Auburn School Committee at-large

Brent Bilodeau, John Carney, Faith Fontaine and Lawrence Pelletier are running for Auburn School Committee at-large on Nov. 3, 2015. Learn about more candidates and issues in our Election 2015 guide.

Name:

Brent M. Bilodeau

Email address:

tbbilodeau@gmail.com

Other social media?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bilodeaubrent

Occupation or primary source of income:

Software technical support

Education:

B.S. Bates College

Family information:

My wife Tammy and I have two children, a son who is a seventh-grader at Auburn Middle School, and a daughter who is a fourth-grader at Sherwood Heights School.

Public offices sought or held:

Current at-large School Committee member.

Why are you running for office?

I am running for re-election, having just been elected in June’s special election.

I have enjoyed the opportunity and have learned a great deal with respect to how the school department functions. I want to be more involved in decisions regarding our school system and its future direction. I am practical and will ask questions of the administration and expect accountability.

It is my goal to bring more communication from the school administration to parents and families. Parents and community members should feel welcome to attend school functions, School Committee meetings, and to ask any and all questions they have. If we do not have transparency, how can initiatives and goals be truly understood and supported? Open and honest communication will be a key to the success of the Auburn School Department.

What do you like about the school budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?

I believe the budget passed this year was a good compromise between the School Committee and City Council, a step in the right direction. I understand the budget restraints we have and want to make sure we spend our money as wisely as possible. I do believe we need to focus our budget more on supporting staff and providing an equal education to all children.

If elected, would you support a budget that boosts program spending, maintains it or cuts it ?

I would support a slightly higher school budget with funds focused on maintaining our facilities, investing in our staff and supporting positions that work directly with our students. All are essential to the success of our students.

Who should pay for Officer Friendly program, which puts Auburn Police in the schools, the city or the School Department?

Splitting the cost of the Officer Friendly program between the schools and the city is a good balance. The program benefits both the schools and our Auburn community as a whole. It is my belief that it allows the students to develop a positive relationship with our police department that they otherwise wouldn’t have.

Name:

John B. Carney

Email address:

jackbencarney@aol.com

Occupation or primary source of income:

Teacher

Education:

Master’s degree from USM

Family information:

Married for 26 years with two grown daughters.

Public offices sought or held:

None

Why are you running for office?

Like many Auburn residents, I have been perplexed by the rancor and difficulties around the development of the annual school budget and long-term issues such as the replacement or repair of Edward Little High School.

The best way to figure out how to solve problems is to become involved in the process and become part of the solutions, so I decided to run for an at-large seat on the School Committee.

What do you like about the school budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?

What pleased me the most about the school budget this year was that multiple votes were not necessary to pass the budget. There are always opportunities for compromise in any process, especially one that takes place over several months.

However, this year’s final school budget did not necessarily reflect a city government that has made education the priority. For this reason, the budget was too low.

If elected, would you support a budget that boosts program spending, maintains it or cuts it ?

I would work to reach a budget that meets the needs of the students and the resources of the taxpayers. To limit my answer to boosting, maintaining, or cutting the budget would not recognize the complexity of the budget process. The budget should reflect the importance that the city places on the education of its students.

Who should pay for Officer Friendly program, which puts Auburn Police in the schools, the city or the School Department?

The city of Auburn. I cannot think of a more important function of the city than keeping its most vulnerable and youngest citizens safe. Perhaps this issue best illustrates the unfortunate division between the City Council and the School Department.

Name:

Faith A. Fontaine

Email address:

faith.fontaine@gmail.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/faithgfontaine

Other social media?

Instagram: @faithfontaine1

Occupation or primary source of income:

I’m currently a homemaker and investing in the future of my children and our family. I volunteer regularly within the Auburn schools as well as for my church and local youth athletic programs.

Education:

BS nursing

Family information:

My husband Brendan Fontaine and I have three children that are currently enrolled in the Auburn public school system. Grace (14) is a freshman at ELHS, Hope (6) is in the first grade at Fairview and Maximus (4) is in pre-K at Fairview.

