Two Run for School Board in Dresden - The Lincoln County News

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Scott Silverman

Dresden voters will elect a representative to the RSU 2 Board of Directors on Tuesday, June 8. The polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Pownalborough Hall.

The town has two candidates for the three-year seat: incumbent Kathryn Marseglia and Scott Silverman. Marseglia did not respond to multiple interview requests.

Scott Silverman

In his bid for a seat on the school board, Scott Silverman views being “from away” as an asset.

Silverman moved to Dresden from Pennsylvania in 2013, but he has had family in town since the 1960s.

Silverman worked as a librarian and director of information technology for nearly 30 years at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and Earlham College in Indiana. He now works as an attorney, both in private practice and for an Augusta firm, Jim Mitchell & Jed Davis.

Silverman has four degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in history from Drew University in New Jersey, a Master of Science in library and information science from Drexel University in Pennsylvania, a Master of Arts in history from Bryn Mawr, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maine School of Law.

Silverman has been a member of the town’s board of appeals and budget review committee. He is proud of the committee’s past work to reduce tax burdens on Dresden residents.

He has also served as a volunteer town election clerk and on the governing council of the New Lawyers Section of the Maine State Bar Association.

“I’ve always been interested in any kind of civic engagement,” Silverman said.

Silverman wants to take a balanced approach with regard to his attitude toward the fiscal aspects of education in the RSU 2 school district by putting students first but keeping an eye on sustainability.

“You’re not going to hear me say education should be cheaper,” he said.

He will prioritize the quality of students’ education by fighting any attempts to grossly increase the student-to-teacher ratio, but will work to keep costs down by looking at the rising costs of staff benefits.

Regarding the coming RSU 2 budget referendum, Silverman said that he attended a budget presentation by the superintendent and is willing to approve the budget, recognizing that it is not ideal. He cited the pandemic and the stress it put on schools across the state this year as a reason not to send the district back to the drawing board.

“It seems tough to reverse any line that makes up that increase,” Silverman said. The district’s proposed 2021-22 budget represents a 3.1% increase from the previous fiscal year and an 8.8% increase in Dresden’s share.

Additionally, Silverman said that he doesn’t want the board to get caught up in “curricular controversies.”

While his own children were out of school by the time he moved to Dresden, he said he has a good relationship with the superintendent and teachers, and if people object to the curriculum, then the board must support teachers while asking tough questions.

Silverman is a first-time grandfather of 14 months, and is helping his daughter and her family move to Waterville so he can see his grandchild more. He enjoys kayaking with his wife and suspects he is the only Philadelphia Phillies fan in Dresden.

Beyond the beauty of the area, Silverman’s favorite thing about Dresden is the people.

“It’s that we’re so neighborly and supportive of each other, even though we’re very spread out,” he said.