001Good evening, everyone. >> [clears throat] >> Uh my name is Alyssa Robinson and I'm one of the co-chairs of the Acton Area League's Voter Engagement Committee. On behalf of the League of Women Voters of the Acton Area, I would like to welcome you to our 2026 Municipal Election Candidates Forum. Before we begin, we want to extend our sincere thanks to the candidates joining us tonight for their willingness to serve the community. We also thank the voters in attendance and those watching from home for staying engaged in our local democracy. Most especially, we thank Acton TV for providing this live broadcast and the many league members who volunteered their time and effort to make this forum possible. The league is a non-partisan grassroots organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. While we develop positions
002on issues, we never support or oppose any candidate or political party. Our purpose is simple, to give you an opportunity to learn about the candidates so you can cast an informed vote on April 28th. One note as we begin today's program. We have one candidate, Daniel Carroll, who's running for seats in both the Select Board and the School Committee this year. This has been confirmed by the by the town as a legal move. The candidate also has a conflict so he'll be a little late tonight. He will arrive during the Select Board portion of the evening and he'll he'll join as he as time allows. Uh we are fortunate tonight to have an accomplished veteran of this non-partisan tradition as our moderator. Nancy Brumback is a past president of the Sudbury League. Please join me
003in welcoming our moderator, Nancy Brumback. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Alyssa. Quick check sound check, can you hear me? And then, second point, please silence your cell phones. And before we start, I'm going to briefly review the format and the rules for tonight's forum. Candidates in the contested race for Water District Commission will each make a 90-second opening statement, be asked five or six questions as time permits, and then give a 1-minute closing statement. Candidates in the contested races for Select Board and for the School Committee will each make a 90-second opening statement, be asked three to five open response questions as time permits, plus a rapid-fire section, and then give a 1-minute closing statement each. Candidates will have 60 seconds to answer each question. Every question will be asked of every candidate. There'll be
004no no rebuttals because we're very tight for time to allow for more more questions. Candidates may not interrupt each other and may not make personal references about other candidates. There's a timer next to me. She will hold up a 50-second warning and then a stop sign, at which point you stop speaking. The community was invited to submit questions by email and the league developed questions based in part on those most frequently asked. We are also taking written questions from the audience here tonight. We encourage you to contact the candidates directly if your question wasn't included in the discussion tonight. And following this forum, we will have a meet and greet for all the candidates who are here in this room. For those of you who may be watching this program on television later, a note
005that we recorded it on April 8th, so any relevant events that occur after that date will not be reflected in the forum and in the responses. So, we're starting with the contested race for Water District Commissioner. There are two candidates for one seat, uh Steven Stunts and John Peterson. We will start with opening comments of 90 seconds each and start with Steven Stunts. Uh good evening. I'm Steven Stunts, obviously, and I thank you all for coming to learning about this and thanking the league for setting this up. A little about myself, I was raised in Latin America while my father was a newspaper man for the Associated Press and it gave me a lot of background. From there, I came back to the Boston area for college. I went to MIT, the Harvard Business School,
006and then to Acton, where I've been for over 50 years. We raised our five children through the Acton-Boxborough school system, with which we were totally delighted, and we are now here. My work experience is in manufacturing and in the nonprofit world. I focused in those areas and the financial areas and in operations. The when I decided to give back to the town because we were having such a lovely time here, the Water District is what I chose. And while I was at the Water District, I focused on conservation and quality. The Why am I running again? I'm running again so we can solidify the gains that we have made and to continue the Water District as one of the prime water districts in the state. Thank you very much. Thank you. John Peterson. My family
007has called Acton home since 1986. Over a 50-year career in chemistry with a BS from MIT and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, I led drug development programs at seven biotechnology companies, managing global teams and multi-million dollar budgets. I've also represented you for seven years on the Acton-Boxborough School Committee, including two as chair, and [clears throat] for three years, I've served as a member of the Acton Water District Finance Committee. During those years, I authored and delivered the opening financial presentations at the annual meeting of the Water District. The Water District now has a $9 million annual budget and faces real financial pressures. I'm running because my scientific expertise, financial management experience, and deep knowledge of Acton governance make me the right person to provide the thoughtful questioning oversight the district needs to
008protect water quality, manage costs responsibly, and fairly serve the 95% of Acton residents who depend on our local wells and water distribution system. Thank you. We'll go down to the questions and each of you will have 60 seconds to answer the questions. I'll alternate back and forth. And the first question, John, you will start it first. The question is on the water rate structure. During the most recent Water District meeting, there was a significant debate and a failed budget vote regarding the balance between fixed debt fees and variable usage rates. Should the district rely more on fixed fees to ensure stable debt repayment or increase usage-based rates to provide relief to low-volume users? John. In the answers to the Green Acton questions, I put forward a specific proposal that the fixed percentage should be 40%
009while we do the rate study that was requested by the voters 3 years ago at the 2023 annual meeting. It is true that the district has a lot of fixed costs, but that's true of almost every manufacturing facility. The way in which costs are allocated between variable cost and fixed cost in terms of how items are priced impacts consumer behavior, and it's important that the district maintain a significant usage charge to incent conservation. Steven. This is what been an ongoing discussion at the board level for a number of years. We early on, when we started adding more and more bonded debt, we wanted to make sure that it didn't get built into the usage and the rate structure. So, we created the capital access fee based on paying for the quality improvements that the district
010voters had voted for and continue to support. So, that number became a much more of a fixed number and the usage fee, which is variable based on quantity of usage, is covers all the operating expenses. So, we are cons- not working towards fixed percentages on anything. We are taking the bond cost and allocating it to everybody cuz everybody wants the pure water and we have the usage fees based on a variable rate to encourage conservation and we are very good at conservation. Thank you. The next question and it will be yours first, Steven. The groundwater quality in Acton is threatened by pollution coming from two Superfund sites. >> [clears throat] >> Are you satisfied with the groundwater remediation program at the W.R. Grace and M M N M I Superfund sites? Why or why not?
011Steven. Are we ever satisfied? No. The we do monitor it, we follow it carefully, but really what we have are the treatment plans to protect the water. We are much more concerned about the quality of the water being delivered to you than monitoring some past failures of a of corporations. So, we are not satisfied with it but and we monitor it but we really are working towards the quality of the water that's delivered. John. Do you need the question again? No, thank you. Um so, there are two Superfund sites, the Nuclear Metals Metals site in Concord that impacts the Assabet wells and the W.R. Grace site which impacts the Conant wells. And those two sites are monitored under the Superfund program program by the EPA. We're fortunate in that we've always had very active citizens
012in the community who have been part of ACES and Green Acton who have encouraged EPA to be aggressive about you sure that the monitoring wells um are appropriately monitored, situated, uh and that that data is fed back into the remediation process. So, I think we're in good shape with respect to doing what can be done with those sites. I think it's also true that the granulated activated carbon systems that have been installed now at each of our facilities do provide a good level of protection for the quality of our water supply. Thank you. The next question uh we'll start with uh John. The uh the district recently established a PFAS settlement fund, and PFAS are the so-called forever chemicals. That fund with has $2.3 million um received received from litigation results. Do you support using
013that money to offset immediate operating expenses to keep rates flat, or should those funds be strictly reserved for long-term capital investments and future regulatory charges, or should they be used for PFAS remediation? Uh John, uh let's see, Stephen. No, I'm John first, sorry. Thank you. I the um litigation settlement, which, you know, currently is uh about $2.3 million and may in fact be more in the future, you know, does represent a significant resource for the district. But whose resource is it really? It's actually yours. You've already paid for the impact of PFAS in capital and operating expenses. So, when we think about that money, the district needs to think about what should we do with your money? What should we return to you now, and what should we reserve so that there's operating flexibility uh
014should there be unforeseen uh issues in the future? I think that the current appropriation of $600,000 that was voted at the annual meeting on the 18th was appropriate um to deal with some immediate things. It represents a significant reserve that's left behind. Um and I think that it's important to maintain uh some level of reserve to respond to future issues. Thank you, Stephen. Uh yes, this is a a process that's been around since the W.R. Grace fund. The settlement with Grace included a certain amount to be used in the future to continue to pay the cost of remediation. That is how these funds are being thought of. They will go into a fund where which are invested and then used, voted each year into the operating budget to cover the costs associated with the remediation
015that the chemicals have produced. We uh don't feel that we should be using those funds towards new capital costs or to any other cost, but to help offset the ongoing maintenance costs that we have. We had part of the $600,000 that we mentioned was paying for the treatment plant in North Acton, which is on a lease basis. The two South Acton plant, South Acton, West Acton plants were bonded. Thank you. Thank you. This will be the last question. Um and I'll start with uh Stephen. Coming out of the last Water District annual meeting, there's was a perception that the public did not have the opportunity to express their views. In your opinion, what is the purpose of the annual meeting, and what part could voters expect to play in that meeting? And start with Stephen.
