With the 2022 election less than a month away, residents will be faced with a choice between eight candidates for three available seats to represent Bristol on the Bristol Warren Regional School Committee.

The candidates are Jessica Almeida, Adam McGovern, Anthony Morettini, William O’Dell, Brian Bradshaw, Carly Reich, Margaret Elise Richards, and Richard Ruggiero. All candidates have been profiled over the summer, with Part 1 available here, and Part 2 available here.

This piece will launch a weekly Q&A series running each week up to the election to give candidates a chance to answer a few pressing questions to help inform voters and provide insight into each candidate. Each was given a 125-word limit for answers. Answers are direct quotes from candidates, published in the order they were received, with edits only for spelling or grammar.

This week’s question:

“Public schools have faced increasing pressure from parents regarding curriculum that is being taught to students. How much influence do you believe parents should have when it comes to what kids learn within our public schools?”

William O’Dell
"The problem isn’t increasing pressure from parents but rather, what is causing that increase. Parents have had it with some of the nonsense that is being taught and feel frustrated and helpless. They put the development of their children’s minds into the hands of those who understand how to develop appropriate curriculum. Unfortunately, there is a disconnect with regards to what is appropriate.

"Until curriculum becomes appropriate again, parents will (and should) exert all the influence they can muster. A good place to exercise influence is at the polls. The quest for a successful academic curriculum is being overshadowed by misguided social architecture. There is no solitary answer that everyone must buy into, but there are those who wish to eliminate a valid alternate viewpoint."

Carly Reich
"The State Department of Education engages in extensive vetting and testing of curriculums before those programs are submitted and then suggested to individual school districts for selection and approval. We recently went through this process in BWRSD with new Language Art and Math curriculums. Our own educators then tested these in their classrooms and shared with the Policy and Curriculum Subcommittee the pros and cons of each of these programs before we voted on implementation. These are designed to foster critical thinking, analysis and the synthesization of multiple points of view, data and fact.

"I think our job is to trust our educators to utilize the best tools available for our children to be successful."

Richard Ruggiero
"I believe parents should have a say and be involved when there is discussion about school curriculum. Parents play an integral part in their children’s life and they know them better than anyone. There should be open dialogue between administrators, teachers, school committee members, and parents when there are decisions to be made about curriculum. Allow parents a voice in discussions with teachers pertaining to curriculum. Workshops could be held where teachers and parents work together to develop a curriculum that will meet the needs of every student. The final decision on the curriculum should be with teachers and administrators presenting it to the school committee. Parents should not be shut out. Their input will be valuable when curriculum is being evaluated for the district."

Adam McGovern
"First and foremost, I think parents are the most important stakeholder when it comes to the education of our children. However, the reason why we have academic leadership and administrators within our school district is because they are highly trained to choose quality curriculum vetted by the Department of Education. I am a firm believer in the effectiveness of proactive communication. When we provide parents with clear upfront communication related to the details and expectations of student curriculum, it gives parents an opportunity to review the facts and ask the appropriate questions. When we fail to do that, parents can easily go into reactionary mode. 

"A strong school district allows leadership to establish the most effective curriculum combined with a positive environment for parental feedback."

Tony Morettini
"I strongly believe that we each need to stay in our lanes in our childrens’ education. Educators educate, parents nurture and guide, and administrators administer, especially policy in the School Committee’s case. RI state law lists 26 items under “powers and duties” of a School Committee. The first place the word “curriculum” appears is number 20, right before “provide transportation.” As policy, a School Committee’s primary job, we are responsible to our community as a whole.

"Let’s ensure our educators teach our kids how to think critically, present them with the widest possible range of developmentally appropriate subjects and help them to think about what they’ve learned. It takes all of us, acting as a team, to provide the best possible education for our kids."

Brian Bradshaw
"Parents should be as engaged as possible in their children’s education, from helping with homework to chaperoning field trips to helping in the classroom. I currently spend many an evening assisting with Algebra. If elected, I would support a much-needed amendment to the current curriculum adoption policy, passed Jan. 24, 1994, that allocates time for parents and other stakeholders to review new curriculum being considered by the district.

"The goal of this review period would be to bring any questions or concerns about potential curriculum to the district’s attention prior to their recommendation to the school committee. The final recommendation and adoption of any curriculum changes within the district should remain with BWRSD administration and the school committee."

Margaret Elise Richards
"Teachers, principals and other school leaders are responsible for ensuring that public education is appropriate and fair for all children. This includes being up to date on educational best-practices, innovations and the changing needs of the school population. We rely on their expertise for this; it’s part of the deal when we choose public education. Caregivers have a right to raise concerns about any aspect of their child’s education.

"The challenge comes when caregiver opinions conflict with best practices or otherwise jeopardize the quality of education for other children. In addition to teaching that which is factually, historically and scientifically accurate, education should encompass world views and lived experiences that allow each child to be ‘seen’ and represented as well as to explore the great diversity of life outside their own community."

Jessica Almeida
"As we know, much of the curriculum is suggested/dictated by RIDE. Certainly, there should be total transparency with the BWRSD curriculum and parents/guardians should be able to make suggestions for academic improvement (especially given the current proficiency scores). Parents/guardians should also be aware what is going on in the classroom with regard to social issues and political discussions that may occur, however, parents/guardians should not expect to “dictate” what goes on.

"With that said, if discussion topics appear to be inappropriate, they should be encouraged to surface their concerns. It should be a continued partnership between the district/teachers and parents."