Natick Report

The Town of Natick depends on the active participation of its citizens in governance of the Town. Natick voters on Tuesday, March 28 will cast their ballots for candidates running for School Committee, a contested race.

The Natick School Committee is an elected town-wide board. Among other things, it approves Natick’s school budget, appoints the Superintendent, and establishes educational goals and policies for Natick’s schools as a whole.

There are four candidates running for 2 open 3-year seats on the School Committee:

• Donna McKenzie
• Matt Brand
• Kate Flathers
• Leigh Hallisey

Natick Report invited the candidates to inform voters about their priorities for the Town of Natick. Candidate interviews appear in this post in the order in which their names appear on the ballot.

Donna McKenzie, candidate for re-election

Donna McKenzie: I once told myself that I would never do anything that involves lawn signs. I don’t enjoy marketing myself and I tend not to be political by nature. But I have a long-standing and vested interest in the Natick Schools, which I attended from kindergarten to high school. The success of our schools is personal to me. They provided me with the background to get into a Seven Sisters college and eventually earn a doctorate in ethics. This was a big deal for me to be a first-generation college student.

My maternal grandmother, born in Ireland, only had an eighth-grade education. But from her I learned extravagant compassion. When she died there were police officers at every corner in Brookline as her funeral procession went by. This was because she welcomed newly arrived Irish as family, allowing them to meet the residency requirement to join the police and fire departments. She gave everything away to the poor, even sending my aunt’s new clothes over to Ireland while my aunt was in the hospital giving birth to my cousin. “You don’t need them. You have a new baby,” she explained.

My father was a cabinet maker who could build anything. If I needed something, he gave me a piece of paper and said if you draw it, I will build it for you. From my father I learned to be creative, and enterprising, and I discovered that almost anything could be fixed. We often had appliances from wealthy families who were switching them out simply to get a different color. My father could repurpose so much and hated wastefulness. He often bartered his work for things like a stone wall or plumbing for a second bathroom. He worked hard and lived in Natick for 63 years never voting down an override for the schools even when it meant he might have less for his needs. I carry his strengths in my heart bringing his creative, sustainable, “this can be fixed“ attitude to all that I do including the School Committee.

This is a glimpse into some of what made me who I am: the Natick Schools, my grandmother, my father. Inspired by them and others, my lifelong goal has always been to make the world better than when I found it. To that end, I have spent my life as an educator teaching at Cornell and Fordham, as well as serving as a college chaplain. I presently work in this capacity at Babson College. I serve on the School Committee, and I am going beyond my comfort zone to campaign again because I want to give back to the district that changed my life and support our students in becoming educated citizens and agents for change. Our town depends on the health of our schools for its future, and the schools belong to all of us.

NR: If elected what do you hope to accomplish in your 3-year tenure as a School Committee member?

There is a Peanuts comic strip that compares fairy tales to political campaigns saying many fairy tales begin, “if elected, I promise.” There is truth in not being able to make promises. Who, for example, could have predicted Dr. Peter Sanchioni’s resignation, and a global pandemic? Campaign promises and priorities may disappear with real-life circumstances. But what doesn’t fade are intelligence, creative and flexible approaches, common sense, and kindness.

Experience and ethics matter as we once again face the need to search for a new superintendent. I was on the committee that hired Dr. Anna  Nolin and from my academic background I have skill in choosing highly qualified  educational leaders, as well as engaging the community in open and transparent searches. How fortunate were we to have a superintendent that Newton not only wanted, but praised in their School Committee meeting saying they would like to be like Natick? Dr. Nolin leaves us in a strong position, and I will always remain grateful for her outstanding leadership.

Hiring a superintendent and supporting that superintendent with what they need to succeed is the most important job a School Committee faces. I repeat that I have a vested interest in the success of this school district, as does every resident in Natick. The learning curve to serve on the School Committee is high, and solid experience with public schools, educational institutions, and municipal service to the town is a necessity. I have that experience, as well as an unwavering commitment to our more than 5,300 Natick students. How many kids do I have in the school system? Over 5,300!

I remain committed to these three values: empowerment, equity, and empathy. I have enjoyed successes in these areas during my tenure and look forward to realizing more. Here are three examples:

1. I am proud of my work to recognize Diwali and Eid Al-fitr as religious celebrations with days off from school, and I am proud of the committee’s unanimous vote on February 27, 2023. We hear and honor our Asian and Muslim families at last. I am sorry it took us so long.

