Current job: Attorney
Volunteering background, if any: Board Member, Beth-El Center, Inc., 2018-present; pro bono attorney, Lawyers for Children America, 2019-present; Member, Milford Porchfest Committee, 2021.
Education: Quinnipiac University School of Law, J.D., 2014; University of Connecticut, B.S., 2010; Joseph A. Foran High School, 2006.
If elected, what will be your primary focus - budget, curriculum, another topic?
While being an effective Board of Education member means being able to focus simultaneously on budget, curriculum, and the many other high-level issues concerning the school district, a primary focus of mine will be making sure our students are able to move forward and achieve at the highest level in a post-COVID world, given the challenges that the last year and a half has presented. In particular, we need to focus on promoting the well-being and mental health of all of our students, and to continue providing additional academic supports and resources to them in order to address any pandemic-related learning loss. Ultimately, the current leadership team for Milford Public Schools, in conjunction with the current Board of Education, has done a good job of identifying and planning for these challenges through the implementation of the district’s social-emotional learning curriculum, its high quality instructional practices, and its effective use of ARP/ESSR funds to promote learning acceleration and recovery during this time. Transformational change can happen suddenly in the immediate aftermath of a crisis, and I think the pandemic has reminded us how crucial public education is in societies, communities, and in individual lives.
What is your stance on the recent calls by some for more input in the curriculum? Do you feel the curriculum is proper, any issues or changes needed in your mind?
The current curriculum in Milford Public Schools is comprehensive, rigorous, and prepares students to graduate as critical thinkers who are able to advocate on their own behalf in the “real world,” whether that be pursuing college, a trade, the military, or another personal endeavor. While parents should of course have a voice and are entitled to transparency from the administration as to what the curriculum entails (something that the current leadership team has consistently done through the use of instructional highlights at public board meetings and enhanced communications to families at home), ultimately, the work of the Board and the educators is to make sure that the voice and needs of all of the students — not just a select few — come first. This is what the current curriculum strives to achieve.
Your thoughts on the school budget - how it stands now for what is needed in the schools?
I am proud to have supported budgets during my last term that ensured the financial integrity of the school district while translating into student achievement, and am especially pleased that the schools were able to end the 2020-21 year with a balanced budget despite the enormous financial strain of COVID. Going forward, the budget needs to continue supporting our students by investing in updates to our buildings and facilities, as well as technological needs for the 21st century. For instance, my current work on the Board has supported the budgetary prioritization of improvements to air conditioning/ventilation in our buildings (e.g., HEPA filters for all classrooms, capital improvement request for air conditioning for all schools), the development of state of the art athletic fields and modernized library/media spaces for the high schools, and the implementation of 1-to-1 Chromebook devices for all students, among many other things.
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Milford Board of Education District 5 candidate: Emily McDonough Souza - New Haven Register
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