Schools

Why Should Residents Serve The Public?

Two members of the Board of Education give you their backgrounds and why they chose to run for their positions.

Each year the Berlin Board of Education has three openings on its nine-person board.

The reason is to keep the Board fresh and give new people a chance to serve.

There are three openings again this November and as of today, just three people had taken out the paperwork to run for the spots. The BOE is a non-partisan Board and whether candidates are Democrats, Republicans or Independents, they can run.

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Since candidates are not nominated by political parties, all Berlin voters are eligible to appear on the ballot, and candidates appear on the ballot without a political party designation. Potential candidates need only to go to the Town’s Clerk office to receive a petition form, collect the signatures of 131 Berlin voters, and return the completed petition to the Town Clerk by September 9.

Kathy O'Donnell-Moss has been on the BOE for the past seven years and brings an education background to the position.

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"It has been my pleasure to serve on the Berlin Board of Education for the past seven years. I have been a special education teacher in the city of New Haven for the past 27 years. I have received all of my higher education degrees from Southern CT State University including a Bachelor's in Special Education, a Master's Degree in Reading and a Sixth Year degree in Educational Leadership. The dynamic of being an urban educator and a suburban board member gives me a pretty wide view of public education in the state.

"Both of my children are successful graduates of the Berlin Public Schools. While it was not initially something that I had ever thought about doing, I found myself getting more involved after sports and co-curricular activities in the system were eliminated due to drastic budget cuts which I felt were not in the best interest of our children. Since that time, I have served with some very dedicated individuals who have truly worked to do what they feel is best for the students of Berlin. As individuals we each bring our different perspectives to the Board of Education but we work hard to come to a consensus that we all feelis in the best interest of the children of Berlin.

"Additionally, I feel there is a high level of trust and respect between the board and the school administration and staff. Our school staff continues to rise to the challenges that the board asks of them. Overall, I have found it to be an educational and rewarding experience."

Kristin Campanelli comes from a completely different background, with a law degree, but believes in what she is doing and is proud to serve the town and the students on the board.

"I work for the Connecticut Department of Labor as an Appeals Referee. I have been with the Department of Labor for a year," Campanelli said. "I graduated from Syracuse University in December of 2005 with a B.A. in English Textual Studies and Political Science. I went to law school at Syracuse University College of Law and graduated with my J.D. in May of 2009.

"I have been on the board of education for almost two years. I returned from law school in the summer of 2009, and while spending time in the community, I saw people arguing about trash cans and our schools falling further and further into disrepair. This was disheartening for me because I am a proud graduate of Berlin High School (class of 2002). I ran for the board of education because I wanted to help my community focus on ensuring a healthy, happy learning environment for all students, and to move the district toward academic excellence. I received a quality education in Berlin public schools, and I wanted to ensure that today's and tomorrow's students received an education which was at least as good as the one I got."

Campanelli said there are many issues facing the BOE and the schools and important questions always come up.

"Some of the major issues facing the board of education in the coming years will be implementing the program of studies at Berlin High School amid construction of the new high school, and ensuring that we maintain a safe, healthy, and rigorous learning environment for all of our students," she said. "Also, maintaining a constant line of communication with citizens is a goal for which the board continues to strive.

O'Donnell agrees there are many pressing issues for the school and the town.

"In the next few years I think the biggest challenge to BOE members and school staff will be to keep focus on continuous improvement for student achievement in these uncertain economic times," she said. "Additionally, the town was extremely supportive of the renovate as new high school project and it will be our charge to assure that this project is completed well and in a timely fashion with as little disruption to the educational process as is possible. Unfunded mandates andreduced resources will be large challenges to our town however; I am confident in the abilities of our school staff and my fellow board members to do what is best for Berlin. I would encourage anyone with a passion for public school education to consider joining us at a board meeting to see what goes on first hand."


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