Public offices sought or held:

Seeking at-large School Committee position.

Why are you running for office?

I am running for office because I know that the key to the future, and the future of Auburn, is our children.

I believe our schools have the greatest ability to shape and mold the future of our children and our community, second only to family. I believe our children not only deserve but need a public school system that ensures that every child receives a comprehensive education where they acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills they will need to be successful.

A comprehensive education is one that incorporates the most modern and proven teaching techniques throughout the country, including the use of cutting-edge technology. Each student deserves a learning environment that can be customized to ensure each child’s success.

Our children deserve the best educators possible. Our teachers must be innovative, flexible, fully-invested and open-minded to new technology that will improve the classroom learning environment. Every child should be given the chance to thrive in our schools and be given opportunities to be successful and not just get by.

Finally, I believe in the saying “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child.” Our children’s learning doesn’t stop within the classroom walls. Our entire community must accept a certain degree of accountability when it comes to the future of our children. I want to be a voice for our children and taxpayers in our community to make the best decisions possible to ensure we are successful as a community.

What do you like about the school budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?

I was happy to see that this year’s increased budget was passed to support necessary special education programs and new technologies needed for our classrooms.

The physical age of our facilities, such as Edward Little High School, is concerning to me. I am concerned about the reduction in the building maintenance budget.

I would also like to see the return of the technology integrator position that was eliminated this year. Technology and qualified technological educators are essential for our children and their learning.

My hope is that the School Committee and the city of Auburn can create new ways of funding the school budget so that it does not come at the expense of increased property taxes for Auburn homeowners.

If elected, would you support a budget that boosts program spending, maintains it or cuts it ?

I believe the school budget must be balanced and fair, but willing and able to flex and boost whenever necessary. The budget needs to ensure that our educators and our facilities are at the highest and best level that our community and children deserve.

Who should pay for Officer Friendly program, which puts Auburn Police in the schools, the city or the School Department?

I am in favor with city of Auburn funding the Officer Friendly Program. Our community should feel a certain level of accountability for the future of our children and I believe the city and the Auburn Police Department are committed to the safety of our children while they are within our schools, as well as when they are within the community. The financial cost should not fall under the Auburn School Department budget.

Name:

Lawrence B. Pelletier

Email address:

concernedcitizen129@gmail.com

Occupation or primary source of income:

Retired/presently working at Bonnie’s Preschool and Day Care

Education:

Graduate of Edward Little High School, Class of 1965

Family information:

Married for over 47 years to a wonderful woman who I met in Kokomo, Indiana, while serving in the U.S. Air Force. We have two children; Greg, who lives in a local community, and Chris, who has recently moved to Virginia.

We have seven grandchildren and one great-grandson.

We have lived in New Auburn since 1982 and love this community very much.

Public offices sought or held:

I have served on the School Committee for 2 1/2 years and chose to resign after incurring injuries from a fall.

Why are you running for office?

My dad once told me, “If you choose to start something, make sure you also choose to finish.”

What do you like about the school budget passed this year, and what don’t you like? Was it too high, too low, just right?

I like the fact that it passed at the first referendum.

I don’t like the fact that every year we have to struggle and argue about what that budget should contain. Also that state and feds are always instrumental on what we can and can’t do. After the budget is passed, then we are told that there are extra funds that we can now decide where to put back into programs that we have cut in order for the budget to pass.

I would have liked to, one year, have our superintendent propose a budget that he or she feels is needed, one that the staff agrees on and also the School Committee thinks is fair for all, especially the community. Having said that, I think the school budget has been too low for several years now and it has taken its toll.

If elected, would you support a budget that boosts program spending, maintains it or cuts it ?

Special education is an area where we need to be vigilant in finding ways to fund without breaking the backs of the average citizen in this community. Our special ed program is one of the best in the nation, but because of the way it is paid for it takes away from other — also important — programs.

Who should pay for Officer Friendly program, which puts Auburn Police in the schools, the city or the School Department?

I am okay with a 50/50 split for this program. Our chief of police has said that this is a joint effort, and therefore I think it should be paid for by both government bodies.