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Cheryl Rodriguez is running for Medford School Committee. (Courtesy Cheryl Rodriguez) MEDFORD PATCH SHOULD HAVE RUN EVERY BIOGRAPHY EITHER SIMULTANEOUSLY
OR OVER A TWO WEEK SPAN A MONTH AGO!
Candidate Profile:
Cheryl Rodriguez,
Medford
School Committee
Rodriguez, a community advocate and volunteer, shares why she is running for School Committee in 2021. https://patch.com/massachusetts/medford/candidate-profile-cheryl-rodriguez-medford-school-committee
Age (as of Election Day) 46
Position Sought
Medford School Committee
Party Affiliation
Unenrolled
Family
My husband, Alex and I have two children. One graduated from MHS in 2014 and one is currently an 8th grader in the Andrews Middle School.
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No
Education
BA from Salem State College
Masters work at Salem State College
Computer programming certificate training
Occupation
Mom, Community Advocate and Volunteer
Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office
N/A
Campaign website
https://rodriguezformedford.ne...
Why are you seeking elective office?
This is my community and my home. I want to help improve it. I have spent many years as a community advocate and volunteer in Medford. I have worked tirelessly to improve our city in small and meaningful ways. From winning grants to running large scale events such as the Harlem Wizards and the Medford Citywide Yard Sale, my goal is to make my community a bit better. Having a seat on the school committee will allow me to do much more. I want to be a voice for parents, students, and teachers in our community. By listening closely and bringing these people to the table, I believe that we can make small incremental changes that have an immediate and real impact on the schools today while also working towards bigger goals and improvements. All our schools are different and have unique needs, as a school committee member, I would like to embrace those differences and support them appropriately.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
First and foremost always, is ensuring that our students are getting a quality education and that they are able to access it. Covid has not only exposed some holes, but it has also given us new tools. We cannot let those potential gains fall by the wayside. Our students need to feel supported and one of the ways that we can do that is to create policy that facilitates communication between parents and teachers when a student STARTS to struggle. We currently have no official policy to engage parents and let them know that their child is falling behind.
In the past, even if teachers or administration did try to reach out, many parents were not able to come into the school during the day to have necessary meetings. Zoom is a tool that was used quite effectively during Covid and it (or something similar) should remain with us when the pandemic has passed. Zoom can be used for parent teacher meetings or even for a student who needs extra help during teacher office hours. We can open the pathways for families, and we should do that formally through policy to ensure that all have that opportunity. This can be especially helpful for parents who may not be fluent in English as we could have an interpreter who may be anywhere in the district join the meeting or even use interpretation software allowing those parents to participate fully in their student's education. From the parent who can't leave work for the meeting or who may not be fluent in English to the student who may have to pick up siblings after school so can't stay for extra help, we as a school committee can create impactful policy to improve their circumstances now without a budgetary impact.
There are many other steps we can take and should take to adapt to the needs of our families and teachers. I hope to learn more from them so that I can help make these changes.
What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I am running because I am involved in the schools and community, not running to become involved. I am the only candidate who has won two Community Preservation (CPA) grants. One was to resurface the Roberts Elementary playground. In addition to writing that grant, I needed to learn procurement law when the project was almost derailed because mistakes bloated the estimates to nearly triple the costs. I brought the project to appropriate budget levels and saw it completed very quickly.
I am a strong advocate for the PTOs. I understand the great work that they do delivering what the school budget cannot. They power many of the social activities that define our children's memories of school. PTOs deserve our support. I have worked to help build up PTOs that were struggling for money and volunteers. I long for a system that doesn't rely on schools being lucky enough to have dedicated parents who have the time to make these programs happen and that is why I was a founding member of the Elementary Citywide PTO. Our children deserve the fabulous things our PTOs provide.
Many of our teachers do not know the name of any school committee members and that is something that gives me pause. I would like to create a bridge where every teacher knows the name of one member and can reach out to them for support. The teachers are in the classroom and they can provide us with a clear picture of what will be most impactful for them and we need that information. I aim to be the committee member that creates a solid relationship between us.
If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?
As a school committee member, I will work with all members of the school committee as well as the city council. Together, we can make some meaningful changes to our district and positive relationships will be the key to achieving that. I have been a parent in this district for a bit over 20 years and I have experienced it as a working single parent and as a married stay at home mom. I have seen how difficult it can be to navigate things when you don't have the time to go up to the school and try to solve a problem.
