This letter was submitted to LongmeadowBuzz by Michaela Fitzgerald- a candidate for the Longmeadow School Committee.
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My name is Michaela Fitzgerald, and I am a candidate for the Longmeadow School Committee. For the past 14 years I have worked as an educator in Massachusetts. For the most recent 7 years I have been a resident of Longmeadow with my husband Brendan and our two children, Declan and Maeve. Longmeadow is a special place to us. Over these past years we have watched our kids grow, make their first friends and reach exciting milestones. Each new class, sports team and activity has allowed me to befriend and learn from so many Longmeadow parents and caretakers. These families, and the concerns and challenges we face raising and educating our children together are the reasons I am running for the school committee.
I have been an active member of school communities both as a teacher and a parent. In my career as a public school teacher (3 years in Salem, MA and 10 years in Springfield, MA) I have had a successful track record of improving educational outcomes through my involvement in a variety of school-based teams. I have served on school improvement teams, instructional leadership teams, literacy teams, and have held elected roles on School Centered Decision-Making teams. In 2017—in perhaps my proudest achievement as an educator—my school was awarded a National Blue Ribbon for Closing the Achievement Gap. This was the result of outstanding school leadership, innovation, and the tireless teamwork of educators taking an active role in school improvement planning.
Since graduating from college, I have never left the classroom professionally and I have had the opportunity to hold a variety of roles within the classroom setting. I firmly believe my background in Special Education, teaching English as a Second Language, and a decade in Springfield Public Schools meeting the needs of a diverse group of learners will be an asset to the committee and to the district. Public Education is for everyone, and every single student deserves access to an outstanding education. This drives me as an educator, and I will work hard to make sure this happens in our district.
Currently, I am a preschool teacher at St. Mary’s Academy in Longmeadow, a parent member of the Blueberry Hill School Council, a youth soccer coach, and a PTO volunteer.
I have concerns about the direction of school committees nationwide and the increasingly divisive tenor of conversation surrounding them. There is a growing lack of focus on what is conducive to building the best outcome for students and making schools places where teachers and children want to be and excel. I—and many other Longmeadow parents—moved to Longmeadow in large part due to the stellar reputation of its schools. And now with one child completing his first year and another beginning in September, I am happy to say that I have found that reputation well-deserved. I want it to remain so, but like many others I have come to realize that we can’t take the continued stability and excellence of our most important institutions for granted.
During my years as a teacher, I have seen staff changes, curriculum changes and societal changes. I know firsthand the massive impact decisions made by administrators and school leaders have on student achievement. Well-intentioned and carefully considered decisions can flop when they finally reach the classroom. The classroom is the heart of education: it should be a safe home and a hub of learning for our children. I want a seat at the table so that I can utilize my classroom experience to make sure the needs of all students are considered, to keep our district a place where the best teachers want to come and establish careers, and to keep the education provided by the district a point of pride for all Longmeadow residents.
On June 13th, please vote for Michaela Fitzgerald—an experienced and driven educator. Here is a link to my Michaela Fitzgerald for the Longmeadow School Committee Facebook page.
Michaela Fitzgerald
