Candidate Profile: George Georgountzos, Stoneham School Committee

STONEHAM, MA — George Georgountzos is one of three candidates running for a three-year term on the School Committee April 6. There are contested races for Select Board, School Committee and Constable in the 2021 Town Election.

Georgountzos is an attorney and former chair of the Finance & Advisory Board. He lives in Stoneham with his wife and four children.

Georgountzos faces incumbent Jaime Wallace and challenger Melanie Fiore for two three-year seats on the School Committee.

George Georgountzos

Age (as of Election Day)

51

Position Sought

School Committee

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

Wife, 4 children (15, 12, 10 and 6)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA- Tufts University; MA-George Washington Univ (International Affairs); JD- Suffolk Law

Occupation

Attorney, 22 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Member and Chair, Stoneham Finance & Advisory Board

Campaign website

none

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want to represent parents and children on this School Committee after a year of many challenges. My main issue is transparency and communication.

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

is transparency... I intend to insure at every meeting, parents' voices and concerns are addressed, or the opportunity to invite these voices and opinions are always available.

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

My opponents serve on the School Committee; I am not an incumbent.

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

This board, during all the pressures of COVID, has not been transparent and often times belligerent to parents' concerns and questions. On Oct. 9, one Board member accused parents of raising legitimate questions of the decision-making processes that caused schools to shut down with less than 48 hours notice of "assaulting teachers." Unacceptable. No apologies for that behavior, either. When kindergarten parents questioned the basis for not returning kindergarten children to full time in school learning, they were faced with hostility. And, when the School committee adopted an Inclusive Sports policy (which had already been in place) there was no opportunity for parents with reasonable questions to address the school committee and the timing and reasons for this policy change during a pandemic and when we were focusing on re-opening schools. Transparency and open communications are essential.

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

I think that local officials did the best they could with the information they had, but with respect to schools, it is difficult to justify our full closures and hybrid models when private schools in town (St. Patricks and The Purpose School) remained opened, and charter schools were able to operate on full in person models. We should have done a better job of looking at alternative models and adopting them when we could.

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

I am an attorney with child advocacy experience. I am able to find compromises and middle ground on a number of issues. I do not apologize for strongly advocating for transparency and openness. As a past chair of the Finance Board, I worked closely with the School Committee on analyzing, questioning, and presenting a strong budget to Town Meeting.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be kind, listen before you speak, and do what is right.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I think people know me for being fair, open, and reasonable. I will not play politics with our children's education, and I will not cater to any special interests. I look forward to working with parents, administration and teachers to deliver the best educational services to our community.