Kali Cavanaugh

While there is great focus on meeting our children’s emotional needs, our schools and community need to remember that teaching kindness is only one part of the equation. In addition to their emotional skills, there needs to be an emphasis on the different strengths our children bring to this world, and the learning styles that suit them. “Traditional” academics are not the catch all for the whole student population, however. A focus on workforce development and a critical need for greater exploration of options among the trades benefits all students. Our children also deserve a greater focus on broad functional skills to promote independence and financial freedom; skills they can take into their lives immediately upon graduation.
This year, as a community, our goal should be to restore a balanced perspective in the decision making arenas that affect our children. How do we do this

• Create more opportunities for community voices to be heard.
• Develop opportunities for community volunteers on BOE subcommittees.
• Promote checks and balances via a representative board that ensures fiscal responsibility to our taxpayers, while truly listening and welcoming taxpayer perspectives that are voiced.

While we may not always agree on everything, a one-sided board forfeits valuable perspectives that may shed light on forgotten issues. If elected, I vow to work towards a participatory Democracy with greater community control, be direct in addressing the concerns of our community members, advocate for transparency in board decisions and public process, and hold our public schools accountable for meeting the needs of our families. I thank you for your consideration.

Citizen Questions

If elected, what one objective would you like to see the town achieve or work toward?

BOI would love to see the creation of subcommittees to consult on workgroups and initiatives within the BOE. While we have a board of eight elected officials, I feel there is substantial knowledge and resources going underutilized in our community. The creation of multidisciplinary teams on BOE projects to include professionals within the community to convene and offer input as local volunteer “consultants” free of cost to taxpayers. An example: a team of architects, tradesmen, contractors, project managers could convene on proposed facility construction, building upgrades and maintenance, etc. to provide guidance throughout the planning process.

What insight or oversight should the Board of Education have concerning the district’s curriculum?

I believe that school curriculum decisions are best left to educators in their respective fields. I believe that the BOE’s fundamental responsibility is to act as a liaison between parents and taxpayers in our community and all school personnel. To that end, if a new curriculum is being explored or pursued, I believe in transparency of reporting these initiatives to parents and caregivers with opportunities for open dialogue, discussion, and/or feedback to either gain further understanding of curriculum changes or to talk through concerns that may arise.

What is the most important responsibility of the Board of Education?

I truly believe that the most important responsibility of the Board of Education is to ensure a high-quality public education to the students within our school system. Aside from our fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers as elected officials to represent the voices, concerns and desires of our community, the main focus should always return to an ideal of providing the highest quality education possible to our schools’ students with the lowest possible burden to taxpayers.

Social Media

Kali has a public facebook page for her campaign. This page is updated a few times a week.