SuttonHighNews conducted an interview with each candidate running for an office. Our goal is to provide a more comprehensive look at each candidate so voters can make an informed decision.
SuttonHighNews is not endorsing any candidate. The interviews are being released in a random order with no intent to give anyone more or less time.
All candidates were given the questions in advance. We asked the same questions, in the same order, to each candidate for a particular position.
Q: What is your name, how long have you lived in Sutton, and how many children do you have in or have had in the Sutton Public Schools (how long were they there)?
A: My name is Erika Osborne. My family has lived in Sutton for over twenty years, and we have a daughter in middle school who has been in Sutton schools since kindergarten.
Q: What are the best features of the Sutton Public Schools?
A: Sutton has strong academics – in particular, the high school performs well in comparison to its neighbors. More than that, what’s always stood out to me is that Sutton is a community within a school. Students, teachers, staff, and parents all come together with one single purpose: to create an environment where students can learn and grow.
Q: What is the most crucial issue facing public education?
A: Towns and cities all over the country are wrestling with public school budgets. Costs go up every year, some more than others, and funding doesn’t always go up to match. I have watched as the School Committee and the Budget Sub-Committee wrestled with the tight budget and tried to make every cent work for the students. I have listened to both the Select Board and the Finance and Warrant Advisory Committee meetings as they discussed the school budget. And if elected to the School Committee I will play an active part in resolving these budget issues.
Without adequate funding we’ll need to make some difficult choices. It is crucial that the school district continues to work with the town and maintain open lines of communication about the budget. An investment in Sutton schools is ultimately an investment in Sutton and its future, and balancing the burden to the current generation with the benefit to the next one is a hard problem worth solving.
Q: How can we properly fund education without dramatically raising taxes?
A: I believe the School Committee should work more closely with the legislative branch of government to advocate for increased state and federal funding for sustainable, multi-year programs in Sutton. We need to make sure that any result of this advocacy is long-lived and sustainable, not a quick fix to get us by for a year.
Q: What do you want to see happen to the Sutton Public Schools over the next three years?
A: I’d like to see Sutton have stronger academics for all of its students. For some this means a college pathway; for some this means a technical pathway; for some this means a special education pathway. We owe it to current and future generations to give them the tools they need to thrive.
In the next three years I’d like to see the school and the School Committee put out a plan to deliver these stronger academics, and I look forward to being a part of that.
Q: How much input should parents have in classroom curriculum, and what should happen when state requirements conflict with parental concerns?
A: Balancing parental concerns with a public education curriculum is an age-old problem and if there were an easy answer we would have already found it. Academically speaking, it is the school’s responsibility to ensure that every student is set up to be a successful adult, and this means providing a wide-ranging education across a number of topics, some more sensitive than others.
Harmonizing state requirements with family preferences will be different in every situation. The school system has procedures for addressing these issues when they arise, and that’s what families with concerns should follow.
Q: What made you decide to seek election?
A: I have been watching School Committee meetings for six years. I have asked questions and watched from the sidelines and the time has come to take a more active role. I believe I can help, and that’s what’s made me decide to seek election.
I am invested in the town as a parent and a resident. Win or lose, I will continue to show up for the students, for the school, and for Sutton. That’s what I’ve been doing for six years and it’s what I will do for the years to come.
Q: What are your primary credentials that make you an excellent candidate?
A: I have been a social worker for over twenty years. Social workers solve hard problems for people having hard times, often with limited resources and under time pressure. This means we work with the resources that are available and meet people where they are, not where we wish they would be. I have helped hungry families, adults coping with chronic illnesses, seniors without housing, veterans in crisis, and people having the worst day of their lives.
All of this has helped prepare me for the School Committee, where everybody brings different personalities, skill sets, and passions to the table. Will this be an easy task? No, but I work well with others. Do I enjoy a challenge? Yes! And I’m looking forward to the challenge of the School Committee.
I am also a member of the Middle School PTO, the Enrollment Committee, and the Sutton Middle School Site Council. I joined each of these because it is important to me that I am an active member of the school community.
Q: If elected, how will you work to find common ground with your fellow school committee members?
A: Finding common ground will take a willingness to listen, a willingness to cooperate, and a willingness to compromise. This won’t always go smoothly and that’s okay. This is a complex real-world puzzle and these puzzles rarely have easy answers. They require listening, communicating, and knowing how to work out what’s best for everyone.
The School Committee’s job is to work as a team for the students, the school, and the community. I’ve been doing this sort of work my entire adult life. Winning election to the School Committee lets me do even more. And, win or lose, I will continue to work on behalf of Sutton and its students.
Q: What specific message would you like to share with the voters?
A: Your voice matters. Your vote matters. School Committee matters. Please get out and vote on May 26th. If you would like to learn more about me, please see my website: elect-erika.com. And if you have just turned 18, and this is your first time voting, I hope you wear that “I Voted!” sticker with pride!
