Passions and priorities were on display when the four candidates for Barrington School Committee met for a forum on Tuesday night, Oct. 18.

Independents Frazier Bell and TJ Peck and Democrats Rudy Seber and Margaret Reid shared their concerns about low teacher morale in the district, offered their opinions on the proposed school construction, and provided their perspectives on other issues including supports for students, programming at the high school, and whether the school district should have a DEI (diversity, equity and inclusivity) director.

Goals, if elected

Seber said he will focus on facilitating change management needed in the district. He also wants to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to help make Barrington continue to be a great school district.

Reid said she has some large goals including after-school care for grades K-5. She also wants to see a culture of inclusion established in the schools, and aims to close equity gaps. In addition, Reid called for better mental health supports.

Bell said the first item on his agenda would be having the school committee commit to a relationship that is open and honest with the community and educators. He said too often people stand up and speak at meetings but are not heard. He said that happened with the de-leveling discussions. Bell also called for after-school care and improving teacher morale. 

Peck said there were system problems with the school committee and administration — he said many of the issues could be addressed with better leadership. Peck mentioned low teacher morale, after-school care, and said he wanted to invest in Barrington’s neighborhood elementary schools. 

Teacher morale

All four candidates agreed that poor teacher morale is an issue the district needs to address. Reid said Barrington needs to let teachers do what they’re good at and value them for what they’re good at. She also said there may be larger issues, but added that she needed to learn more about the situation. Seber said teacher morale was very important and he would be focused on fixing the issue. 

Bell said Barrington lost about 8 percent of its teachers last year. He said Barrington should be a destination town for teachers, as it had been in the past, and hopefully will be again in the future. Bell said he spoke with plenty of teachers and they feel that they are not being heard. 

“I really believe the teachers need a voice,” he said, adding that he would support a new non-voting positing on the school committee that would be filled by a teacher. 

Peck said local teachers have told him that Barrington used to feel more like a family, that the administration and teachers respected each other, and everyone put students first. 

“There’s been a significant departure from that,” Peck said. He referenced the recent school committee meeting where more than 50 educators attended and spoke out about issues. Peck said that is a display of a system leadership problem. 

Option 2B

The candidates showed some separation when discussing the district’s master facilities plan and specifically Option 2B. 

Bell and Peck voiced their clear opposition to 2B, but said they supported investing in the schools. Seber and Reid offered their support for the process — Reid referenced some potential changes to the 2B pathways that had been shared recently, and Seber mentioned reimbursement increases that would accompany the planned construction.

Bell said the community is not fully engaged in the process.

“I was reminded of that today when there was a 4 o’clock building committee meeting. Four o’clock is the time you schedule a meeting if you don’t want anybody to show up,” Bell said. He also said that Barrington should not be using a consultant that stands to benefit financially from the outcome of the decision. 

Peck said the process is completely off the rails, and encouraged people to view the recent school building committee meeting where the consultant proposed four new pathways and allegedly asked the committee to choose one in a week’s time. Peck said that process needs to be better reviewed and take more time for consideration. 

Seber said there has been a communication breakdown. He said Option 2B was not being voted on in the November Election (a point that was later challenged by Peck). 

Reid said the community needed to sit tight and keep working on the plan. She was encouraged by some of the new options shared at the recent school building committee and said there are lots of people who want the new schools and do not want to delay.

Student supports

All four candidates said the district could do a better job providing equal supports for all students. They said there was room for improvement and a need to ensure equity across the district. 

DEI director?

Again, the candidates agreed that Barrington would benefit from a DEI director, although they were not specific on what that role would look like — if it would be a single position or shared responsibilities for individuals. 

Curriculum

There was also agreement on what role the school committee should have in influencing curriculum decisions and how much direction parents should have in that area — none. “We should leave it to the educators,” Bell added. “I work for your students, not for the parents,” said Seber. 

High school programming

Candidates offered their opinions about programming at the high school, whether they supported honors and conceptual courses and whether Barrington offered enough career pathways. 

All four supported honors level courses, while Reid specified that honors classes were fine in an equitable system. She said the effort to eliminate the honors levels was an equity issue, but it failed. She said she did not support the reinstitution of conceptual classes but called for more robust special education offerings. She said some students are on “tracks” at BHS, but Peck did not agree. He said local students are not tracked and have choices when it comes to which classes they want to take. 

Other talking points

• Peck: Schools could face budget challenges in the future. 

• Seber: Families are stretched financially and the district needs to be fiscally responsible; aims to establish a growth mindset, turning negatives into positives.

• Reid: Concerned about divisiveness; more needs to be done addressing mental health issues. 

• Bell: Committee needs to be good stewards of the budget, doesn’t want to drive families out of town with high taxes and block others from being able to come to Barrington; also concerned with mental health issues. 

Closing statements

Seber said he was a proud product of Barrington schools and wants to focus on finding a positive way to move the district forward. He also encouraged local students to visit his website (with their parents’ permission) and share their thoughts and ideas with him.

Reid said there needs to be a change in the culture of Barrington schools, and she wants to celebrate the multiple pathways to success. Reid said it was important to look for excellence that does not necessarily show up as a data point. 

Bell said the current school committee has a culture that is not set up to listen to or partner with the community. “That needs to change,” he said. Bell said the district could not have another year where it loses 8 percent of its teachers. He also called for a re-evaluation of the school construction plan.

Peck said change at the school committee is essential. He said he has heard residents’ request for change. Peck also said that if he and Bell are elected, they will form a majority with current School Committee member Patrick McCrann.