016The The the purpose of the annual meeting is to to discuss the issues and to vote the budget. We uh in the discussion, there was a move the question was called, probably in my mind, too soon. But once that question is called, the debate is shut off, and that therefore people can't continue to ask questions. So, it became a frustration on our part to not be able to fully explain what we were doing. So, it was not a not a useful comment. Uh having the meeting cut off too soon is always a problem. Stephen. John. I think all the people in this room have been to town meeting, and you know that um what happens at town meeting starts much earlier. So, the discussion about what the budget should should look like and how uh
017the impact should be felt by the ratepayers really began in December of last year. So, people who want to influence what happens at the annual meeting really uh you know, would be well advised to attend those meetings to lead up to the annual meeting. Having said that, it is incumbent on the commissioners and the other representatives of district to recognize that people will come to annual meeting with limited information, and they need to do what they can do both in terms of handouts and in terms of presentations to make sure that the debate is well informed um and it can be as effective as possible within the constraint of the annual meeting structure. Thank you. And now we'll give a 1-minute closing statement from each of you, starting with John. Acton Water District customers care
018about clean, reliable water at a fair price, and so do I. But delivering on that requires more than good intentions. It requires someone who understands the science of water quality, knows how to analyze budgets, and has a track record of thoughtful stewardship of public funds. I spent decades managing complex organizations, implementing and documenting processes to achieve operational excellence. I've met difficult timeline and budget objectives. In 10 years of service to the people of Acton on the School Committee and the Water District Finance Committee, I've learned how those pieces fit together. I know this community, and I know what good governance looks like. If you want a commissioner who will ask hard questions, protect ratepayers, and bring real expertise to every decision, I ask for your vote to tonight. Thank you. Thank you, Stephen. Uh yes,
019I have Well, I want to start off by encouraging you all come to our special district meeting to vote the budget on April 22nd. It'll be 7:00 p.m. at the Acton Water District headquarters. I'd like to remind you all that we reward our low water users by in fact having a variable rate, and that we encourage that conservation through the the variable rate. The uh expenses are covered by the usage fees, and the uh oh, excuse me. I wanted to say that hardship cases are not the low water users. The hardship cases are handled separately. If the town gives a discount to the users, we do too. The uh expenses are covered by the usage fees. The capital the quality that we paid for in the bonding is paid for by the capital fees. And
020also, I also would recommend that you vote for me. Thank you both. A round of applause FOR THESE CANDIDATES. >> [applause] [applause] >> AND NOW WE NEED THE SELECT BOARD CANDIDATES. Thank you. There are three candidates for two seats on the Select Board. The third candidate, as as Alyssa mentioned earlier, Dan Carroll had another appointment. He will be here, and as soon as he comes, we will ask him to join this discussion at whatever point we are. Um the candidates is are Alyssa Nickel, Pam Nurse, and Dan Carroll. So, we will start with opening statements from each of the candidates, uh starting with with Alyssa, in a 90-second opening statement. Thank you. Um hello, everybody. It's so good to see you. I want to first off thank the League for planning this forum. I know
021there's a lot of work that goes into it. Um thank all of you for attending or watching at home. I appreciate you taking the time to learn about candidates and be engaged in our government. And especially thank you to Acton TV for the live stream and the recording. As many of you know, or maybe all of you, um local government has a real impact on the community members' lives, um access to parks, playgrounds, um hiking, and rail trails, concerts, public art and festival um festivals, enriching programming, health care and healthy meals at our senior center, affordability, public safety, public transportation, environmental and public health, educational excellence in our schools and our libraries. So, the work of your local officials on the Select Board is very challenging and very broad, but it's also very rewarding. Um
022I've also discovered in my first term on the Select Board that the work can also be very slow. And while I've seen several successes realized, there are just as many ongoing issues that the board is working on that I would like to continue to contribute to. Thanks. Thank you, Pam. Your 90-second opening statement. Thank you very much, and good evening. And I also would like to thank the League for sponsoring this forum tonight. So, again, my name is Pam Nurse. I've lived in Acton for 33 years. I've raised two daughters here, and this town has been my home, my community, and a place where I have seen firsthand how local government decisions can impact everyday life. So, a little about me. For the last 10 years, I've been Acton's representative to the Minuteman School Committee.
023I recently retired as the executive director of the Federation for Children with Special Needs. And these experiences have shown me the importance of steady, thoughtful leadership that is essential to the Select Board's success in representing people in Acton. If elected, I will bring a collaborative problem-solving approach to the role. I believe in listening carefully, asking informed and sometimes tough questions, and working respectfully with residents, town staff, and fellow board members to find solutions that reflect our shared values. Fiscal responsibility, transparency, and thoughtful planning will be central to my work. I would be honored to serve and to help ensure that Acton continues to be a place where people can afford to live, feel included, and thrive. And thank you, and I look forward to the discussion tonight. Thank you. We'll go now to the questions.