2. I am pleased with the strong teachers’ contract I was able to help negotiate. It gives our teachers support through higher salaries, longevity bonuses, and increased professional development. Our kids and families gain parent/teacher conferences in the upper grades, as well as classroom teachers who feel supported and appreciated. No talk of teacher strikes in Natick. Our teachers also agreed to form a committee to examine school start times given the overwhelming evidence that later start times are better for the health of our kids. I organized a panel presentation for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees on our interest-based negotiation process as opposed to traditional positional bargaining, which can be divisive. The president of our teachers’ union, our superintendent, our committee chair, and myself participated.

3.  I am thrilled that we were able to add orchestra to our music offerings, and the participation is strong.

There is so much good that happened on my watch. We have a beautiful new STEM-based middle school which is enough to make anyone want to go back to middle school. At long last, the district has a planetarium again, and our kids and community can aspire to go to “infinity and beyond.”

NR: How should voters reach you if they want more information?

Donna McKenzie: I would really like to hear from you and learn about your concerns and hopes for our schools. You can reach me at: dr.donnammckenzie@gmail.com

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Matt Brand

Natick Report: Please introduce yourself to Natick Report’s readers.

Matt Brand: Hello. My name is Matt Brand. I’m an active volunteer in Natick’s government, and I am running for election to the School Committee. My wife Danyael and I have two daughters and moved to Natick when the oldest was not yet in kindergarten. Now they are enrolled at Natick High and Kennedy Middle Schools. Our family was fortunate to make Natick our home over 10 years ago, and we love this community.

Professionally, for over 20 years I have worked in tech startups as a lead software engineer. I’m the person others bring their business ideas to, hoping I can turn them into something real. I’m currently the vice president of engineering for Uwill. Our software product, which I built over the last three years, connects students with a therapist they choose at a time that works for them. Over 100 colleges around the United States are currently using Uwill to enhance their campus mental health offerings. This program is particularly important now, as students have experienced a terrible ordeal due to COVID. Enabling them to access the help they need, in the form that they want to receive it, is essential to alleviating this trauma.

I also spent several years as director of an overnight summer camp. Each summer I worked closely with 500 kids (and their families) and over 100 staff members, making sure camp was both an enjoyable and learning experience.

My first exposure to Natick town government was as an advocate for Eddie’s Park, the dog park on Rte. 135. During that multi-year process, I attended a lot of town meetings, met many people who participate in town government, and began to understand the complexities and constraints that our town officials must navigate. I decided to do more to help our community. I joined the Information Systems Advisory Board and the Finance Committee, and while on the latter, I served on the Education Subcommittee.

In 2018, I was elected to the School Committee and served a 3-year term, two of those years as vice chair. I currently serve as vice chair of the Town Governance Study Committee, where we are studying Natick’s current form of government and exploring ways to make improvements.

My volunteer experience in Natick gives me an understanding of how the School Committee works, the scope of the School Committee’s authority, and the relationship between the School Committee and other governing bodies that most candidates cannot offer.

I’m running for School Committee because I believe education is an investment—for the students, their families, and our entire community. In all facets of my personal, professional, and volunteer life, I have found success by listening carefully, being empathetic to others, and patiently and deliberately considering all sides and viewpoints when tackling difficult problems. I’m also a logical, efficient, data-driven problem solver. These traits, combined with my years of experience as a town volunteer, give me a unique set of skills and attributes that will serve the School Committee and our community well.

NR: If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in your 3-year tenure as a School Committee member?

Matt Brand: If elected on March 28, I will use my unique set of skills to improve the Committee’s decision-making process. I’ve served on the School Committee before, giving me first-hand experience and knowledge about how challenging the job can be and how to reach consensus. Healthy debate is good for any team but the process by which problems and challenges are presented, community outreach happens, solutions are proposed and debated, and votes are taken could be improved. My professional experience and ability to use data effectively would be a great asset for the Committee.

