North Andover Election: Pam Pietrowski Candidate Announcement

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — Pam Pietrowski is running for a seat on the School Committee in the March 30 town election.

A teacher in Haverhill, Pietrowski is one of five candidates who have taken out papers to run for two open seats on the committee. She faces incumbent Andrew McDevitt as well as Rebecca Stronck, Joe Hicks and Dave Brown.

Feb. 9 was the last day for candidates to submit nomination papers. As of Feb. 16, 10 candidates have taken out papers across all open seats.

Pietrowski submitted the following candidate announcement to Patch for publication:

On Monday, Pam Pietrowski submitted almost 100 nomination signatures to earn her a spot on the March ballot as a candidate for North Andover School Committee.

"COVID-19 has presented challenges like we've never before seen, while only exacerbating existing challenges that have long-been put off," said Pietrowksi. "I gave it a lot of thought before deciding to take this plunge, but I think my perspective, background, and personal experiences can all be assets to moving our district forward."

Pietrowski has spent over 20 years working in both public and private education, and is currently an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for Haverhill Public Schools. She has a BA from UMass Lowell and a Masters in ESL Education from Cambridge College. She and her husband live on Pleasant Street with their three children, including two high schoolers and an Atkinson School 4th grader.

"We keep saying that this pandemic is unprecedented, because it is," said Pietrowski. "What that also means is that the pressures and expectations from parents, teachers, and school staff has become equally unprecedented. Seeing it first-hand, on both sides, I think will be an asset."

Pietrowski said she thinks both parent and teacher concerns aren't being adequately communicated.

"You can hear the frustration from parents and teachers alike. Both want students back in school safely, and we as a district need to be clearly laying out what benchmarks we need to meet in order to reach those goals," explained Pietrowski. "Communication is key. I'm running because it doesn't always feel like these concerns are being clearly communicated to the administration."

Pietrowski, who has volunteered as a Room Mother and with various PTOs over the course of her children's time in NAPS, said she views it as an important responsibility of School Committee members to engage the public, and be a visible and approachable representative of the community.

Pietrowski thinks that engagement is especially important when it comes to planning for budget priorities. She has had several productive conversations with fellow community members about the future of our schools.

"As we work to build stronger schools, our parents need to be a regular part of the conversation. Whether it's expanding programming, or facility management - especially as our Middle School continues to burst at the seems - parents can't just be left on the sidelines."

Pietrowski has served as a coach with North Andover Youth Field Hockey and Softball. She has volunteered with the girl scouts and as a neighborhood CCD teacher.

This announcement was produced by Pam Pietrowski. The views expressed are the author's own.