024Each of you will have 60 seconds to answer each question, and I'll alternate between you or the three of you if when Mr. Carroll arrives. So, the first question and first question will go to Pam first. The board is debating whether to adopt a policy or a formal bylaw regarding surveillance technologies like facial recognition. What is your position on the trade-off between public safety benefits and privacy risks posed by mass data collection? Pam. I think that this is a critical role for the board to be considering right now, and I think the way that the question is worded is exactly what the debate is. It's weighing those trade-offs, and I think it's very, very important that we protect the people in Acton, protect our citizens, but we also want to be able to do it
025in a way that does not impinge on safety. So, I am very much in favor of exploring alternatives and ways that we can be moving forward to address this in order to be protecting the privacy of Acton residents. Thank you, Alyssa. Thank you. I have pretty much the same position. I think that surveillance technology has a very important role to play in public safety. You often read news reports about just such technology that can help locate missing people, resolve solve crimes, and I think that we need to get ahead of the rapid advance of new technologies and the spreading use of technologies by creating a policy that will protect folks' privacy. So, I think that the Select Board has a role here to adopt a policy that touches on data storage, data sharing in order
026to protect residents' privacy, but also makes available limited use of of certain surveillance technologies. There are some that are more invasive than others. Thank you. The next question, Alyssa, will go to you first. The proposed 25 to 29 million-dollar public works facility has faced criticism for being over-scoped. Do you support the current 44B design that reuses existing storage buildings, or would you advocate for a further reduction in scope to reach a smallest possible footprint? I definitely support the current plan now because I think it meets the most critical need, which is to provide safe and working environment for our staff and our departmental operations, and it leaves the existing building for vehicle storage. And we also need to think about vehicle storage that is better, but that's going to come come into the future. So,
027right now, I think that the plan that we're bringing forward for design money to town meeting is the right one, and I and I would not recommend making that footprint any smaller. And hopefully in the future we'll get better vehicle storage and wash bay to make sure that we can wash our vehicles, but keep the the wash water that has deicing chemicals out of the wetlands that are all around the DPW site. Thank you, Pam. Okay. Well, I also feel the same. Oh, dear. [laughter] We're lucky this isn't a debate here now. I I I do appreciate all the time and effort that's gone in by the part of the the town, the town's committees, the Select Board, the Finance Committee to be responsive to the feedback that came from last year's town meeting in
028looking at, you know, a smaller scope for this project. You know, clearly, it's necessary, and I do approve with the current plan, and, you know, the strides that really have been made to reduce costs. Thank you. The next question will go to Pam first. Beyond the Public Service Academy, what changes would you propose to make serving on town boards more accessible to a more diverse demographic of residents? Oh, thank you for this question. I think it's it's a very, very important question. And, you know, part of what makes Acton so special is the fact that we have so many people that step up to volunteer to do the critical work that's needed and bring in all that diverse perspective into town. I think that I think that there's a lot of steps that we can
029take. I think part of it is, you know, we we need to be clear on what we're asking volunteers to do. You know, is there a time frame? Are we asking for an unlimited commitment? What is it that we're asking for? I think we need to be gathering feedback. How do people hear about these opportunities? You know, how do we communicate the need for people to step up and to be able to, you know, have a real understanding of what of what of what the opportunities are. And I think a lot of it comes down to just really strong communication. So, thank you. Alyssa. This is a very important question. I've spoken many times over the years about the need to to bring in a more diverse group of of residents who can serve on
030our boards and committees. One of the Select Board's goals is to improve the recruitment and the onboarding process, and I've been working closely with the volunteer coordinating committee and another board member on brainstorming ways that we can do that. We're putting together a survey to get input from folks, and I think that one of the things that's pretty intimidating is the formal structure, the way that meetings are run by Robert's Rules. Just the language is is very archaic. So, some of the ideas that we've had are to definitely update our volunteer handbook so people know exactly what they're getting into, but also to hopefully set up a mentoring program where we can assign someone who has been on the committee for a while to help guide new members in their work on the on the
031committee. Thank you. This question will go to Alyssa first. With Acton's commercial tax base currently below 10%, what specific incentives would you support to attract more businesses to Acton? This is probably something that we hear more about than any other issue except maybe traffic in town, the the need for more commercial tax base, a higher tax base, and I'm really happy that we've had an economic development director position for a few years. Both women who have been in that position, currently in the position, have been fantastic, really, really stellar employees. And I'm also happy that the Economic Development Committee brought to town meeting a petition to develop a strategic plan for economic development in town. So, I think that number one is is implementing the action items in that strategic plan, and and some of
032those will come to voters at town meeting this year. So, just plugging away at that. Another item that will be coming before town meeting voters is a tax incentive, and I can't remember what the F stands for. This What? >> [laughter] >> Financing in order to help businesses grow and expand in Acton. Thank you, Pam. I apologize. >> [laughter] >> So, I've been going around and talking to having a lot of meetings and talk going door-to-door to talk to um residents of Acton, and this is one of the top issues on people's minds. Um in addition to the items that are um coming up um at town meeting, which I think are very very important, and which I think are a a good first step, I also think it's important that we have the data
033and that we understand, you know, why is it that businesses aren't coming to Acton? You know, what are if we look at, you know, the people who who have been solicited or who have looked at coming to Acton to really dig down and figure out and to be able to, you know, have that information available broadly, so we understand, you know, what are the barriers. But in addition, um you know, for those who are here to really look at what their needs are and um make sure that we are addressing those. Thank you. This will be the final question before the lightning round. So, I going first to Pam, you're running for a three-year term. What are your top three priorities? So, when I've talked to people in town about what their priorities are, the
034top issue that has come up is affordability. And when people talk about affordability and when I think about affordability, I think about it in the following ways. And one was what we had just talked about, how to make that shift in the tax base, but it's also looking at ways, how can we make sure that long-term Acton residents can afford to stay, and how can we make sure that Acton is affordable for new families? And I know that these are issues that are top of mind for people in Acton and would be my top priority if I was to be elected. Secondly, a priority is improving communication and transparency, which I think is critical to fostering trust in government. And there's I think we have to use every tool at our disposal, including I think
035maybe looking at how to make our website more user-friendly. Um I think also another important issue is balancing both um our open space and housing needs. Thank you. Alyssa. So, I think my top I know my top three priorities are balancing the budget. Uh we have just um completed the multi-year financial model and accepted it as the Acton Leadership Group with representatives from the School Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Select Board, and our out years um are looking like very large deficits, so we're going to have another challenge um each and every year over the next three years to balance the budget. I also want to focus on uh water, and I'm going to say two different kinds of water um in different forms. Stormwater um is a significant issue. Uh we have aging
036infrastructure, and we need to come up with a a sustainable funding mechanism for that, and also our winter storm program. Um the level of of salt in our drinking water has been going up over time over the last decade. Um so, I wanted to make that two, but we'll just call that three. >> [laughter] >> Cuz I have a stop sign. Thank you. We'll go to lightning round. Let me just check, has Dan Carroll arrived at Okay, so it'll be the two of you. I'm going to try to remember to go back and forth between you. Is this a yes or no question answer? No no elaboration, no comments. Ready? And I'll start with Alyssa. Have you attended a Select Board meeting in its entirety this year? >> [laughter] >> NO. YES. YES. >> [laughter]
