Candidate Statement: Donna Leone, School Committee

Dear Community of Wilmington,

Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about the issues that mean so much to me.

 My name is Donna Leone, my husband Michael and I moved to Wilmington 14 years ago after the birth of our first child, Michael.  Both my husband and I grew up close by in Medford but chose to make Wilmington our home because of the strong sense of community, safety and the excellent reputation of the quality of the schools.  My husband and I have since had three more children: Marc 12, Grace 10, and Alexa, 9.  Over the last five years we have also had the privilege of fostering children in need through the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.  My choice to put off a career in favor of staying home to raise our children exemplifies my belief of the importance of a parent’s role in the education of our children.  I recognize that having a parent stay at home with their kids is not always possible; therefore, I believe the school has a critical role in supporting and caring for our children. 

Having children in grades 8, 6, 4, and 3 offers me the unique experience to personally understand what is important and what works most effectively at each grade level.  I have also been blessed to be a mom to a child with special educational needs. Because of this experience, I truly understand the need to recognize each child’s unique style of learning and the importance of implementing the proper accommodations and tools so that all students are actively engaged in across the curriculum and are able to reach their greatest potential.  I believe the knowledge I have gained in navigating the special needs process will prove to be beneficial to the work of the school committee.   Although my husband works hard to provide financially for our family, raising four kids on one income is difficult at best, and I really do understand the importance of working within a budget.

Teaching CCD at Saint Dorothy’s and coaching little league has provided me the great opportunity to meet many families and learn what is most important to the parents and children of this community.  It is important to me that my children learn the importance of giving back to the community whether it is locally or on a global level; they have done this by participating in the Pan Mass Challenge numerous times. 

I am running for School Committee at the urging of friends and family.  I am passionate about the wellbeing of our children in the Wilmington community. A safe environment is imperative to the educational success of our children.  As a member of the school committee I will make it a priority to ensure that our children are protected from the threat of violence, including that of bullies within our schools. Every child is unique and has the right to quality education. We as parents and committee members are given the amazing opportunity to share in our children’s experience as they grow, learn and reach their fullest potential.   

I believe in our community, schools, teachers and our children.  I will be a strong advocate for parents and any child. Without the talents of our educational staff, our schools could not be effective, so it is equally important to be supportive of not only our educational staff, but also, all staff, including administrators and the Superintendent.  I will take great care in my responsibility as a school committee member and consider each issue with the attention it deserves before voting on any issue.  I promise to work together with all members of the educational community, including parents, to help Wilmington schools continue to strive to reach our goal of providing the best educational program and give our students a solid foundation for their future!  I can be contacted via email at drl1226@gmail.com and can be found on Facebook by following this link: https://www.facebook.com/DonnaLeoneForWilmingtonSchoolCommittee?ref=hl

  I respectfully ask for your vote on April 30, 2013.  Thank you.