Matt’s Summary in Glastonbury Life
I am currently in my first term on the Board of Education. During my tenure, I have been an advocate for continuing Glastonbury Public Schools’ academic excellence while also delivering fiscally responsible value for taxpayers. I have also been a champion for initiatives that support student mental health and improve teacher retention and recruitment.
Continuing Glastonbury Public Schools’ excellence involves being mindful of all of the core constituencies – students, families, educators, and taxpayers. Among the many accomplishments during my first term, I am particularly proud of the following:
- Successful navigation of the global pandemic
- Additional funding for student mental health support, including the student support centers at Gideon Welles, Smith, and GHS. Delivering fiscally responsible, bipartisan budgets that fully fund a first-rate school system, but remained significantly below inflation.
- Funding a new strength and conditioning facility at GHS.
- Renovating Naubuc to remove the open classroom concept. Creation of Early Learning to provide much-needed childcare for our educators at no cost to taxpayers.
We support your fundamental right to be involved in your children’s education
Matt’s letter in The Glastonbury Citizen 2022
My wife and I chose to live in Glastonbury because of its wonderful quality of life and great schools. Much of my free time is spent wrangling my daughter, who is almost three years old. With a child not yet in the school system, I am committed to maintaining Glastonbury Schools’ success well into the future. My family (including our corgi, Brendan) and I love to enjoy the great quality of life in Glastonbury, including our first-rate parks and restaurants.
With over a decade of bank regulatory experience, I am an attorney currently serving as an Assistant Division Director for the state Department of Banking. I also previously served on the Town Plan and Zoning Commission, Public Buildings Commission, and Ethics Commission.
Voting History
- Voted YES to increase pay raises for bus drivers, security guards and cafeteria workers
- Voted NO to budget for adding two full time paraprofessionals to the special education budget
- Voted NO increase the tuition from non-Glastonbury residents who utilize the LINKS program
- Voted YES to create mental health student support centers
- Voted YES to fund the K-12 STEAM Technology Program
- Voted YES to update the board’s anti-bullying policy in response to changes in state law
- Voted YES to update the board’s health services policy to comply with state law
- Voted YES to fund the anti-hate program “Names Can Really Hurt Us”
- Voted YES to a strategic plan promoting active learning high expectations for all students
- Voted NO to oppose covid-19 vaccine mandates for GPS students
Citizen Questions
If elected, what one objective would you like to see the town achieve or work toward?
If reelected, I will continue to make sure that we remain committed to ensuring growth of the whole child (including mental health) to prepare all of our students for the future.
What insight or oversight should the Board of Education have concerning the district’s curriculum?
The Board of Education should provide high-level oversight of education operations, including curriculum, to ensure that the goals of our strategic plan are being served and that we are compliant with all relevant legal requirements. Our educators should be trusted as subject matter experts to implement specifics in furtherance of these goals. The three primary goals of our strategic plan are:
- Promote active learning and high expectations for all students.
- Provide safe, supportive and inclusive learning environments.
- Prioritize the health and well-being of students and staff.
What is the most important responsibility of the Board of Education?
Throughout my tenure on the Board of Ed, I have remained laser-focused on my core constituencies: students, families, staff and taxpayers. I will remain focused on serving each of these groups for as long as I am fortunate to serve on the Board of Ed.
Letters to Editor
You can often learn a great deal about a candidate from their letters written to the Glastonbury Citizen. The link to to the letter text is found in the dates below.
The letter asserts that contrary to claims of suppression, the Board of Education has clear rules allowing any member to propose agenda items, highlights that all such motions have been approved in the past two years, and argues that the lack of Republican policy adoption is not due to suppression but rather because Democrats and Independents on the Board simply disagree.
October 5th 2023
The letter emphasizes that concerns about controversial books in school libraries should be addressed through established board policy and review processes, assures parents their rights to be involved in their children’s education are supported
Summer 2022
Social Media
Matt has an active facebook page located here.