037>> OKAY. Do you believe the town should expand the municipal shuttle service to include weekend hours? Pam? Yes. Alyssa? Yes. Is it time to expand the current municipal sewer district in Acton? Alyssa? I'll reread again. >> Can you remind me of what our options are for answers? >> [laughter] >> Yes, no, and maybe. Maybe. >> [laughter] >> You stole my answer. >> [laughter] >> Do you support the current proposal to convert Town Hall to a fossil fuel-free all-electric HVAC system? Pam? Yes. Yes. Should [snorts] the town exercise its right of first refusal to buy 46 Taylor Road? I assume you know what that is. For $1.4 million? Alyssa? Sure. >> [laughter] >> Is it's complicated an answer? Nope. Yes, no, or maybe. Um I'm going to say no. And now, thank you very much. You
038survived that. And we'll go to the closing statements. Again, a one-minute closing statement, and we'll start with Pam. And I would be happy to talk to anyone to um so that I can explain my last answer, because as I said, it is complicated, and I have a great deal of respect for the Arboretum and for um for all the people who have been giving um testimony. Um so, I would love to have an opportunity to talk to people more about that. Um I want to thank everyone for this opportunity. You know, if elected, I will bring a thoughtful, collaborative approach focused on listening to residents, making informed decisions, and balancing fiscal responsibility with the needs of our community. I believe good local government is grounded in transparency, respect, and long-term thinking. I would be honored
039to serve on the Select Board and to contribute to leadership that makes Acton welcoming, affordable, and accessible for everyone. Thank you, and I respectfully ask for your vote. Alyssa. So, it seems like we haven't given you much distinction um here tonight between the two candidates. Um but I think that's that's okay. Um public service for me is is energizing and fulfilling. Um one of my talents is uh making connections and building bridges and building consensus um to start new partnerships and new initiatives, and I promise that I will continue to be devoted to doing that, um showing up prepared and informed, asking difficult questions, um making sure that I I thoroughly understand an issue before voting, and continuing to reach out to the community. I'm really involved in the community. I volunteer for lots of
040organizations. I like to show up at events and get to know people and um learn what their concerns are and provide information, and I would uh be grateful for one of your two votes on April 28th or before. Thank you. And I I think a round of applause. We will >> [applause] >> Wait, wait. I I think we will let Dan Carroll do his closing statement. Uh Dan Carroll has just finally made it, and uh we will let him do his closing statement for Select Board. All right. Thank you for Thank you for having me. I'll just merge this with the opening statement for School Committee. So, I'm running for two seats, which I know is unusual, Select Board and uh School Committee. I think that this is a uh critical critical moment for our
041town and for our school district, and I think we need somebody on both boards to have some synergy between the two and really get things done over the next two to three years. Thank you. Thank you. A round of applause for the Select BOARD CANDIDATES. >> [applause] >> AGAIN. AND I'LL ASK THE School Committee candidates to come up. All right. This is a contested race for the Acton-Boxborough Regional School Committee. There are six candidates, as you see, for three open seats. The candidates are Tory Campbell, Dennis Baranik, Daniel Carroll, Jake Fay, Diego Repressa, and Natasha Sikorski Unger. Uh we will start with one-minute or no, I'm sorry, 90-second opening statements. Sorry, guys, didn't mean to panic you there. 90-second opening statements uh starting with Tory Campbell. Good evening, and thank you so much for hosting
042us. My husband and I spent 20 years as Army officers, including teaching at West Point, before settling in Acton. I then earned two master's degrees in education, and for the past 3 years, I've used that experience to help lead our district through its most challenging work. For 3 years, I've worked closely with district and town leaders to balance community needs and prepare budgets for town meeting. I've developed a deep understanding of our budget drivers, advocated for a necessary override, helped secure more than $700,000 in additional state aid, and led the elementary budget task force, a community effort, to help find efficiencies within our six school K-6 model. Through this work, I came to understand we could not simply advocate our way out of a structural challenge. I stepped forward to serve on the AB Forward
043Steering Committee and chair the School Committee through the difficult process of closing a building and reorganizing our elementary schools. This plan asks a lot of our community, but it allows us to better support students, protect key staff, give educators more flexibility to work together, and save $17 million over 10 years. This year, as we implement AB Forward and select a new superintendent, five of 11 School Committee seats are on the ballot, three from Acton. I am the only Acton incumbent. I bring the experience, continuity, and steady leadership this moment requires, and I'm counting on each of you to make sure that continues. Thank you. Thank you. Dennis Baranek. Great. Thank you and good evening. Thank you to the League of Women Voters for hosting the event and to all of my fellow candidates here for
044supporting such an important cause in our schools. My wife and I moved to Acton in 2008 largely because of its top-rated schools. With two of our children out of high school and the younger two reaching their teenage years, I feel that now is the time for me to give back. Many of us are keenly aware that our district has faced many challenges over the past decade, and with the upcoming school reconfiguration and changes in administration, we need strong leadership that has experience evaluating and solving complex problems. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest after moving around as a military child. I went to public schools for K-12 and attended MIT where I ultimately got my PhD in aerospace engineering. I've leveraged my technical skills in a 25-year career solving some of the hardest problems and
045building advanced prototypes. In aerospace engineering, we're taught not only to look at the individual parts, but also how the parts of a system must work together. Returning to MIT for my MBA taught me that the same is true for organizations such as our school district, and I now apply my skills as the head of transformation in a large R&D firm. Through the years, I have volunteered in my kids' classrooms in elementary school, coached the youth sports, and I've spent 10 years as a scouting leader. I believe that my personal and professional experience provides me with the solid foundation for a seat on the School Committee, and in this role, I commit to listening and learning from the community, learning all their perspectives, and then using data to inform my decisions. Thank you. Next is Daniel
046Carroll. It's alphabetical on my list. So, I'm here for all the parents out there that are maybe on your couch or on your phone, maybe listening at 1.5 speed. I'm not here to waste your time. I live the life every day of raising children. I know what it's like in the school. I know what it's like to drop off and pick up and wait in the line and pick up, wait for the the go sign. I'm somebody that that understands that we we haven't all been heard in this process, and I think there's been great intentions, but it started right in May, right after the town meeting, and it's wrapping up right now. And I think we need to to listen to what the parents had to say. I think we need to find a
047find a solution and work harder. It's what I'm here to do. I'm here to do two jobs. I think we need to work harder and come back with a better solution instead of just deciding what we think is best for everyone and presenting that. So, I'm not here to yell at you. I'm here to listen, and I think we can we can do better together. We can come up with a better solution together. That includes with the town budget. Thank you. Jake Fay. Hi. I'd like to thank the League of Women Voters for having us here tonight. I'd like to thank such a wonderful attendance of people. It's been a while since I've spoke to this many people in public. And I'd also like to thank the fact that we have six candidates up here.
048It's a testament to the fact that Acton does care deeply about its schools. My name is Jake Fay, and like a lot of families in Acton, I started paying attention to what was going on with School Committee a lot more this year when I heard about a plan to reorganize schools. I also started to think about what I could offer my my community in this moment. I am a career educator, starting many, many years ago as a middle school American history teacher. I left the classroom reluctantly, partly because my fiance at the time was coming back to Boston. She's a Lincoln resident growing up, and she was going back to law school, so I said, "Sure, I'll come journey up to Boston with you." And I went back to the Harvard Graduate School of Education
049where I got my doctorate. I went back to school to ostensibly learn how to become a better history teacher, and I left studying the role of schools in a democracy. Particularly, I wrote my dissertation on school closures and reorganizations, thinking carefully about what do communities need to navigate these difficult moments. I've co-edited two books on the complexity of educational decision-making, and I now work at a nonprofit that uh helps colleges and universities navigate difficult moments and difficult conversations. I'm here because I think I can bring this expertise to the role on the School Committee. Thank you. Thank you. Diego Represa. Hello everyone. Good evening. My name is Diego Represa. I'm the father of four young kids. I was When I was a kid, I went to school in Madrid, in one of the poorest district.