The first tactical priority will be to search for and hire a new superintendent now that Dr. Nolin has accepted the superintendent position offered to her in Newton. I was part of the School Committee that hired Dr. Nolin. In that process, we offered numerous opportunities for community engagement including forums for parents, surveys to families, teachers, and staff, public meetings, and debate. All of these contributed to identifying the qualities important to education stakeholders in Natick. It was a long process and one that yielded an outstanding outcome. Most current School Committee members were not part of that process, making my experience incredibly valuable. Natick will be competing with other districts for superintendent candidates. A flawed process could limit our pool of applicants.

Another priority is to improve the connection parents have with Natick Public Schools. Various factors contribute to this connection—at a minimum I think the district could do a better job of communicating with parents and increasing visibility into present and future district plans and initiatives. We need to make sure that all parents and guardians have the information, tools, and access they need to best support their children.

The purview of a School Committee in Massachusetts is to hire and evaluate the superintendent, set a budget, and manage policies. In recent years, I believe the Committee has strayed beyond that purview. While policies and budget can inform and support things like curriculum, it is not the role of the School Committee to set curriculum. That is the role of the superintendent and their administration. It is also important to note that no individual on the School Committee can accomplish anything without building consensus with other Committee members. While we don’t need to all agree on every decision, and in fact differing viewpoints contribute to healthy debate and strong outcomes, we should be able to share differing opinions, listen to each others’ viewpoints, and work toward compromise. I have a proven track record of strong collaboration in my various professional and Natick government roles. I’m confident that, if we work together, streamline processes, listen to each other, and keep open minds, we can accomplish more for our school system and our community.

NR: How should voters reach you if they want more information?

Matt Brand: I am always happy to hear from Natick residents and others involved in our community. I think learning about various perspectives, particularly those that differ from my own, helps to create better outcomes.

For more information about my campaign and me, please visit my website.

You may also connect with me on Facebook or you may email me at mattbrandnatick@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you, and I ask for your vote for Natick School Committee on March 28.

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Kate Flathers

NR: Please introduce yourself to Natick Report’s readers.

Kate Flathers: Hi Natick. I’m Kate Flathers (Pollock). I have four kids who span the Natick elementary, middle, and high schools this year, and while I may be a candidate for local election, I am first and foremost your neighbor. Please feel free to reach out if you want to find out why I am so grateful for NPS art and sports programs, why I think Sound and Spirit is amazing for kids, how to outfit your family in skis from Savers or where you can find my rockstar husband and his “campaign-minivan.” Over the last three years, I have been deeply engaged in School Committee and budget discussions and am ready to jump in and serve this community. As a professional, I live at the intersection of knowledge and experience to help people collaborate effectively—frequently people with very different ways of processing and communicating information. In work, I have decades of experience building and launching products that help bring novel therapies to sick patients, provide crucial data to scientists and even deliver packages to your front door within a day of ordering. As I navigate conflict to balance priorities and make decisions, I have learned to do five things: actively listen when someone voices a problem; facilitate the definition of ideal outcomes; model costs and ROI; lead teams in respectful and collaborative problem solving; and measure success. I believe I can bring that experience and a moderate, balanced voice to the Natick School Committee and would appreciate your vote on March 28.

NR: If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in your 3-year tenure as a School Committee member?

Kate Flathers: Obviously, the superintendent search will be an unanticipated focus for the next year, so top priority is to collaborate as a team and build community support in hiring an outstanding leader, a strong collaborator who has both the vision and the experience to further our district goals. During this crucial transition period, I believe the School Committee will also need to be focused on hiring and supporting an interim superintendent who can ensure that morale stays high and we don’t lose momentum in terms of both strategic initiatives and COVID recovery. Beyond this, as I think about the next three years, I would like to shift the focus from “spend less/spend more” to “spend thoughtfully.” To that end, there are three key areas where I would like to see progress over my 3-year term.

First, I want to work with the administration to establish clearer success metrics and stronger, more equitable feedback loops with stakeholders (students, teacher, staff, family/caregivers) as we strive to support all students in terms of academic achievement, social-emotional health and overall welfare. As a district, we need to continue to invest strongly in DEI, METCO expansion, special education services, science-backed curriculum (especially literacy) and alternative educational pathways, while also responding to difficult questions like school start times and supporting teacher needs. While the goal is often clear, the “how” and the “when” and the “how much” and the “how did it work” questions are more complex and require us to do comprehensive impact analyses upfront and then to subsequently measure outcomes. To do this, we need reliable data on all students that also includes representative perspectives from families. I think that we too frequently depend on anecdotal evidence or unreliable survey data when making important decisions. Too often, the reports focus on the students with the highest academic achievement or the ones missing benchmarks or with acute needs. I want us to equally know that we have served the students in the middle and that we are investing in the most effective programs and strategies.

