TJ Peck and Frazier Bell want to see politics eliminated from the school committee. 

Peck and Bell are Independent candidates running for two seats on the Barrington School Committee. During a recent interview, the two residents shared their thoughts about the school district, the role of the school committee and their hopes for the future. 

Partisanship

Bell: “I firmly believe that partisan politics shouldn’t be part of the school committee. We should be doing what’s right for the students, for the parents, the community. We shouldn’t be looking at the party to make decisions. I think the sad thing is, we seem to be getting some things that come from state, national level, de-leveling seems to be … it shouldn’t be a decision based on what one party wants to do. We should see if that’s the right thing to do.”

Peck: “First off, I don’t think politics have any business in the school committee. Because you should look at each individual issue on its own merit and make informed decisions. I think political activism is important, if individuals want to do that on their own time. I think using a town position to drive agendas is really harmful because in doing so you automatically go into a decision process and say this is what we’re doing, we’re not going to have a community engagement because this is going to be the outcome. And anyone who is against this set position, is going to be marginalized.”

Bell: “I think by removing the party, by not being tied to a party and by being able to have a conversation with members of the community and look at things from a perspective of ‘this is what’s best for Barrington’ I think that’s what takes the partisanship out of it…We started off this campaign with the idea that we’re here to listen to everybody. Meeting with people on both sides of the political spectrum and understanding what everybody believes is important to the schools and the community. I think that’s a first step.”

Public dialogue

Peck: “There’s been individuals that have been making smart, fact-based public comments (regarding de-leveling) for the better part of two years. They’re met with a cell-phone timer going off and a curt Thank you. There’s no followup, which by the way, there’s no legal requirement preventing dialogue during public comment. In East Greenwich, there’s dialogue. Certainly if someone’s going on and on, you can cut them off, but just to have a policy where people are curtly cut-off at three minutes, and then everything that everyone’s raised never makes it into future agendas…”

Bell: “I think they’ve (current school committee members) hid behind the counsel, which has allowed them to avoid making comments on items like de-leveling, on taking a vote on de-leveling, and other items like that.”

Personal, passion

Bell: “I’m running because I have two kids who are in the schools and I care a lot about the quality of education. I was a teacher, so I have the experience in the classroom. I have a Masters in teaching. I’ve actually I worked for an educational nonprofit, (in Baltimore). It’s been a passion. It’s something that I really do care about. I want to be able to bring that perspective of an educator to the school committee. I think trying to create a transparent system with open communication where we’re working with people across the community to make the best decisions.”

Peck: “Barrington Public Schools is very personal to me. My son is going to be a fourth generation Barrington Public School student. Barrington Public Schools has literally been one of the driving factors in my family realizing the American dream. I left Barrington and I’ve come back. The community I see now is not the community I saw 10-plus years ago. As it relates to the school committee, I think community partnership has been significantly eroded, and that’s been my number one priority to bring that back. I think the perspective I bring, being a former student, being a parent, being a resident, being a taxpayer, coupled with my perspective in business (I oversee project management and personnel), I think I can bring a lot more to the oversight responsibilities of the committee that I think are sorely lacking. My number one priority is to truly restore the community partnership.”