Medfield Candidates: Leo Brehm for School Committee

"Meet the Candidates" Leo Brehm (incumbent) for School Committee (Incumbent)

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. a. How long have you resided in Medfield? b. Do you currently have children in the Medfield Public School system? c. What is your current occupation? d. Anything else?

My name is Leo Brehm, and it has been my honor to serve as your Medfield School Committee representative for the past three years. I would be humbled to continue to serve the Medfield community in this role for the next three years. While the pandemic is undoubtedly not the only issue in education right now, it is the most pressing one. Though tough decisions were required during this historic time, I am confident that I made them in good faith with our students’ and educators’ safety at the forefront. I believe that the next several years will require diligent and well-informed decision-making as we navigate the post-pandemic world. Adjustments to our learning model will be critical to meet the needs of the various learners. If there is one positive that has come from the pandemic, it is the idea that one size certainly does not fit all. Small class sizes and an emphasis on differentiated instruction will be more important than ever to ensure an inclusive and equitable education for every child.

In 2014, excited by the opportunity to live in such a quaint town, my wife, Tanya, and I moved to Medfield with our two young children. For the past seven years, we have enjoyed Medfield’s picturesque outdoor areas, new friends, and our children’s academic, social, and emotional development as they progress through Medfield’s public schools. Our son is now in fourth grade at Dale Elementary School, and our daughter is in second grade at Wheelock Elementary School, and we intend to keep them enrolled throughout their K-12 years.

Both my wife and I are career educators. She is a twenty-two-year veteran teacher at Sharon High School. I have served twenty-six years in the capacity of teacher, administrator, technology director, instructional technology specialist, and educational consultant. These positions have been primarily in the Sharon and Newton Public Schools (19 years) but include consultancies with at least twenty-three other public school districts. I am currently the Senior Product Manager for CatchOn Incorporated, a company I co-founded four years ago. I also sit on numerous non-profit governing boards for education-related causes, including The Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity which focuses on providing professional development and services for teachers and schools on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM).

2. Why are you running for the Board of Education? 2a. If elected, what will be your priorities?

Having spent my entire career in public education, I know the many moving pieces involved in managing a public school district and am uniquely qualified to help maintain Medfield’s long-standing reputation of educational excellence. I am motivated to continue my role on the Medfield School Committee because I support public education wholeheartedly and as an Eagle Scout, I consider volunteering a civic responsibility. My commitment to public education and lifelong learning is evident in my career, hobbies, and personal interests. Improving public education is not just a job or life-long profession for me - it is my passion.

I believe children’s cognitive and social-emotional development at school happens when relationships between students and teachers have the necessary support to develop. This belief informs my core values which include:

• Student-centered decision making should be at the core of every policy
• Smaller class sizes create a more personalized learning experience
• Teachers are the heart and soul of our learning community
• Education should be inclusive and equitable for all
• Diligent budgeting practices should include responsible long-term civic planning

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

In my twenty-six years as an educator in Massachusetts, I know that strong public school districts need constant diligence to maintain reasonable class sizes, broad program offerings, and an advanced pre-K-12 curriculum. In my professional career, I have worked closely with districts’ education foundations, parent-teacher organizations, local governments, and school committees to achieve these goals. In addition, I:

• - Hold three Massachusetts State Department of Education Licenses: Superintendent, Supervisor/Director, and Instruction Technology Specialist
• - Developed school budgets of up to $200+ million
• - Managed a departmental budget of $9+ million
• - Managed a team of 65 instructional and technical professionals
• - Organized efforts to support learning with community organizations and private partners
• - Participated in ten public school building projects (five MSBA) with budgets as high as $50 million

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

In 2018, I was motivated, in part, to serve on the Medfield School Committee when Medfield’s elementary class sizes began growing, and my two young children were directly affected by this problem. Through my advocacy, class sizes have not increased. And, although I would still like to see them smaller, I have since learned that this is a facilities issue because the elementary school buildings are too small. This motivates me while serving on the Dale Street School Building Committee.

5. Do you have specific suggestions for improvement?

Curriculum Alignment and Assessment: I have continually pushed to improve the way Medfield creates, conducts, and communicates its curriculum and intended outcomes. I advocated for the Director of Curriculum position’s reinstatement to help lead this vision of curriculum alignment K through 12 while strategically planning and conducting professional development for teachers to support the transformation and alignment. No matter how high-achieving a school district may be, it must always focus on growth and improvement.

One silver lining of the pandemic is that it has furthered Medfield’s curriculum alignment and I am proud of Medfield’s teachers who have risen to meet this and other challenges. Having common alignment is helpful to all learners, including those who receive support services, and allows for greater transparency into the classroom and consistency in curriculum delivery. Due to the forced digitization of the curriculum in this difficult year, parents, teachers, students, and support staff can reflect on outcomes and collaborate to address areas that need differentiation and improvement.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please vote for me on March 29, 2021.