050When I was a teenager, my father become sick, and I had to start tutoring kids in younger grades to help financially my family. But thank you to my family, my teachers, and my community, I was able to go to college. I was able to become an aerospace engineer, too. And since then, I have been trying to pay forward what I received, looking for opportunities. I was mentoring high school students for more than 10 years. I was volunteering in Africa. I become a foster father, and now with your vote, I would like to help our kids in our town to be through the School Committee. My goals for the If I become a member of the School Committee, is to bring the conversation back to education, to the real challenge that the kids and the teacher
051face every day. Also, to ensure there is consistency across all the schools. We have finished the open enrollment, so as as a parent, we cannot choose schools anymore, so I think we need to guarantee the School Committee has to guarantee the consistency across all the schools. And then, we need to solve the long-term budget issue. This reorganization has helped, but we are still we heard in the previous, we still have a gap, and we need to address that gap, so we are not coming back with the issue every year. Thank you. Natasha Svirsky-Ankin. Good evening. My name is Natasha Svirsky-Ankin, and I'm running for the Acton-Boxborough School Committee because our district is at a crossroads that demands proactive, transparent, and truly high-stakes financial stewardship, skills I believe I bring to the this role. Professionally, I
052bring 25 years of experience in higher education administration, as the Dean of Student Financial Services at Harvard Law School. I've worked through changing student needs, shifting institutional priorities, and tight budgets, helping develop responsible, innovative solutions. I'm used to listening carefully, asking hard questions, and building consensus across different perspectives. I also see firsthand what skills students need to thrive in college and life after graduation, insight I will bring directly to this position. My commitment to this work deepened in 2022 when my oldest son started kindergarten at the new Board Walk campus. Seeing a state-of-the-art building underutilized while enrollment trended downward was a wake-up call about our district's long-term planning and fiscal choices. As a parent of two elementary school students in the district, I'm an active school volunteer. I've served through the PTO, running the book
053fair and co-chairing the March reading challenge, and I've been part of the school's cultural ambassador ambassador committee. The district vision of a graduate project and engaged with the AB Forward process. I'm running to help guide the elementary reorganization, the superintendent transition, and long-term budget planning in a way that protects educational excellent excellence, restores trust, and keeps our schools strong and sustainable in the future. Thank you. We'll go now to the longer questions. Each of you will answer each question. You will each have 1 minute to answer the question. I will be asking it in a random order. So, uh if I should forget you, please raise your hand. Uh the first question, and Natasha, we'll come to you first. The School Committee has spent a lot of time on the question of school reorganization, considering
054priorities and trade-offs at every step. What [clears throat] one aspect of the plan would you change? Natasha. So, one aspect of the plan I think I would change is I believe a decision was made before data was fully received and I think that there has been additional data particularly around the success and the pros and cons of geographic redistribution that were presented by the Dillinger Group. So the Dillinger Group being the group that is advising on the new geographic model and lots of admission along the way that Acton-Boxborough this district is not necessarily a district that is easy to split in a geographic way and I think that there was data that was perhaps um it was not reevaluated in a way that it should have been and I think that there needed to be
055a pause and a pivot and time to for the school committee to really discuss the new data there. Thank you. Tory. >> [clears throat] >> So when I think about community engagement we've done something that no one else has done. Not no one else. Most districts don't do. We have brought our community along through the development of this process from the very start. The data's been out there the whole time. What's been challenging is how do you get everybody into the room at the same time? So I've noticed that we've gone through cycles where one group has understood what's going on and has moved on in their understanding and another group is coming in and they're like wait no we have to go back to this. We haven't looked at this. And that has been
056one of the biggest challenges. So what I think I've learned from this is there's about a two-week cycle there. You have to do everything you can to bring everybody along. And you can't have too much time in that cycle because it gets drawn out and people get really frustrated and we find ourselves in a place we're all looking at each other like what's going on. That said I am amazed at our community's participation. Thank you. Thank you. Daniel. The the thing that I miss more is to understand the rationale behind the decision from some of the school meeting school committee members and that was one of the reason why I decided to run for the school committee. When I was I I watched the replay I didn't see live the when the decision was made
057in January and when the the about the geographic decision about moving about closing the open enrollment I I knew the solution but I didn't understand why we were going to the geographic. So I was excited. Okay, I'm going to watch and going to understand what why we are doing maybe I'm missing. I don't understand. It's okay. Like I don't have all the solution. I want to learn how we are doing this. And then as I was losing as I was listening to the meeting the replay suddenly like half of the comments they weren't in a good rationale behind it. So it was like how can we be making such an important decision without a good rationale? So I think that's what I'm missing is we need to be able as as a school committee to
058provide a good rationale on why we are taking such a difficult decision. So that's the part I would change. Thank you. Thank you. Again to refresh the question it's what one aspect of the school reorganization plan would you change? Dennis. Great. Thank you. So I I was a part of the AB AB Forward Steering Committee starting almost a year ago looking at this and we looked at a lot of the data and a lot of the situations. The one thing I would change is that we had more insight in looking at how the assignment to schools would be doing that process. At that point we were mostly just looking at the various configurations and not the assignments and I think that could have brought the community into that part of the discussion sooner so that
059it didn't feel so rushed for everyone at this point in time. I said the data's been out there. We know we know that something had to change as part of this. That was very clear to me from the start. We listened to the community along the way and then made our best recommendation to the school committee. Thank you. Dennis Daniel. Thank you for the question. I think that's an easy one for me. I would be I would pay a mediator. I would have mediation instead of paying an out-of-state consultant to look at how long it takes to drive a bus from South Acton to Blanchard. I would have had a hired a mediator. I think that's where you get people in the room at the same time instead of between two-week cycles. We've been chasing
060chasing in a circle here. And I think you you get somebody in the same room, get a professional mediator and you can pay them and we get both sides to come to come to consensus on this. Jake. Thanks. One of the biggest challenges oftentimes with big policy changes around school closures and reorganizations is how do you make a decision and how do you bring along the community with them? So I think my answer is actually very close to Tory's here. Um we tried to strike a balance or the school committee tried to strike a balance between bringing people's input in and also having to make exceedingly difficult hard decisions. Um I think what I would change is just uh that that balance, right? We have started to almost feel in some ways like we're spiraling.
061We're seeing so many iterations of plans and I would have liked to see just a little bit more let's be decisive. Let's make a decision and let's move forward with something rather than continually going through cycles of input and response and input and response. These are very momentous decisions but we also had really qualified caring people on the board on the committee. Thank you. The next question and it will start with Dennis. Uh the high school has now had two years of de-leveled classes. Has this change accomplished its goals or are there changes that should be made to the program to better support students? Starting with Dennis. Sure. Um my second child graduated from high school yesterday so she actually wasn't part of the de-leveling process. I don't have the first-hand information that I I
062do I would have normally. Um I think with any decisions you make along this type of changes to the structure of the education it's wise to revisit it every so often and look at how it's responding and then make adjustments. These are difficult decisions that the committee and the schools have had to make over the years. Um and I think that being self-reflective about what was decided and why and how it's working based on both the input from the community as well as what the data shows is definitely worth doing if I were the school if I were on the school committee. Thank you. Jake. Uh similarly my children are both in elementary school and we have yet to think about the implications around high school which is a terrifying thought with a eight-year-old and
063a five-year-old. Um uh however I I I think that with any of these decisions um the collecting data a starting with the decision collecting data about it assessing whether that is working or whether it's not is is the purview of the school committee and making adjustments to the policy um based on what the data is telling you, right? We want to make sure that the education programs that we are offering are are uh going to keep the exceptional quality of our high school. That is what draws people to Acton and so we have a responsibility to stay on top of all those types of those decisions. Daniel. So if I could ask a clarifying question it seems clear that half the panel doesn't doesn't have direct experience with this. My understanding is level services means
