Six candidates vie in Stamford Board of Education race: Andreana, Butler, Melchionne, Dauplaise, Hyman, Munshi-South

Six candidates are vying for spots on the Stamford Board of Education: Republicans Joseph Andreana Jr., Lisa Butler and Diane Melchionne and Democrats Daniel Dauplaise, Michael Hyman and Versha Munshi-South.

Hometown: Stamford

Education: Bachelors of Journalism/Mass. Communication

Previous political/civic experience: Softball Coach, Little League Coach, Volunteer at Community Center, Volunteer with Rebuilding Together, Participant (Chef) for Chili Cook-off benefiting Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County

Top two issues you want to address and what you would do about them:

The top two issues I will prioritize are (1) Educational Excellence for all SPS students and (2) the safety of our children and our teachers.

First, we need to evaluate our curriculum and look to build policies that will develop our Stamford students and our future. We need to focus on bringing our students’ education excellence by building programs to raise the current reading, writing, and math levels from that of 4% points below the CT average to standards that raise the average.

Second, the safety of our loved ones, not only physically but mentally. We need to have more support for our kids from staffing up on our social workers and look at revamping policies to help our children. We need to strengthen building safety. We need to look at correcting our air quality from extreme heat to harmful toxins rather than spending more money for studies.

Lisa Butler, Republican

Hometown: Stamford

Education: Southern Ct State University

Previous political/civic experience: Stamford High School Governance Council, Rogers International PTO, Trinity Catholic PTO

Top two issues you want to address and what you would do about them:

We have a $300 million education budget and 48.5% of Stamford Residents tax dollars fund our public schools. We need to raise the academic standards for all students and provide them with a quality education, so that when they graduate high school they can take the skills they’ve acquired and carry them forward to college, trade school or to work. If we do not hold students accountable for turning in their classwork or excuse absences and allow for excessive tardiness, we are not setting them up for future success. 

I am passionate about improving our school buildings and facilities, having been involved with the revitalization of the Stamford High courtyard. While the the city builds our schools, and the Board of Education maintains the schools and operates them, our school facilities are suffering.  Some schools more than others, due to years of neglect, deferred maintenance and lack of proper care under a prior outsourced management company.  We cannot expect students and staff to do their best when dealing with old buildings that do not have the proper air quality, ventilation, or even working windows or bathrooms in some cases. 

With the recent federal stimulus money, I would like to see a full breakdown of what was done to ensure in-school air quality has been addressed and those funds not merely reappropriated for other projects. We need to work with the mayor, Board of Finance and Board of Reps to ensure that are schools get the money and infrastructure updates they require. The quality of our facilities is critical if we want to retain quality educators and students from leaving the district. We need to do better for our community.

Daniel Dauplaise, Democrat

Hometown: Stamford

Education: B.A. Cornell University 2007 (Government), J.D. University of Connecticut Law School 2014

Previous political/civic experience: Stamford BOE 2019 – Current

Top two issues you want to address and what you would do about them:

Issue 1 – School Construction: Stamford has been given very generous reimbursement formulae by the state, enabling us to build schools at a fraction of the cost it would have been earlier. We will be able to replace aging infrastructure and build 21st century schools that will help all our students succeed.

Issue 2 – Strengthening Budget: The next few years will be very critical for the BOE budget as we will transition to a budget without the COVID ESSER funding. I hope to continue to lead the way on constructing a fair, equitable and sufficient budget which will enable Stamford Public Schools to carry out its mission.

Michael Hyman, Democrat

Hometown: Stamford

Education: Franklin & Marshall College; Political Science

Previous political/civic experience: Vice Chair Ferguson Library, Former NAACP-Stamford president

Top two issues you want to address and what you would do about them:

First, there are unfortunately more than two top issues. From a fiscal management perspective the construction, rehabilitation, maintenance and care of existing and new school facilities is of concern for the incoming board. Not managing this process right would be costly to the taxpayers and our children. Decades of inappropriate board focus has brought us to this point, arguably costing us millions that could have been spent on other educational priorities. We now have an opportunity to correct that, and with the right controls we can.

Next, if we envision and create world class facilities, what happens inside our schools; the health and safety of our children and all school staff is always a priority. The creation of school-based health centers and an emphasis on social emotional care should become a hallmark of Stamford’s schools. In short, ensuring the facilities, the tools, and resources to thrive educationally are my key priorities.

Diane Melchionne, Republican

Hometown: Stamford

Education: Graduated Stamford Public Schools (Springdale Elementary, Dolan Middle, and Stamford High) and went on to complete Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Connecticut. 

Previous political/civic experience: Outside of being the recent Treasurer for my brother Danny Melchionne’s campaign for State Representative (January 2022), I do not have previous political/civic experience.

Top two issues you want to address and what you would do about them:

Learning Loss & Improving Academic Performance: BOE policies promise to provide a high-quality, rigorous education for our students, and yet we’ve eliminated AP classes, canceled midterms and finals, and allowed high school seniors to graduate regardless of their attendance records. The BOE is not upholding their commitments to our constituents by holding the superintendent accountable to these policies. Some schools provide Saturday school for students that are struggling, and others don’t. We need consistency across the board. We need to challenge our academically inclined students and provide additional support to those that are struggling. I will hold the superintendent accountable to these measures.   

Fostering a collaborative environment for Parents & Teachers: Today, there are policies on the books that instruct teachers to withhold certain information from parents, such as a student’s gender identity. It makes parents distrustful of the entire system and puts teachers in between parents and their children. It also implies to students that it’s OK to keep some things from their parents. I would amend these policies and ensure parents and teachers are working collaboratively for the best interests of students.

Versha Munshi-South, Democrat

Hometown: Stamford

Education: BA in Sociology from the University of Chicago, MA in Elementary Education from Washington University in St. Louis

Previous political/civic experience: 2021 BOE candidate, volunteer for various campaigns

Top two issues you want to address and what you would do about them:

Our top priority must be the health and safety of our students and staff. They deserve to attend clean, comfortable buildings that use consistent safety protocols. We need to attend to their emotional health as well by ensuring our teachers and students feel supported so they can focus on the work of teaching and learning. As a BOE member I would work to ensure that we strategically investing our federal and state funding so that our schools are moving towards recovery.

We also must prioritize academic excellence. COVID has impacted students in various ways and some students need focused help in order to catch up to grade level standards. All of our students need to be provided with updated, rigorous curricular materials so they have the opportunity to excel in school and post-high school life. As a BOE member I would support the district in making decisions regarding selecting effective curriculum and teaching resources.