreed to tell a bit about themselves, submit a headshot and answer a few questions for the voters of Medfield on the Medfield PATCH.

The candidates were asked to keep their written responses brief and to the point. One candidate is the incumbent running for re-election and the other two candidates are running for the open seat on the School Committee.

Town Elections will be held on Monday, March 29, 2021.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

1a. How long have you resided in Medfield?

I have lived full-time in Medfield for four years. My boys and I moved here in January of 2017. My husband, Dan, has lived in town for 20 years.

---

1b. Do you currently have children in the Medfield Public School system?

My children do not currently attend Medfield schools, though I expect my three-year-old daughter will attend Medfield kindergarten and continue through the schools. I enrolled my sixth grade son in private school in November, after six unsuccessful weeks navigating Medfield's hybrid model. Jack plans to return to Medfield schools when a full-time, in person option is available.

---

1c. What is your current occupation?

I work as a Project Manager for Mercer. I have worked in employee benefits administration for 20 years.

---

1d. Anything else?

Our family moved to a new house this past June. We live in an antique house, right across from the high school. We love being so close to the center in all of its small town glory!

---

2. Why are you running for the Board of Education?

I have never before been involved in politics, local or otherwise. The recent school closures have opened my eyes to both the importance of public education and the challenges - I will never take it for granted again.

---

2a. If elected, what will be your priorities?

• My first priority is a full return to five full-days a week of in person learning, including a robust recovery plan to narrow achievement gaps widened during the pandemic.
  
• Our district must invest in strategies proven to reduce substance abuse.
  
• Overrides have become commonplace. Our schools need to be fiscally responsible. Medfield schools should use resources creatively and avoid over-burdening our citizens.
  
• We need transparency in school decision making. For the last seven years, every School Committee vote has been unanimous. I promise to vote in the best interests of Medfield's families, every time.

  ---

3. What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a Medfield School Committee member?

I am a working, mother of three and I have 20 years of business experience as an analyst and project manager. I have experience in employee benefits, compensation and labor laws and practices. I will only vote to ratify contracts that are favorable to the children and families of Medfield. I have an in-depth understanding of special education law and procedure. In discussion with many of you, I have learned this is a particular area of concern and I will use my experience to advocate for the needs of children with disabilities.

---

4. Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the Medfield School Committee?

Medfield School District's model for hybrid and remote learning is not meeting the needs of our families, mine included. For the first half of this school year, all Medfield children, k-12, were independent two days out of every week. They had no teacher instruction, known as "asynchronous" learning. In December, the Massachusetts Department of Education reported the hours of teacher instruction provided across Massachusetts schools. Medfield was in the bottom five percent of districts. If elected, I will work to restore Medfield's reputation as a top district.

---

5. Do you have specific suggestions for improvement?

1. Medfield schools, k-12, should immediately return to full, in-person learning, five full days a week.
   
2. Our administration should immediately develop and begin execution of a comprehensive plan to narrow achievement gaps, widened during the pandemic. Individual tutoring and expanded summer learning should be considered.
   
3. Communication and transparency between families and the School Committee Members, our elected officials, must improve.
   
   1. Emails, comments, and responses received by the school committee should be public and appear in meeting minutes.
      
   2. Open Meeting Laws require meetings of a public body to be open to the public. In 2020 alone, Medfield School Committee had six open meeting law violations. I will work with members of the committee to ensure compliance.
      
   3. Medfield parents are living in uncertainty. During this educational crisis, questions have repeatedly gone unanswered by the school committee. The school committee should hold a series of open forums and respond to questions, real-time, as we emerge from the pandemic.