064from one year to the next you have the same level of service to each student in succeeding years. Is that correct? I don't know. Okay. So that's what I understand it from what what Peter Lightbody said before. So in that context I'll answer the question of I I did I don't think it's served its purpose but it is it is it is a rationing of services that we are having to go through right now the same way we are having to ration the services in our elementary schools in terms of having the teachers that have to you know deal with the the the limited resources that they have and feeling overwhelmed and overworked. So I don't I don't think that it's it's it's serving our community as well as we would like but it's something
065that we are going to have to go through and we have to make some decisions about can we find more money in the budget to to keep level services and that's what I would like to do. Thank you. Let me read the question again for the audience. The high school has had two years of de-leveled classes now. Has this change accomplished its goals or are there changes that should be made to the program? Uh next is Natasha. So I fall into the category of elementary school children and so this is not something I know a tremendous amount about. Um but I do believe that it's always we need to be going back to the data and we need to be going back to our experts which would be the teachers that are in the classroom
066and we need to be asking if they feel that this is in fact a a successful program or where we need to consider pivoting. Um and so I think that that I would need to have more information on this particular topic but I think that that's where we have have to trust in the professionals that we as a district have been fortunate to bring to Acton. Thank you. Tory. So re-leveling, this is what we call it. Um has been incredibly good according to the data. The state publishes data about access to advanced coursework and we were behind our peers before we did this. What this did was allow more students in the high school to access advanced coursework. They're doing it and not only that the data tells us they are succeeding. They are scoring
067on AP courses three to five which gets you credit in college at a rate that we didn't have before. Unquestionably for the students who want that opportunity to push themselves, it is working. The place we need more data is a lot harder to collect cuz it's not done at the state level. We need to know what's happening to the students who are in these the the signature class. And the way that we find that out is we talk to our educators. We want to know what their experiences are. What they need is more time to continue to collaborate to best support this program cuz it is a work in progress. Thank you, Diego. I think the for the to look at the high school, we also need to look at the elementary school and understand
068what are the real problems the kids are facing I nowadays. There is challenge nowadays that the the teachers are facing. When you talk with them, they they have the issues like how they are handling AI and how that affects all this and what those challenges are affecting in the kids in all the levels like in the AP courses, in the signature courses. Like they are affected by all of them and we need to understand how they are handling those and how we can help the teacher to handle those issues because those background issues that are coming from the elementary school and affecting the the high school. So we can readjust the high school but we cannot look only at the high school. We need to look at the middle school and the middle school and
069the elementary school and how that affects the whole career of the kids because you cannot help you can help the kids at the end but really matters like what foundation you are introducing to the kids and how they that you build from that foundation from the elementary school all the way up to high school and college. Okay, we go to the next question and it will go first to Diego. With special education tuition and health insurance costs rising sharply, the district faces recurring structural deficits. Beyond school consolidation, what specific revenue generating or cost saving measures would you propose to ensure long-term fiscal stability? Diego. So the first thing I think we have to be clear on what's the target and what where we are. So I think now we are getting that long-term model. We
070understand what's the gap. We know that are now like we are talking about 6%. We need to bring it to 3%. The organization seems to have fixed like 1%. So we still need to understand the gap is 2%. So very very first thing is to understand what's the real gap we need to address. Then we need to figure out ways to get more revenue like maybe we can do more extended day long or summer camps or other things to get money. We can go to the to the state but also we need to to be like understand what are the real priorities, what are the real because when you invest the money, not all the money works. You need to understand what's the money that is working. What are your goals, right? Our goal is
071to bring the kids that are struggling more to a good position or to help the ones that are exceeding. What are our KPIs that we need to address? And once we understand what are our goals, then we can figure out where we can restructure or where we can be more efficient. At the end of the day like our budget is very is is high. So we need to use it well. Thank you. Thank you, Tory. So on the savings side, the costs avoided. We've already cut back on curriculum digital subscriptions, maintenance and upkeep. We spend between about two-thirds and three-quarters of what our peer districts do on that. We've already cut our administrators and our non-student facing staff. We've cut our secondary teachers back. Our class sizes are are pushed really high at that level
072and we have just right-sized our elementary footprint. There's not a lot much more to cut. And that's something I told ALG. We're out we're out of rabbits to pull out of hats. There's things we can do on the revenue side. First of all, advocacy is really important. We had an incredible letter writing campaign last year and I really want to thank the select board and the finance committee and all the members of the community who helped with that. We have to keep that up. And also, we have to continue to communicate that the assumption that Acton just because we have high property value, we have a high ability to pay taxes, that's wrong. We have people on fixed incomes. We have to advocate to get that changed. Thank you, Jake. Thank you. So like Tory
073said, I think we've cut pretty much everything that we can cut. And on the revenue side, asking Acton residents to continually pay is a hardship that not everybody is is interested in taking on. I think it's time to think about some creative solutions. I think one place that I'd be interested in learning more about is we pay one of the one of the largest costs we have is for external special education services because our district is not able to provide them in-house. I also know that we have inconsistent inclusion inclusive education and special education experiences across our our schools for our students. And I wonder if actually investing in internal special education supports may actually be a cost saving measure because we can focus on internal costs rather than paying the external costs as well
074as developing and building up the experience for students that receive special education services here in Acton. Thank you, Dennis. Thank you. So this has been mentioned a couple times before and even in the last panel that the school budget is tied to the town budget and the town's ability to generate new economic revenue perhaps in different ways other than residential tasks. So I think there's a couple things that I would say is incumbent on the school committee is to work with the select board and find ways that we can maybe help do that and attract people to the town for the same reason many of us moved here, for the schools. I think as Tory mentioned, there's also an advocacy at the state level and working with our local state representatives on how schools are
075funded and making sure that the state revenue is is allocated fairly. Um because I also when I looked at the school budget, there's very little left to cut in terms of discretionary. It's tied up in the teachers and the teachers are what make our school system what it is. And lastly, I I also agree with with Jake on on the special education. As the parent of two kids with special needs, we decided to put them in the schools here which was the right choice for our family and we want to make sure that families everywhere can make the right choice for their kids. Thank you and Natasha. So I agree. I think that we have we've exhausted, you know, with the right-sizing of our elementary school facilities, I think we are doing pretty much all
076that we can. You know, the there's not really an ability to cut teachers any further. If you look at the [clears throat] way the class sizes are going to be handled in the next few years especially over the elementary school classes next year in particular and I know that this will improve over time, you know, that that really is not a place where anything can be pulled any further. So agreeing that there needs to be advocacy, there needs to be collaboration with the town so that we can figure out ways to increase revenue. If you don't, you know, there's there's the taxpayers can only be asked to do so much and quite frankly at this point in time, you know, the community really is a financial asset and I I worry that that's very much
077broken right now that as a financial asset just because of the strain and the division that has happened over the past year. Thank you and Daniel. All right, I must be quickly. So even military AI research is is not getting the funding that they've that they that they need at a time where you'd think that would be where you'd put some money. I think we stop looking at the hats for rabbits. I think where where we need to do where we need to look is in our network. Make make some networks with other towns. Look outside. Getting money from traditional traditional channels and make some partnerships. I think Peter Light spoke about that that was on the docket of the initial round of consideration but that would take too much time. We've got some time
078now. Let's get out there. Let's talk to some other towns. They have some needs too. They're doing some banding too. Let's get together. Let's minimize some of these costs. Let's make this happen. Thank you. Go to the next question and it'll go first to Tory. Superintendent Peter Light is departing in 2027. What specific strengths are you looking for in the next superintendent? Yes, I was probably one of the first people to get that phone call. Um Our superintendent has to be able to understand and hold many perspectives. Our community is incredibly diverse and I will tell you that there are so many different perspectives that we are balancing right now just through what we're doing through AB Forward. You have to really be able to listen. You have to be able to talk to people.