My other two areas of focus would be budget and long-term planning. I’d like to see a roadmap for addressing our structural deficit along with clearer reporting that ties investment decisions to the final outcomes. When we leverage grants to fund new positions, I’d like more clarity on whether those positions will convert to permanent positions when the grants expire and what rubric will be used to make that decision. To achieve this, we must build more trust. If we are encouraging our administration to be bold and visionary, we must also allow for missteps and recalibration without retribution. Finally, much work has already been done crafting a shared vision for our towns and schools. Over the next three years, I’d like to see that vision further refined and socialized with practical blueprints to move forward. In this plan, we must align our capital plan for buildings with both town development objectives and sustainability goals.

NR: How should voters reach you if they want more information?

Kate Flathers: You can find out more at www.kate4natick.com or email me at flathers4natick@gmail.com.

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Leigh Hallisey

Natick Report: Please introduce yourself to Natick Report’s readers.

Leigh Hallisey: I’ve lived in Natick for 14 years with my husband Peter, our daughter Lila (a graduating senior at NHS), and a small pet menagerie. When I was at Wellesley College in the 1990s, we would go to Pet World, Building 19, and Nick’s, and Pete and I got engaged at the Fairway Bowling Alley (Lane 14 on February 14!).  Fast forward a decade when it was time for Lila to start school, and it was the quality of the educational system that happily led us back to Natick.

While I strongly believe in the power of education to transform lives, I didn’t make the decision to run for School Committee lightly. I knew it would mean a lot of work, time, late nights, difficult conversations, and hard choices, and with a full-time job and a child, I worried I wouldn’t be able to give all of them the attention and energy they deserved. Now that my daughter is off to college this fall, it feels like the perfect moment to bring my background in education, professional skills, and recent experience as an NPS parent to serve as a member of the School Committee.

As the creative director of FableVision Studios for the last 16 years, I’ve worked with K-12 educators, administrators, and students around the country, as well as broadcasters, publishers, museums, and nonprofits, to create educational media and professional development materials around subjects ranging from computational thinking and civics to mental health and substance prevention.

My experience as creative director at FableVision—including running playtesting sessions and focus groups with students and teachers, observing classrooms to understand how students learn, and listening to teachers speak to their needs and goals—solidified my belief that our teachers and our curriculum are the foundation of our children’s well-being and success in their educational, vocational, and personal pursuits. Specifically, I am a passionate advocate for:

• embracing every kind of learner
• encouraging students to identify and use their talents and gifts
• building resilience and grit
• fostering creativity and self-expression
• inviting and considering multiple perspectives
• ensuring mental health needs are being met
• supporting and advocating for underrepresented groups
• providing even our youngest students with tools to be allies and upstanders

NR: If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in your 3-year tenure as a School Committee Member?

Leigh Hallisey:

• Collaborate with other members to find and hire our next excellent superintendent of schools. We need a School Committee that is engaging teachers, administrators, parents, and students in professional discourse and healthy debate, employing perspective-taking and active listening skills, and demonstrating empathy in order to ensure a smooth transition. I would be honored to be part of that process.

• Lift up career and technical education as an important and viable path for students that should be valued and supported. I think we owe it to our students, especially those who aren’t being served by a “traditional” academic setting and trajectory,  to normalize technical education as a viable and important path to a career or higher education, starting in elementary school.

• NPS needs to be a true partner in implementing the town’s sustainability goals. I’d like to see the School Committee working in concert with the town’s Director of Sustainability to inform decisions around building infrastructure and transportation. As an School Committee member, I would propose forming a subcommittee focused on how NPS can contribute to the Town’s Net Zero Action Plan and researching funding for investments in electric car charging stations, reducing food waste, and composting programs at the schools. I’d love to find ways for our after-school programs to work with local businesses and organizations to educate and incentivize families to participate in sustainable practices like carpooling and reducing single-use plastics.

NR: How should voters reach you if they want more information?

Leigh Hallisey: So easy! Take a look at my campaign website or send a note to: leigh4sc@gmail.com. And check out my campaign page on FaceBook for news about meetups!

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