The following is a list of the questions that we are asking city council candidates.

• Contact information questions

  • Kate Campbell

  • 📱:617-657-4408

  • 📧: katecampbellforschoolcommittee@gmail.com

  • 🌐: katecampbellforschoolcommittee.com

• What is your political party?

  • Democrat

• Why are you running for office?

  • I am running for Quincy School Committee because I care deeply about children. As a parent, advocate, and educator I believe I have the experience and skills to be a unifying voice that represents students, families, and teachers. I am excited to work together to help Quincy Public Schools (QPS) meet the challenges of the future.

• Do you or does anyone in your family work for the City of Quincy in any capacity? (Please consider first cousins and closer relationships only.) (yes / no)

  • No

• Do you or does anyone in your family own or work at a company that does business with the City of Quincy? (yes / no)

  • No

• Having personal ties to the city does not disqualify a candidate for office by any means. But voters may be concerned that if you answered yes to either of the previous two questions, you may not be willing to speak out on their behalf if doing so might jeopardize your or your family members' relationships with the city. What would you say to those voters?

  • declined to answer

• What are the three most pressing issues facing QPS, and how would you tackle them?

  • 1. Budget: As the director of an early childcare center I understand how a budget can expand or limit resources at all levels from classroom materials, curriculum, enrichment, staffing, to building maintenance. I believe the budget is a reflection of the district’s values. There needs to be intentional conversations about priorities and where possible adjustments can be made. I will work collaboratively with the school committee and city council to find creative solutions that are student and educator focused.

    2. School climate- more specifically bullying, student social-emotional health, building community: For students to achieve their best they need a safe, affirming learning environment. I support all of the current QPS initiatives around social-emotional learning and mental health. I will advocate for additional programs and resources for students and families, and the hiring of more adjustment counselors for the district.

    3. Staffing: I will advocate for QPS to continue to recruit and retain qualified educators and specialists to meet the needs of students. I believe our educators deserve to feel valued, and have the support they need to grow professionally.

• Which of the 19 school buildings are you familiar with, and are there any building issues you want to discuss?

  • As co-president of the Citywide PTO I had the opportunity to become familiar with all of the elementary, middle, and high schools. My children have attended Snug Harbor, Bernazzani, Central, and Quincy High. The underlying challenge for the majority of our school buildings is outdated facilities design and deteriorating infrastructure. Our oldest schools aren’t well equipped to address rising temperatures and sea level, the need for single-use all-gender bathrooms, increased use of technology, or alternative teaching methods in the classrooms.

• If elected, would you go out into the community to hold town-hall-type meetings at least once every year?

  • Yes

• If elected, will you create an online newsletter or blog to keep your constituents informed?

  • No

• If elected, will you take advantage of the city's translation services for your newsletter and town halls?

  • Yes

• How should the school committee respond if ICE agents take members of the school community into custody, as happened recently in New York state?

  • Quincy Public Schools has a protocol if ICE agents, or any other law enforcement officers, attempt to enter a school building. Unfortunately, the school committee has no authority in the acute moment to protect students or staff. The most important role of the school committee is to stay informed and ensure the current laws and protocols are communicated clearly to all the schools, especially administrators, security, and other staff who are likely to have first contact with agents. The school committee should also keep QPS Leadership accountable for educating families of their rights and providing resources on where/how to get legal support.

• Do you believe there are only two biological sexes?

  • No

• Should trans students be allowed to use the bathroom of their choice?

  • Yes

• Explain what you think QPS's EDI director does, and what, if anything, you will do to support that work.

  • I strongly advocated for the creation of the EDI director position, and was a parent representative on the hiring committee. I am committed to keeping this a permanent position on the Superintendent Leadership Team, and ensuring the director has the resources to continue their work to build community and a sense of belonging.
    
    The EDI director, Kim Connolly, has focused on building a “teacher pipeline” to recruit new educators to QPS. She encourages Quincy students and residents to pursue teaching careers, and provides information on BA and MA degree opportunities. QPS is also a member of the Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education (MPDE) which assists and facilitates partnerships to recruit diverse educators. Kim publishes a QPS DEI Newsletter with information on programs and initiatives throughout the district, hosts Parent Academy's (most recently on Raising Multicultural Children), as well as promotes community cultural events.
    

  How aware are you of increasing behavioral and mental health challenges facing the school community at every level, and what are your proposed solutions?

  • Both as a parent and Citywide PTO co-president I have heard about the struggles of many families across the entire district. As mentioned earlier, student behavioral and mental health is one of my top priorities. I strongly support current social-emotional health curriculum such as SELECT Schools, and mental health support such as the Behavioral Health Navigator, and the Community Behavioral Health Initiative partnership. QPS needs to continue to explore and expand resources to meet the demand for services. Only three schools currently have access to an adjustment counselor.
    

• If you'd like to add any comments about any of your answers, please do so here.

  • If elected I am committed to communicating and collaborating with the QPS community. I may not be able to create a blog or hold formal town-hall meetings, but I will be responsive and make myself available to the community. I will stay connected and informed on the issues that impact students, families, and educators, and continue my established relationships with the school PTOs, Citywide PTO, QEA teachers union, and QPS Leadership Team.