079You have to be able to understand that sometimes you're not going to agree but you do have to be able to hear each other. It needs to be somebody with unifying strengths. This has been an incredibly hard year. An incredibly hard year. Somebody who is a healer and can help bring us back together. And we need somebody with the tenacity to carry out the strategic plan we put together in AB Forward. It's not just about reorganizing the elementary schools. That's the how we managed to keep everything sustainable. But there is a lot of important work in there to make sure every student achieves vision of a graduate. Thank you, Diego. I think that when selecting the the new superintendent it's very important to consider like the superintendent is a partner of the school committee, is
080a partner of our town, and he has to understand the problems that we are facing, understand the problems that we have the economical problem, we have the challenge that the kids are facing now they nowadays like with the new technologies, and how we are handling that, and also has to be someone that bring ideas. So, it has to be a mix of listening, but at the same time like bringing ideas that help us. Like these problems are difficult. I'm not saying like these problems are easy. So, we need someone that is able to propose idea, is able to listen, but bring like not just go for the ride. Like we need someone with initiative to propose ideas. Thank you. Dennis. Yeah, I like I like to think in rules of three years. So, I have
081three key things that I'm looking for in the next superintendent. One is an experienced educator and administrator that's able to understand the needs of our students and our faculty. One is a strong ability to listen and to communicate the decisions and why they're being made. And lastly, I'm looking for some stability and a long long-term commitment that can help enact a long-term strategic plan. Uh let's see. Daniel. Would you mind refreshing the question, please? The question is what you would be looking for in the next superintendent. I think continuity in leadership is vital at a time of such drastic reor- reorganization. So, I think when I heard that Mr. Light was was moving on, it was an impetus for me to run. Now, I want to be I want to be clear to say I
082I support everything Peter Light has done up to this point. I think he's been excellent for our school district, and I think that where he's going, I think he could touch people in an international school that may someday go up and come serve on this school committee. So, I I don't have any bad feelings about him leaving at this point. I think it's great for his career. I think that we're we're going to have to look for somebody who's willing to come step into some some shoes that are maybe tough to fill, and I think somebody that has some big ideas and is willing to take some risks. Thank you. Natasha. So, I think that having a new superintendent at this point in time is a real it's it's a huge opportunity. Anytime you have
083a leader that is charged with making such a big and you know, a big and unfortunately divisive change that the community is trying to grapple with, I think the the opportunity for somebody to come in new and kind of a fresh start. And so, I think the next superintendent we really need to see somebody who has you know, a basis in change leadership, a basis in community and consensus building because there's there's some unfortunate repairing that needs to be done across the community and across the district. Um there needs to be some trust built. I think that there is you know, there's a difference between transparency and clarity. Diego sort of alluded to the the fact that you know, we need a superintendent who's willing to explain their why, explain why they've made the choices
084that they've made. And I I think that those will all be important skills and important characteristics to look for in our next superintendent. And Jake. Um I am not looking for a superintendent that is coming in seeking to reinvent and create more change. I think that the thing we should be prioritizing is someone who recognizes that Acton already has AB Forward and can buy into a plan that's already committed, that we've already committed to, and that will actually work with FinCom and the Select Committee in both Acton and Boxborough to build new partnerships and see how can we continue to navigate the challenges that are ahead. Um we we are not through the rough waters with the school and the district, and we need someone who's going to be willing to build those sorts of
085partnerships with other town leaders, to work and listen to the community and understand how we can bring the community along with us that with the AB Forward plan that we already have. So, I'm not looking for a change agent. I'm looking for someone who's going to execute and manage carefully and thoughtfully and in a relational manner with the people of Acton. Okay, we'll have one last round of 60-second answers and then go to the lightning round. And this one will start with Daniel. How do you think AB schools should prepare students to use artificial intelligence? It's a great question. So, I think we've got to accelerate beyond artificial intelligence. I mean, we we need to play to our strengths here. We're an excellent school district. I think we've got to move harder and faster with
086robotics and science and math and everything that we do well. I think that you're if you use AI and you accelerate beyond the chase of AI, you're not going to get caught up and not have any job when you graduate from college. I think that is that should be the concern that we have for the generation that it's going to be graduating in a number of years is that there won't be starter jobs for them. So, we're going to have to have to push them beyond and maybe start their own business and be entrepreneurs and maybe we teach them how to do that while they're in high school instead of letting them learn through a uh entrepreneur class in in in college. Thank you. Natasha. So, AI is unfortunately coming for all of us. And
087I think that is something that we need to be sure that we are not behind the ball on. It is going to be you know, a part of everyone's daily life whether we like it or not. And the more that we can do to make sure that our students are prepared for it and using it as something that's additive. It's not a replacement for learning how to write, learning how to to make speeches in front of groups. There are certain things that AI will never be able to replace, but there are certain things where AI really can boost. And that should be something that we are you know, we are embracing from at the student level, at the administration level, at the teacher level just because it's a necessity. It's it's where where where the
088world is heading. Jake. Uh so, two sides to this coin. On the one side, I think we need to teach basic skills. I think we need to teach critical literacy. I think we need to teach critical thinking because what AI actually does is put incredible amounts of information at students' fingertips, and it makes it really difficult to know what is true, what is real, all the same things that we've wrestled with in our classrooms in different ages with different technologies, right? So, there is a commitment to the basics that we need to continue to hold on to. At the at the the other side of the coin is that we need to think about what are the things that AI does not do well, and how can our classrooms do those things, right? So, we
089you know, AI is artificial intelligence, but if we think about the type of things that classrooms are good for that AI can't do, we are able to achieve something like intelligence augmentation, right? We are able to actually build on what our students need. So, those it starts with those those those skills, and we need to be thinking about what is it that our classrooms do well that AI does not. Thank you. Tory. So, I'm just going to say that I agree with a lot of things have already been said. So, maybe I'll go a different direction. The district's doing some really cool work on this. Um Dr. Gabby Abrams is leading this, our assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. And following the thought exchange, the conversation that's happening among our teachers, our community, our students
090about AI use is actually kind of exciting. They're thinking about this, too. It goes back to vision of a graduate. It goes back to critical thinking and original thought. Um how I'm thinking about this in my own work, talking to my own students, I'm designing a class for next year because we need it. Students are really worried where AI is concerned. They're worried about their future. And so, the class I'm designing starts with understanding how learning happens. What's going on in your brain? What do you have to do to learn? And then, we're going to try out AI. We're going to play with it, see what it can do. And then I'm going to challenge them to write and present a policy any level from a single class at my school all the way up
091to national level. And I want to go see them defend it. And I want them to be able to put out the counterargument. We got to understand it. And Diego. The way to teach them about AI is to teach them to read and to write, to think. We we have to teach the kids how to be a smarter than AI. Because that's the only way to manage AI. It's very easy to use AI. Like you don't need you can use AI. Almost everyone can use AI. But what you need to understand is like you understand what you are introducing. You are understand what you are doing. You don't understand. You need to think. We need to teach the kids how to think. And that's that's what takes time. It's very easy to teach a software.
092Like you can learn software. I have learned like 40 different softwares in my my career. Like you can use learn a software in a week. You can learn how to use AI in a week. What you need to teach them is like fluid dynamics. So, then they can use a software about fluid dynamics. But the software itself that's very easy. So, that's what we need. We need to teach them to read. We need to teach them how to write, how to have a critical mind to understand. That way they can control AI, and they can use it in the future. They they have they don't have that opportunity down the road. What takes time is to learn and to and to progress and to develop their mind. That's what they have we have to teach
093them in the school. Thank you, Dennis. So, I read a I read a book on AI a while back, maybe a year or so ago, by a guy named Ethan Mollick. And he said, "The AI you use today is the worst AI you'll ever use." Right? And that really stuck with me. And so, I think we have to realize that every generation comes along a technology or tool that we think is going to change things, and it always does. Radio, television, the internet, right? Those are all things. The thing with AI is it's coming, and we need to understand how to use it, and we need to teach our children how to use it and use it responsibly. Right? When I In my day job, I work with we talk about augment, not automate, right?
