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Candidate Statement

​I have had the honor of serving on the Greenlodge Elementary School PTO Board for the past five years, including as the Board’s president for the last 4 years. I have also served on Greenlodge’s School Council, working with staff and other caregivers to develop an overall improvement plan for the school. In addition to volunteering within the Greenlodge School community, I have actively participated in the town’s efforts to find fiscally responsible alternatives to provide our community’s children with best-in-class learning environments through my service on the visioning panel and more recently, as an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the School Building Rehabilitation Committee (SBRC). Finally, I volunteer regularly with Dedham Youth Baseball, assisting with fundraising efforts, community outreach, and social media management.   

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All of these experiences have helped prepare me to serve on the School Committee.  In particular,  my tenure on the PTO has provided insight into the workings of our schools that will prove invaluable as a member of the School Committee. For the School Committee, similar to any PTO board, it is crucial that we adopt and implement policies that best serve our community and contribute to the long-term success of our schools. Listening to feedback from caregivers and finding ways to improve and enrich the student experience are essential components of this process. Additionally, setting and managing budgets effectively is vital to ensure that our resources are used wisely to benefit all students and staff.

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In the past five years, the PTO has navigated a wide-ranging set of challenges that have had profound economic and social impacts on many families in our community. During this time, our PTO has worked creatively to maximize our resources, being mindful of where and how we spend, always with the goal of supporting our students. For example, I spearheaded the creation of the now annual Read-a-thon fundraiser in response to declining literacy scores. This initiative not only boosted our students' confidence but also provided meaningful financial support to our PTO fund. 

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The financial success of this event is due to creative thinking and town-wide organizational; qualities that will be crucial to the prospective success of the School Committee.  We engage with local businesses, like the Blue Bunny Bookstore, who co-host events that give back to local businesses AND to Greenlodge. This program is so successful that the funds we raised last year ensured that every Greenlodge student would be able to participate in field-trips, regardless of cost, and allowed us to provide enrichment to the entire school population. 

Serving on the PTO as well as my family’s involvement in youth sports has allowed me to build lasting, genuine relationships not just within Greenlodge, but throughout the Dedham community. I have had the privilege of collaborating with families and educators from the other schools within Dedham schools. Through this work, I have experienced first-hand the deep-rooted pride that Dedham families have in their schools and community.  I am continually impressed by our residents’ investment in the school district as a whole and the willingness and desire to support one another across different school neighborhoods; this Dedham pride is my inspiration to continue to find ways to serve our town and help reach compromises that address all neighborhoods’ concerns in the most realistic, fiscally responsible manner. 

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If elected, I will continue working to improve our schools, including collaborating with all stakeholders to identify ways to update and manage our aging facilities in a way that is both sustainable for the future of Dedham and mindful of the needs of the town as a whole. My husband and I chose to raise our family here in Dedham because of the strength of our schools—not only for the excellent educators and administrators in our district but also for the welcoming environment they provide to all town residents. I am committed to furthering the overall educational mission of Dedham schools and providing our town’s elite educators and administrators the resources needed to provide all current and future students in Dedham every opportunity to succeed.

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I am deeply committed to working hard for the benefit of this town, its residents, and its schools. I humbly ask for your vote on April 12th.

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Kaitlyn DeStefano, Candidate Elect for School Committee