Christine Rafal, 2009 Ward 4 School Committee Questionnaire Responses

What political or community activism accomplishments are you most proud of during your last term in office (or the last two years if you have not previously served)?

I was pleased to apprentice myself to the person who for six years has singlehandedly championed a newspaper club at the Healey. He has vision, creativity, and energy. I was able to introduce 15-minute mini-lessons on writing and also able to recognize developmental needs of promising young writers and help older students assist these younger ones. Otherwise it sometimes felt like more of a club for kids who already knew what to do, or if they didn't, it was a place to just play on computers. Incidentally, I think they do need a place to just play on computers. [Kids can develop very complex expertise to share with other interested parties (like manga or anime costumes) and they plug themselves in quite collaboratively to groups they can only find online. But that's another story...] Which reminds me that I was also proud to encourage more timely publication of student articles by having a more active web presence, which had several advantages.

I also got to serve on the After-School Planning Committee as a parent and part-time provider, where I learned a lot about how Mr. Sabin thinks and some of what he needs in order to more fully support Healey Students.

Over the past few years I have also spearheaded the creation of two different study groups (NonViolent Communication & A Course in Miracles) at First Parish UU in Arlington that continue with or without me (I did have a co-founder for each). These both grew out of a 5-week workshop I designed and co-taught with a minister before that, and so I feel some confidence in my creative ability to offer ideas people need and to foster smaller, cooperative communities-within-a-community (important for question 2). Incidentally I have given two sermons at this church.

What are your top three agenda priorities and how will you take action on these priorities?

My initial priority is to provide Ward 4 with active, attentive, responsive representation on the School Committee. Kids and families need assurance that they will be heard and that problems will be looked into deeply with an eye toward resolution at the root of an issue. I already have relationships with many students and parents through my various activities over the past seven to eleven years of involvement with the Healey, mainly, but also the Winter Hill Community School.

I will take action first by getting elected, and second by creating groups where parents can meet and talk about what concerns they have. Volunteers will serve as liaisons to help gather information and host meetings. I will utilize what I learned from my experience as a Title One Family Liaison to reach out to families. I am already lining up bilingual parents from among my contacts in each of the largest language groups to assist with these meetings and groups. I will also hope to meet regularly with faculty, perhaps attend faculty meetings (to avoid taking up extra time).

A very basic priority is school safety. It is also a complicated issue, especially if one recognizes how our culture supports a very low level violence even in everyday speech (for example, people often say someone else "made me feel" a certain way), so it needs to be addressed from many angles.

As additional approaches to school safety I would like to explore yoga, meditation and compassionate/nonviolent communication techniques for after-school programs and even for professional development options, because teaching is emotional work. I know there are programs like Open Circle and Second Step in place, but I am not sure these go far enough, especially because talking about feelings alone is insufficient. So I would want find out if these programs help students find out what needs their feelings are signaling to them and then if they help students generate optimally effective strategies for getting everyone's needs met (valuing those of classmates and themselves equally).

My overriding priority is to help Somerville become a place where students can each get an optimal--not just adequate--education for their personal needs and goals. I figure some of my first steps toward achieving this priority will include looking into the efficiency and the policies of the Special Education Department and ALSO taking an inventory of all the extra-curricular, stellar opportunities available in and around Somerville, finding out the extent to which Somerville students participate and whether we can increase or make fairer the access to such opportunities.

What would you tell a parent to convince her/him to send their children to Somerville schools?

I wouldn't necessarily have a set spiel I would tell someone. First I would have to find out more about them and what their specific concerns were. For example, here's a point I would make to someone who decides to move to Lincoln/Sudbury, for example, because their MCAS scores are "better:" which do you think is a better school system: one where the teachers and principals internalize responsibility for students' learning, or one where they are going to recommend someone find a tutor for areas of weakness? Because Richard Ellmore's (Harvard Grad. School of Education) research in this exact local area finds this to be the main difference.

If someone is considering private school versus Somerville public schools, again I might ask what they are looking for. After all, I maybe could make private school a priority for my family but I think that attending local public schools really helps children feel more like they are "from" the place. I tend to think it is a big part of the proverbial "roots," for a parent who wants to give their child both roots and wings. Compared to many private schools, public schools will also help your child see him- or herself as a member of community that is diverse along many, many dimensions.

If the hypothetical interlocutor is considering private school or the charter school because they feel their child will get better quality of individual attention there, I might concede that to some extent, yes, because the very continued survival and operations of these schools depend on satisfied parents and successful students in a way that continued survival of public schools typically hasn't, though this may be changing. I would encourage the parents to build relationships with their child's public school teacher and to respond to as many communications and invitations from the teacher and the school as possible. Ask questions about your child's schooling every week, and the teacher will pay attention. But I would also point out that smaller schools don't always have the resources to offer the great variety of classes or extracurricular activities you will find at Somerville High School, or even the variety of after-school clubs you will find at the elementary schools. You can have the best of both worlds in these respects if you and your student foster relationships with the faculty.

Even beyond these, people may still have reasons for different choices that have more to do with attributes of the alternatives than with attributes of Somerville's public schools. There would be little point in talking people out of those kind of reasons because if one succeeded in persuading them to stay, they may well do so unhappily.

In the end, I can only point out that I have a strong background in education (including work in creating and scoring assessments offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards). I got involved in the schools four years before my first child would go to kindergarten and, while nothing is perfect, I thought enough good things were going on here to make it my choice for my children. I might also ask how many of the schools they have visited because despite citywide curriculum, statewide frameworks, and MCAS, each school still has its own feel, and parents have some degree of choice among the schools.

What do you think the City should do with the Powerhouse School?

I think studying the alternative scenarios and finding out what residents want is the best first step. I think the choice of consultant to do the study could be limiting or could bias findings. If asked personally, I would be inclined to suggest selling the school but with stipulations for the buyer about keeping green, park or playground space. I would also only want any buyer to pay full market value and to pay full property taxes, so the revenue isn't just a short-term or one-shot occurrence.

Which progressive candidates have you supported in the last five years?

I supported both Marty Martinez and Fred Berman. I did a little volunteer work for Berman's campaign. I cannot remember if Martinez asked me. I also made some phone calls for Janine Lotti. I don't know why I have always (up to now anyway) gotten kind of shy/intimidated around candidates. I have always supported Denise Provost and frequently done work for her campaigns, and when she started appearing on our ballots, I was happy to start voting for Pat Jehlen.

Why are you the progressive choice?

I think I am the progressive choice, to the extent I really have a handle on the term "progressive," because I really believe in extending power and participation to as many stakeholders as possible, especially those who may be vulnerable. But I insist on seeing vulnerability as temporary and changeable; even if an individual's condition might not change, the construct of "vulnerable" could. I believe we all must progress together; keep striving to make life better for everyone.

What else should we know about your candidacy?