094So, that's keeping that human in the loop to understand what you're doing it for and understanding what AI does well and what humans do well. Um so, I think, you know, in the schools, be rethinking this and all the other technologies is something we should be doing. Um And I think, as many of others have said, we need to think and teach our kids how to do the critical thinking, to think about what are they seeing, does it make sense, and does it agree with um um what other sources are telling me. Thank you. And now we go to the lightning round. Your choices are yes, no, and if you must, maybe. Uh to preserve my sanity, I think in each one we're just going to go around from Tory around. I I I can't
095juggle you. So, question number one. With the data showing decreases in academic performance for students using computer-led learning, should the high school be reducing its reliance on Chromebook? Maybe. Yes. No. Yes. Maybe. All right. Should the district guarantee that siblings are always placed in the same elementary school, even if it results in class sizes exceeding guidelines? No. Yes. Using common sense estimates, yes. Yes. Okay. Would you vote to approve a budget that requires a Prop 2 1/2 override within the next two fiscal years? Maybe. Yes. Maybe. Depends. No. Yes. Do you believe that Acton students should have an absolute guarantee to attend a school located within the town of Acton? No. I think we can make that work, absolutely. Yes. Depends. No. Would you initiate a review of the school curriculum given current budget constraints,
096staff retention challenges, reorganization, and indications about failing student performance in literacy? No. Maybe. No. Could you refresh the question, please? Would you initiate a review of the school curriculum given current budget constraints, staff retention challenges, reorganization, and indications about failing student performance in following student performance in literacy? No. Maybe. No. Last one. Have you attended a complete School Committee meeting in person this year? I've chaired them all. Yes. No. Yes. I think I've been to every one of them this year, yes. In person, no. Yes, I think I've come in right after they've done their private meeting, then yes. And now we go to 1-minute closing statements from each of you in the reverse order from the opening statements. So, Natasha, you go first. Thank you. In closing, I'm running for School Committee because I
097believe Acton-Boxborough is at an inflection point. The emotional and financial strain on our community, especially over the past few years, demands meaningful leadership change. The decisions we make in the next few years will define AB for a long time, which makes this a critical moment for us to come together and move the district forward in a positive, proactive direction. If elected, I will focus on three priorities: thoughtful leadership through district change, protecting and strengthening educational excellence, and responsible long-term financial planning that keeps our school strong without placing unsustainable pressure on taxpayers. The past year has been incredibly divisive, particularly around the elementary reorganization process led by the School Committee. I'm committed to rebuilding trust, improving transparency, and restoring a sense of shared purpose. I would be honored to earn your vote so we can move
098the district forward together. Thank you. Diego. I think we need to break we have been kind of going circles in some of the conversations around the School Committee. We need a a diversity in the School Committee. We need a a multidisciplinary team to really address the issues. We need to be able to provide a good rationale behind the decisions we make. We have a lot of challenge ahead of us. We have the budget, we have the new technologies and how we are handling. And I think sometimes some of those issues just they are resolved by going back to the basics. What I really like What we really like sometimes we get to stuck in like we try to do too many things at the same time. Let's go to the back list. What what is
099the score What is the a scope of the our school? To raise kids, to teach them. They don't have the whole life to learn other things. So, let's focus on that. That's going to bring us the budget and the keys to what they need to be. So, if you want to consider me for for the School Committee, you can look at my website, diegoforab.com. Thank you. Thank you. Jake Fay. I'm a former teacher, a scholar who studied exactly the challenges that this district is facing, and a nonprofit leader who engages daily in difficult conversations about the most pressing political issues with college students and faculty. Not an easy crowd. I'm also a parent with skin in this game. It's not a typical combination, and I think that's what this moment calls for. If you send
100me this to this committee, here's what I will prioritize. First, a transition that moves quickly, communicates honestly, and strives to make every new school community feel like home. Second, a budget managed with discipline and transparency, one that protects classrooms and educators first, and asks hard questions about everything else. And a superintendent search done right, one that lands us a leader that can guide our district through the challenges ahead and earn the trust of our educators and families. That's the work ahead. I hope to earn your vote. Thank you. Daniel Carroll. I'm going to leave you with some next steps of a strategy and example of the network that I think we already have that we could could get, you know, get running on. So, I think that one big idea would be to bring a
101a government or junior ROTC program to Acton. I think it would it would draw in other students from other communities, and I think we have an excellent network sitting at this table here. We've got West Point over here, we've got the Marine Marine of the Year in our town, and of the two towns, we've got Hanscom right next door. I think this is an example of something where we have people that can do the work and connect this connect the the ideas together, but we're not doing it. And that's what I'd like to do is bring this town together, get them get them talking. Let's start now. Let's not wait. Thank you. Dennis Branick. I perform my best when I'm working with teams of professionals to analyze and solve difficult problems and to meet the
102needs of all the stakeholders. That involves taking time to research the issues, understand the data, and something I'm very familiar with as an aerospace engineer. It also involves seeking out and listening to members of the community, even if their ideas are different from my own. I'm running for School Committee at this time such that I can help guide and support our schools into the next uh generation and to provide high-quality education for the students and families that my kids have received as part of the Acton-Boxborough School District. I'm running to support our educators that are the linchpin that enables our schools to deliver that high-quality education. And I'm running to make sure that students from all backgrounds um and needs feel at home in our community and able to reach their own personal potential. Um
103first, I ask that you all vote. I don't think it's probably a problem in this room, but for those watching on TV, just vote. And if you think my background and skills um meet the needs of what you're looking for in someone on the School Committee, I ask respectfully for you to vote for me. Thank you. Tory Campbell. So, I just want to say thank you to you all for coming out because this is a hard job. You're brave to be here. Over the past 3 years, I've shown you how I lead through public meetings, difficult decisions, and a commitment to transparency. You know where I stand. This election comes at a pivotal moment. As we implement AB Forward and select a new superintendent, our decisions will directly affect students, educators, and our community's stability.
104Some are calling to reopen decisions already made, including calls to vote down the school budget, which would create a $4 million gap, force devastating unplanned staff cuts, and destabilize our town's financial situations. That would be the most disruptive thing anyone could do. There is a difference between bringing new perspectives, which I welcome, and creating disruption when our focus must be on supporting students. Now is the time to come together and follow through. I bring the experience, continuity, and steady leadership this moment requires. And I'm counting you all to come out and vote to make that continues. Thank you, and a round of applause FOR THESE CANDIDATES. >> [applause] >> I WOULD I WOULD THANK ALL THE CANDIDATES WHO are here tonight for their willingness to run. It's volunteers like you that make our towns work,
105and for participating in the League's forum tonight, and I'll turn the program back over to Alyssa Robinson to close. Thank you very much to our moderator Nancy Brumback, to the candidates, to Acton TV, and to the volunteers tonight, and to all of you for coming out. Acton's election will take place on April 28th, and the deadline for mail-in ballot applications is April 21st. If you have requested a mail-in ballot for all elections in the past, that request expired at the end of 2025, and you must apply again to receive a mail-in ballot. We actually have applications up at the front if you're looking for one. Um this program will be available on Acton TV and on our League website after this. We encourage you to share it with all your friends. Uh a public service
106announcement that just 1 week after uh the April 28th election will be town meeting. If you are interested in learning more about any of the town meeting warrant articles, we'll be having a drop-in night on actually on April 28th at the library from 5:00 to 6:45 p.m. where you'll be able to talk to town staff, warrant article authors, and other experts to get more information on those articles. Following the forum tonight, we will have time for attendees to talk to candidates for uncontested elections. Candidates who are in the audience tonight, could you please stand up when I read your name so that voters know where to find you. Uh starting with Joan Berry for moderator. Uh then Joe Rob for Water District Clerk. Then Mary Will for Housing Authority. And Anne Marie Testa Thank you,
107everyone. >> [applause]