Lewiston School Committee Ward 6

Dawn Hartill and Matthew Roy are running for Lewiston School Committee Ward 6 on Nov. 3, 2015. Learn about more candidates and issues in our Election 2015 guide.

Name:

Dawn M. Hartill

Email address:

DawnMHartill@gmail.com

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/DawnHartillWard6

Occupation or primary source of income:

Certified information systems auditor

Education:

Bachelor of Science degree in interdisciplinary studies, Tennessee Temple University, Chattanooga, TN.

Family information:

Married, mother of 3 sons

Public offices sought or held:

Served on the Lewiston New School redistricting sub-committee 2014-2015; sought Ward 6 School Committee position in 2013

Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?

As a mother of three and a homeowner, I have a vested interest in the city of Lewiston and the schools in Lewiston. I have been actively involved in the Parent-Teacher Organizations of Martel Elementary School and Lewiston Middle School for the last 14 years and have served in volunteer capacities at both schools.

Was the last $64.7 million school budget passed too low, too high or just right? And would you support a school budget that boosts program spending, maintains or cuts program spending and why?

The school budget decisions are never easy and I applaud Mr. Webster and the current School Committee members on a job well done this year. They spent a tremendous amount of time considering all aspects and I believe that the final budget was just right.

After rolling out Proficiency Based Learning and new diplomas for the Class of 2018, the administrators changed direction and have now delayed the new diplomas until 2021, while other parts of PBL are being implemented now. Is that a good idea or not? Why?

It is a very good idea to delay the roll-out of PBL until the district has time to carefully plan the implementation, train teachers and staff, and socialize the program before making it mandatory. No business would implement a new program without a carefully thought out project plan, so I am glad that the school department is carefully planning this new program implementation as well.

Classroom overcrowding has been a concern. Do you favor hiring more teachers to reduce classroom sizes? If yes, where should the money come from?

Yes, classroom overcrowding is a concern for many schools in Lewiston.

For some schools, hiring more teachers may reduce class sizes, however at other schools there is no space to add extra classrooms for new teachers to use. Until the new elementary school is built (which combines Martel and Longley) I think the superintendent is following the right path by allowing school choice and hiring new teachers at the schools that have space for additional classrooms.

The school committee recently voted to build a new elementary school near Lewiston High School that combines and replaces the Martel and Longley schools and gives the city improved athletic fields. Do you favor this plan?

I very much favor this plan and I believe that a new school in the proposed location near the high school is exactly what a city the size of Lewiston has needed for a very long time. This new school will provide a better learning environment for the students, plenty of green space, and still be accessible to the families that live in the current Longley and Martel districts.

Name:

Matthew Paul Roy

Email address:

matthewproy@gmail.com

Occupation or primary source of income:

Property management administrative assistant

Education:

B.S. Business Administration (accounting)

Family information:

Single, one niece.

Public Offices Sought or held:

Lewiston School Committee 2014-present; Androscoggin County Commission 2015-present.

Why are you running for office? Why should voters select you for this job?

As a product of this city and its schools, I ran for office in 2013 so to give service back to Lewiston. Over the last two years, many issues have been on the table.

I am seeking another term to continue the work others and I have been working toward regarding PBL, standardized tests, Opt-Out, the proper role of the different levels of government as they relate to education, and communication/transparency of the board and its members to the wider community.

Was the last $64.7 million school budget passed too low, too high or just right? And would you support a school budget that boosts program spending, maintains or cuts program spending and why?

A major issue is the unfunded mandates passed upon us from Washington and Augusta. The U.S. Constitution is clear on the role of the federal government in education and it is time they return to its constitutionally provided role and left education to local communities, teachers and parents.

Like all local services, it is about balancing services and taxes.

PBL and the new diplomas were mandated by the Legislature in 2011. As a new committee member in 2014, the first time PBL was an agenda item wasn’t until the late spring/early summer of 2014.

A lot of the issues which later came up, if planning started after the law was passed, could have been avoided. We could and should have applied for a waiver last summer, as Auburn did — and not in early 2015. The idea is to get it right the first time and not “go back to the drawing board.”

Classroom overcrowding has been a concern. Do you favor hiring more teachers to reduce classroom sizes? If yes, where should the money come from?

I favor hiring more teachers because students do not learn in classrooms with 28-30 students. To fund the hiring of these teachers, we should use surplus funds.

I did vote for the recommendation of the Site Selection Committee.

Also, I voted against the merging of the Martel and Longley school districts. This was because two reasons, 1) potential new transportation costs based on where the new school would been located, and 2) on the new school construction list as determined by the state, Martel was ranked number eight, and Longley 20th. There were concrete reasons for rankings.