Political newcomer Steven Berry will face longtime Westbrook School Committee member Alex Stone for the three-year Ward 1 seat.

Stone, the incumbent who has served for eight years, was not nominated at the Westbrook Democratic caucus in August. Instead, Berry was given the nod. Stone quickly announced that he would also be running.

The three-year seat will be decided at the polls on Nov. 3. Leading up to the election, the American Journal asked all candidates about the major issues facing the school department.

Steven B. Berry

16 Fairfield Ave.

Age: 50

Occupation: Hannaford Bros. forklift operator

Political experience: None

Q: What do you think are the top three issues facing the school department and how would you solve them?

A: Getting a really good understanding where curriculum is going and what the School Committee can do to help achieve the goals provided by the administration, while being mindful of the impact to the taxpayers, in regards to cost.

Portables are popping up again we will need to address expansion options. We will need to look at enrollment to see where there are opportunities to expand our schools at all levels and work with schools that will be affected by any expansions.

I do want to say that Westbrook is a very diverse community and I want to ensure that all children feel safe. In Westbrook, we love to celebrate that diversity. Our schools are here to serve educational needs of all the children and I want to be a part of that. To move our district forward in a positive manner. To continue to support all children in their personal endeavors, whatever that might be.

Alex Stone

39 Clifford St.

Age: 42

Occupation: Recruiter

Political experience: Eight years Ward 1 representative, Westbrook School Committee; chairman of the Finance Sub-Committee for four years; chairman of the Education Programs Sub-Committee for past two years.

Q: What do you think are the top three issues facing the school department and how would you solve them?

A: One of the biggest issues facing Westbrook, and education in general, is the proficiency-based education system. It is a federal/state mandate that requires compliance with no road map on how to achieve success. I have been leading this initiative for the past two years on the School Committee. We are ahead of most of the schools in the state in terms of progress of implementing this system, but we have a long way to go. The district has done a great job over the last several years rolling out this program in the elementary schools. We have now been successful in the middle school, as well as with the current freshman class, which is the first class required to use this system for graduation. I am excited about continuing this process and working with our administration and staff to continue overhauling this program.

An ongoing issue in our schools continues to be bullying, in all of its forms. Certainly social media has increased the severity of bullying, but I believe it still occurs within the schools, as well. My goal is to continue to work with the administration, staff, students and parents to identify the signs of bullying so that we can provide a safe and nurturing learning environment.

The third most difficult issue the school department is facing is education itself. Education is different than it was 10 years ago, even five years ago. It is more complex today than ever. How can we identify what the students need to know and how do we get that information to them in a better way? Students today are far more technologically sophisticated, but we aren’t tapping into that as much as we could because of the price tag that comes along with it. Not only is it our job to provide the best education for all of our students, but we need to do it within an ever-shrinking budget, with fewer outside resources and more internal demands.

We need to be fiscally responsible so that we have the resources to implement any unfunded new initiatives or tests that could be mandated by the state or federal government (i.e., the Smarter Balance test from last year) without increasing taxes.

We have ongoing facilities issues, but maintenance and capital improvements are the first items removed from any budget. How do we accomplish everything we want to accomplish with a smaller workforce, an increasing population, a decreasing budget and more demands on all of us than ever before? We accomplish all of this by asking a lot of questions. We make sure we are doing what’s prudent for all of our students, not just a few, and we hold all of our students accountable for their actions and performance, in and out of the classroom. We have to focus on the students and remember what our mission is: Provide the Best Education for All for Life. I believe in our motto.

Alex StoneSteven Berry

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