Candidate Profile: Justin Cusce For Wilmington School Committee

WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington will have two contested races in the April 24 town election: one for two three-year terms on the School Committee and one for a two-year term on the committee. Wilmington Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Justin Cusce is running for the two-year seat on the School Committee. There are three people running for the seat. Cusce faces Yvonne Helbert and Melissa Plowman.

Cusce works in a family business.

Are you running for office in Wilmington? Contact Christopher Huffaker at chris.huffaker@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Wilmington Patch.

Justin Cusce

Age (as of Election Day)

39

Position Sought

School Committee (two-year term)

Family

Ellen Mahoney - School Counselor in Andover. Adam Cusce - 2nd grader at the Woburn Street School. Colin Cusce - soon-to-be kindergartner at the Wildwood School.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Social Science (Psychology and Sociology) from Providence College. Masters Degree in Management from Emmanuel College.

Occupation

I started working in a family-run business about 8 weeks ago. Prior to that, I spent 17 years in Higher Education working directly with high school seniors and their families as they transition to college.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

https://www.facebook.com/JustinCusceforWilmingtonSchoolCommittee

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am seeking a seat on the School Committee to have a more active voice and role in the education of my two sons, and all of the students in the Wilmington School Community. I have spent the past several years implementing a system to improve communication with students and their families, and using this to make more data-driven decisions that best meet their needs. Continuing this as a part of the School Committee will be a great compliment to what's currently being done.

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

A few weeks ago, I would have answered this by saying returning students to full in-person learning. Now that this is in progress, the biggest issue we face as a community is identifying, analyzing and creating a plan for making up the in-person school time that students have missed because of the pandemic. This is most certainly no small feat, and it will take stakeholders at all levels to make this a successful initiative.

Speaking from personal experience, my oldest son in second grade has his favorite subjects in which he does well, but also those with which he struggles and avoids as long as possible. I've witnessed his frustration with these on multiple occasions, and despite everyone's best efforts, I think the school time outside of the classroom has prevented him from getting the help, support, and encouragement he needs to feel differently and improve in these subjects.

It has been said that it may take years to make up the time lost from not being in-person five days a week. This needs to be a priority, and it's one I hope to work closely on if elected to the School Committee.

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

In short, there are two: our backgrounds and what we hope to accomplish if elected. Although we will each bring our own unique knowledge and experiences to the School Committee, the underlying commonality seems to be a passion for a successful educational future for our own kids, and all of the students in Wilmington. It's up to the voters to decide which of our backgrounds and reasons for running most closely align with what's important to them.

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

The School Committee has not failed the community in any way. The work done by the Committee and Superintendent Brand during the pandemic has been arduous and probably more challenging than anyone could have imagined. But it solidifies the reason why my wife and I moved to Wilmington in the first place.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.