Wayland 2021 Candidate Profile: Jessica Polizzotti, School Board

WAYLAND, MA — Three people are running for Wayland School Committee in 2021, including one candidate who is challenging two incumbents.

Former middle school teacher Jessica Polizzotti is running for a seat against incumbents Ellen Grieco and Kathleen Steinberg. Polizzotti says she wants to bring a parent's voice to the committee and focus on spending issues, among other goals.

Patch sent all three candidates in the Wayland School Committee race a candidate questionnaire. Here's how Polizzotti answered.

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Jessica Polizzotti

Age (as of Election Day): 44
Position Sought: School Committee
Party Affiliation: Independent
Family: My husband Joe is a Vice President of Construction for KIMCO Development he's 46 and grew up in the neighboring town of Sudbury. Joe is active in our children's athletic endeavors coaching Wayland town soccer, and Framingham Youth Hockey. He was a member of the Wayland Baseball Board working in fundraising where he was instrumental in raising funds to support the program. He has also used his expertise in baseball, as he played through college, to coach our children on the baseball field.

I have two school-aged children in the Wayland Public Schools, and will for many years to come. Marcus is 11 and is a fifth grader at Happy Hollow School; he will be entering Middle School for the next school year. He is a positive kid, a good student and friend and he loves sports. He plays hockey for Framingham Youth Hockey, Baseball for Wayland, the Akedema Braves, and he plays for the Bay State League during the summers; he is playing his first season of Wayland Lacrosse this spring. He would play every sport if he could.

Vivienne is 8 and is a second grader at Happy Hollow School. She is my spunky, kind, fearless kid. She enjoys playing guitar and hockey. She has chosen to be a hockey goalie and has played on a team since Kindergarten. This season she's chosen to play for the Lady Flames and Framingham Youth Hockey. She plays Wayland soccer, and Wayland Lacrosse.
Education: Boston Latin School-1994; Bryant College, BS Marketing, Minor English- 1998; Simmons College, MAT- 2001
Occupation: I'm currently focused on offering Pro Bono Education Consulting/Advocacy to families entering the complicated waters of Special Education. My main role is as a stay at home mom. I'm a former middle school ELA teacher, Lifestyle Writer and Advertising Account Coordinator
Campaign website: www.votejessicapolizzotti.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running to be a member of our School Committee because I have a unique set of skills that can help our amazing schools. As a parent who is personally invested in our schools for many years to come, a former teacher, Union Representative on the local, state and national unions and an advocate for students with special needs I am positioned to understand all the moving pieces of our school district and how to move forward in positive directions that benefit all learners in our district.

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

The single most pressing issue facing our schools is learning from COVID and helping our school community adapt to our new normal in education. As a district we made great strides technologically. I would work to ensure we maintain our technological advances so that we can continue to utilize the financial investments we've made in teacher education and the physical devices used to educate our kids during remote learning.

I'd also push to ensure we use data to inform our instruction rather than return to what we've done in our classrooms before COVID. It is clear that our students will have social emotional and academic needs that are unlike any we've seen before. It should be a priority of the school committee to ensure that policy reflects these unique needs.

One way I intend to ensure our students' needs are met would be to compare the most recent data collected from their teachers prior to COVID to the same testing administered upon entering the next school year and analyze it to see the academic progress each student has made. I would take that data and inform instruction for the upcoming year. Although I believe this method of data comparison to be an excellent way to assess our students, this is where our teachers and their expertise would be invaluable as they are the experts of current methodology and instruction. I would listen to their ideas to formulate an academic plan.

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

Although I believe all School Committee candidates want what's best for our schools and believe in maintaining a budget that gives our students what they need while avoiding unnecessary spending, we do have differences. My "many hats" in the world of education set me apart from the other candidates. First and foremost, my Master's Degree is in teaching; I spent time learning how students learn and what is necessary to educate all learners. I speak the "language" of our classrooms and know how to educate kids.

Secondly, I was heavily involved in the local, state and national levels of the teacher's union. I have been trained in contract negotiation by the MTA and have worked to negotiate contracts. I have sat on the other side of the table and created strong, amicable relationships with Superintendents and School Committees.

I am also a trained advocate by the Federation for Children with Special Needs and truly believe that every learner should have the tools they need to succeed.

Finally, with two children in elementary school this year, I am personally invested in the success of our schools for many years to come. I care deeply about the education they are getting in elementary school and the education at the middle and high school. I want to keep Wayland Schools cutting edge.

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

I do not like to use the word fail in terms of the current members who have volunteered their time to do what they feel is best for our schools but I do see ways they can improve.

One change in our district that has not shown many benefits is the school start time swap. In pushing middle and high school later and elementary earlier they simply traded one set of problems for another.

Because Wayland's high school schedule is not in line with other districts, students have to miss classes to participate in sports. This concerns me because it sends the message that classes are not as important as athletics and I believe that to be the opposite. It has also forced high school students to seek help before school negating the benefits of sleeping in.

It has also forced elementary kids to have hours of unstructured time after school before sports begin. This is in part due to older students needing later hours on our limited fields. I personally see my fifth grader attending town sports until well after 7pm like lacrosse where he will be traveling to another town to play in a game that does not begin until 6pm on a weeknight.
I think our committee and departing Superintendent were too eager to make this change and did not think through how to solve the consequences a change in school start times would have on all learners in our district.

It is my belief that a School Committee is a collection of representatives who are willing to do what's best for all learners in our district; its members are the delegates elected to represent everyone in our town, in the matter of school start time I think they could have done better.

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

I truly think that everyone worked to find the best solutions for our students in response to Coronavirus. There are two things I would have changed.

The first would have been working with peer districts to find out ways that we could minimize asynchronous learning.

The second would have been planning for a full return to in person learning in advance of the state's decision to send kids back full-time, all -in. I feel that our school community went into the year with the mindset that we would not return to our all-in classrooms and teachers were left scrambling to figure it out with little notice. That could have been avoided if the School Committee had created a plan for all four school scenarios- All-in, WRAP, Hybrid and Full Remote.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

We are starting next year with a new Superintendent. I am hopeful that he can become the leader he is meant to be. If elected to School Committee I will be a new voice allowing him to find his ground without any attachment to the previous Superintendent whom many current School Committee members played a role in hiring.

I am a fiscally responsible individual and I would work to ensure that our School Committee have a master plan for our spending so that we can provide the services we need now with an eye on the future.

I know that there are policy issues in regards to test returns at the high school level as well as a School Council at the high school that has not been following the open meeting law. I would look into these matters and ensure that policies in place by the School Committee are being followed.

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

As a former teacher and advocate for students with special needs, I fully understand the needs of all learners in our district. My experience with unions afforded me the opportunity to get involved with education policy and it allowed me the chance to work with School Committees and Superintendents. I am uniquely positioned to understand the needs of our schools, teachers and students.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The best advice ever shared with me is that It's not always about you. I think of this when I am faced with a challenge or disagreement. It is easier to see the other side when you take your feelings out of the challenge. As a member of School Committee it is important to think beyond oneself in order to do what's best for the whole.

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

If elected to School Committee I will work to ensure all students of Wayland receive the education they are entitled to. I will make sure that decisions reflect what's best for most and that students needs come first.