I would like to work on making it easier for families to advocate for their students and for teachers to advocate for their needs and those of their students. Medford is a very diverse community. Our schools are all unique, our students have different needs. Those needs should be represented. The way to work towards this will be to reach out to those groups and hear what they are lacking. This engagement will be impactful to our schools now.
How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?
The Covid pandemic is (hopefully) a once in a lifetime event. I think that things moved very quickly and many tried to do the best that they could. I really liked that the superintendent instituted the weekly emails as that got information out to families on a set day. As a school committee member, I would perhaps have moved for the day to not be Friday and not after office hours. I know those emails created a lot of questions and anxiety for families with no way to get answers as there was no one in the office until Monday. The weekly emails should be a set item on the school committee meeting agenda. There should be space at the meeting to get answers to questions that those emails naturally provoke.
I would have moved to create some policies to help students, teachers and families that were struggling with online learning. I know that the hope was that the remote learning would be short-lived but creating policies to support it would have been time well spent. From where assignments were posted to notification protocols for students who were not participating (to name a few), there were moves that could have been made. Parents were calling for help loudly, our students less so but maybe even more urgently.
Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.
My platform has always been strongly focused on our students and teachers. All of our schools are different and have unique needs. Oftentimes it seems that we treat our schools equally without regard to the students or needs at that particular school. We need to make stronger steps towards equity in our schools. At the elementary level, we have three Title One (high needs) schools out of four. Even within that contingent the needs are vastly different and the population size varies widely. Yet many budget items are divided equally by four leading to the larger population schools having less even if they have more students in need. While it would be more work to do it this way, we need to begin to factor more by student/needs and not just by building. We also need to be careful about just shifting students as that can impact other supports those schools receive because of the high needs of their students.
I also believe strongly in the social aspects of schools. The ice cream social, Art Night, Field Day are the fond memories student carry with them from school. As a school committee member, I would like to champion these efforts. I was one of the founding members of the Elementary Citywide PTO and was very involved in the Roberts PTO. The PTOs need to know that they have our support. It is often a small core dedicated group who make magic happen in the schools.
What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I have been involved in Medford for many years and have worked with many department heads, elected officials and other community members. I am always willing to learn and find new ways to accomplish things.
I have applied for and won many grants. From the Roberts Playground resurfacing to Chromebooks to murals to Art Nights to enrichment programs, I have found ways to fund items for our schools. I know that our budgets are limited and I am willing to work creatively to gain what I can for our students and teachers now while also championing bigger things for the future.
I have created and chaired many events. Some events raised money and some were just for having fun and making memories for our families. The social aspect of school is vital.
This year was the fourth year of the Medford School Supply Drive that I started. I also founded the Medford Citywide Yard Sale (hopefully returning). I chaired the Harlem Wizards game as a founding member of the Elementary Citywide PTO. As a Roberts parent, I created and ran some great enrichment nights - Art, Science, Math – and restarted the after school enrichment program and wrote several grants. I try my best to help where I can and am also happy to be a volunteer helping out at someone else's event. When I hear "we can't do that because we don't have enough money/volunteers," I try to jump in and find a solution.
I have worked with three Medford mayors to help make the city better as a volunteer. I thank them all for their help even if we didn't always align politically, all were willing to help me. These collaborations make a difference in our community. I hope to be the school committee member that others feel comfortable reaching out to when they need assistance.
The best advice ever shared with me was:
My parents always taught me to speak up…to not let anyone else speak for me or speak over me. As a female candidate that can often be tough to accomplish, but I hope that I am doing them proud. They also instilled a sense of service in me as they modeled volunteerism my whole life.
What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to the voters. These chances are precious and few.
As a school committee member, I would work with the community to try and make improvements now while championing bigger projects.
I am an involved and invested community member. Even if you don't know me, you may have seen me or my efforts somewhere in Medford. I jump in to help wherever I can because this is my home. It is my children's home and my mother's home. While I have run many events, it isn't always about being in the front, sometimes I help power other people's events. Even as an elected official, I would still want to volunteer and help at events when I can.
If elected, I promise to work hard for our community. I hope that I have earned a vote. Please vote on September 14th. I am #5 on the ballot.
5:27 PM
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