9 May, 2011
Thoughtful and collaborative leadership: that is what I will provide if re-elected to the School Committee.
During my two years as President of the Hopkinton Parent Teacher Association and six years on the School Committee (two as Chairman) I established a record of strong leadership, commitment to our children, and spending discipline. My style is deliberative and inclusive. I have worked tirelessly to maintain the high quality public education that the community expects while striving to keep property taxes in check.
My key goals in my next term are to:
1. Develop a plan that addresses the facility issues that the condition of Center School presents in a way that the community will support. As a starting point, the School Committee actively collected input through a Public Forum/Listening Session held on April 27th. The notes taken during that event have been posted for the community to review. We need to follow up with more opportunities for community feedback and review as we move through the process.
2. Continue to provide an excellent education for our children. The guidebook for doing this is the School Committee’s Strategic Plan. We need to update this plan to reflect the current desires of the community, being mindful of the initiatives and needs of the other town departments.
3. Balance what’s best for our children with the town’s ability to pay. Continued focus on looking at cost efficiencies, potential consolidations, and practical revenue enhancements will demonstrate to the community that balance is being pursued. Working collaboratively and creatively with the bargaining units to create contracts that "give to get" will be imperative for moving forward.
I am proud of my role in keeping our schools strong during a period of great financial challenges.
I respectfully ask you to vote for me, Nancy Burdick, for School Committee on Monday, May 16.
