Milford 2021 Candidate Profile: Matt Zacchilli, School Committee

MILFORD, MA — There are five contested races in the 2021 Milford spring town election, but the race for School Committee is the most crowded field.

Five candidates — including incumbents Meghan Hornberger and Christopher Wilson — are vying for three seats. We sent each candidate in the race a candidate questionnaire to help voters get to know them better. Here's how challenger Matt Zacchilli answered:

Matthew Zacchilli

Age (as of Election Day): 37
Position Sought: School Committee
Family: Victoria (Wife), Avalina (6), Giuliana (3), Valentina (5 mo.)
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? Yes, I have a handful of family members serving as Town Meeting Members.
Education: B.S.B.A, Management Information Systems from Suffolk University
Occupation: Information Technology (21 Years)
Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/mzformsc

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for the office of school committee because I deeply believe that education is the single greatest service the Town of Milford offers, and the school committee members are critical leaders of it. I've held a strong desire over the past several years to give back to our community by leveraging the many skills I've gained over the course of my career. With an incredible amount of inspiration coming from generations of my family serving both Milford Public Schools and the town, seeking a seat on the school committee feels like the ideal spot for me. A great education is a right for every child and it's the gateway to a successful future. As someone deeply invested in our community, I will fight tirelessly and selflessly to provide modern programs and facilities for our children.

The single most pressing issue facing our district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our district is the need to provide the necessary resources and support services to our kids as they reenter the classroom full time. The pandemic has created a gap in available ELL teachers that needs to be addressed, it has created a highly elevated case load for our district counselors, and it has totally exposed the shortcomings of our technology which has played a major part in exasperating the mental and emotional struggles of our students.
If elected in April, my immediate focus will be put towards fighting for the necessary funding to close the gap within our English Learners program, provide additional counselors to support our kids many needs as they battle the lasting impacts of this pandemic, and address our technology struggles including our ability to provide stable internet connectivity to every single family in the district.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

A primary differentiator for me is that I’m a leader and a facilitator with a proactive vision. As a Consulting Engineer for the past decade I’ve worked with many educational institutions to drive strategic initiatives. One of the most critical aspects of this work is being a unifier between the stakeholders, and it’s exactly why I believe I am a fit for the school committee. One of the most important jobs of the committee is managing the $60-70M budget, and this requires closely working with other town departments. I have experience sitting down at the table and working to show the value necessary to gain acceptance and move plans forward.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Failed may be a strong word. I believe Milford is a good district, but the most recent DESE report card shows our public schools stand closer to average than exceptional. Our technology has been a major challenge, and we lack many modern educational programs and alternative offerings that I believe could go a long way in not only keeping more students in the district, but can also help our graduates be more refined in their college or workplace decisions. I feel as though much of this can be attributed to a leadership group that has been reactionary rather than proactive. With a forward focus and determination I will bring decision-making that is aimed at what’s best for the district as we move into the future.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I believe, overall, our district did the best they could with such a fluid, ever-changing situation. However, I will again point to a lack of proactive vision. While we all knew that time in both a hybrid and full remote model were inevitable, it took until February for our leadership to begin looking into the ability to transition students back to more in-person learning. If they were focused on what’s to come, the studies related to bringing kids physically closer in the classrooms, on the busses, and in the cafeterias would have already been completed prior to the start of the school year. Doing so would have provided the district with an ability to move more quickly when ready to return our children to their schools full time.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Our buildings, specifically Stacy Middle School and Milford High School are in need of major attention in the form of renovations and/or rebuilds. While MHS has some open space, it certainly does not have the right space to accommodate modernized workforce readiness programs. There are also many issues with the building itself including windows that don’t open and unheated spaces. With SMS, it’s incredibly clear that the building lacks space. At one of the recent school committee meetings the word used to describe some areas of the building was “dingy”. This school currently has many capital projects on the list including paint, floor replacements, and new boilers.

On the technology front, our district simply treats a vital piece of the modern world as an afterthought. MPS has had Google Classroom and Chromebooks in their possession for more than five years now and the pandemic exposed just how unprepared we were to leverage these tools. We live in a completely connected and computerized world, and there is no excuse in 2021 not to be properly leveraging technology for all it’s worth on an educational front.

This is where I believe I can shine the most. It will be imperative for the next formation of the school committee to tackle these aspects head on. I will lean on my experience bringing folks together to see the value of properly forming policy and direction around embracing technology as a service to our students and staff. I will also work hard to ensure the focus remains on moving infrastructure projects through the state process in order to execute the upgrades at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I’ve mentioned it a few times throughout this questionnaire, but my experience as a Consulting Engineer and project leader has provided me with the skills I believe will translate seamlessly to a role on the school committee. Over the years it’s become quite clear that it doesn’t matter if you’re working with a multi-national manufacturing corporation, a financial institution, a university, or a public school district. The most important asset to accomplishing any initiative always starts and ends with the ability to unite the stakeholders of the project and show the value of the solution being presented. It’s this focus and mentality that I will bring to any and all initiatives driven by the Milford School Committee to better the district for our students and families.