Lynn Councilor At-Large Brendan Crighton is one of three candidates running for the 11th Essex District State Representative seat vacated by Steven Walsh (D) this January. The 11th Essex consists of Wards 4-3, 5-1, 5-4, 6 and 7 in Lynn as well as the Town of Nahant.
Background
Brendan
Crighton is a lifelong Lynn resident and product of the Lynn Public Schools. He
attended Lincoln-Thomson Elementary School, Breed Junior High, and Classical
High School before earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Colby
College and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Suffolk University.
Crighton was elected to the Lynn City Council in 2010 as Ward 5 Councilor,
which he served for two terms before being elected to Councilor-at-Large in
2014. Crighton has worked for State Senator Tom McGee for the past nine years,
the last four as his Chief of Staff. In Senator McGee’s office, he has had the
opportunity to work on a number of issues including budgetary and legislative
matters, Transportation, Labor and Workforce Development, Public Service and
Veterans Affairs Committee work, and most importantly, constituent services. Crighton
serves on a number of boards including the Gregg House and My Brother’s Table Boards
of Directors, as well as an active member of the Lynn Democratic City
Committee, North Shore Young Democrats, Friends of Ward 5, Ancient Order of the
Hibernians-Division 10, Friends of Lynn Woods, Friendly Knights of St. Patrick,
and Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach. Crighton currently resides in West Lynn with
his wife Andrea.
Here Brendan answers a few education related questions:
Here Brendan answers a few education related questions:
What is your understanding of the
major education related issues facing Lynn? How does this compare to the issues
Nahant is facing?
I believe I am uniquely qualified to
be a strong advocate for education issues in the 11th Essex district
because of my proven commitment to supporting and strengthening public
education during my 9 years working for State Senator Tom McGee and 4.5 years
on the Lynn City Council. One major issue facing Lynn is the conditions of the
school buildings. I voted to fund the new Marshall Middle School in Lynn and
worked hard to make sure it passed a city wide referendum. We need to continue
to work with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and advocate for
other Lynn school building upgrades and replacements. Our young people have so
much to offer and that is why I started the Lynn Youth Council to give students
a voice in their government and to encourage civic participation. Most importantly,
I meet regularly with parents and students to hear their ideas on how to
improve the public school system based on first hand experiences.
As State Representative, I vow to
push for Chapter 70 funding increases so that they continue to be reflective of
the student population increases. Two other education related priorities are
universal pre-kindergarten and increased after school funding and programming.
Children who participate in high-quality early education, develop better
language and social skills, test better, and have fewer behavioral problems
once they enter school. Currently 80% of children and youth in Massachusetts do
not have access to affordable, high quality after school and expanded learning
opportunities. I was fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of some of
Lynn’s after school programs during my youth, and I believe that every young
person should have that same opportunity. Both of these education programs are in
high demand and are critical in closing the achievement gap.
In addition to Chapter 70 funding, one
of the biggest education issues facing Nahant is reimbursement for circuit
breaker special education which has a tremendous impact on their overall
budget. For small towns like Nahant, the state needs to provide direct funding
for special education to ensure that every student is getting the high quality
education services that they deserve.
The current Massachusetts school
funding formula was originally developed in 1993. Do you believe the formula to
be outdated? In what sense?
As State Representative, I would
support legislation to revive the Foundation Budget Review Commission to
examine and report on the resources needed for all students to achieve success
and identify operating efficiencies that can be made by school districts.
According to the latest
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reports, there
are 1,026 students from Lynn and Nahant that are pre-enrolled in a charter
school for school year 2014-15. What is your stance on charter schools? Do they
have a place in public education, specifically in Lynn?
I am a
proud product of Lynn Public Schools K-12, where I learned so much from the hard
working teachers and faculty. I am against raising the cap on charter schools. I
do not believe that public tax dollars should be diverted to charter schools
because of the adverse impact it has on the students and educators in
traditional public schools. Public schools need every dollar of dedicated
funding they can get.
In an article titled ‘A fairer test score measure’ Jack Schneider and Massachusetts State Senator Pat Jehlen
(D) write: “Standardized test scores, which constitute the lion’s share of
how we evaluate school effectiveness, are highly problematic. Standardized
tests capture a narrow slice of life in schools and reflect only a fraction of
what the public values. …And they are subject to gaming.” What is your
opinion on standardized testing and the use of test scores to measure school
quality as well as teacher effectiveness?
Though I believe there must be some
measurement we use to evaluate our public school system, I have concerns about
the use of standardized test scores to primarily measure school quality and
teacher effectiveness. Every school district is different and faces unique
challenges when it comes to educating students.
Standardized test scores are the tool
that is used to measure schools effectiveness, yet it is not always reflective
of the progress a student has made year to year. That is why it is important
when analyzing our schools’ quality that we don't narrowly focus on test scores
for a single year, but rather look at how students have improved year to year. I
believe growth model assessments are important in order to comprehend a
student’s preparedness and college readiness throughout their school career.
If elected, in what ways will you
advocate for better public education for the students and families living the
11th Essex District?
If elected, I will work hard to make
sure our communities get the education and special education funding they
deserve, along with access to pre-kindergarten and after school programs. I have
already fostered relationships with education advocates and agencies through my
legislative and budgetary work in Senator McGee’s office. Just recently, I earned
the endorsement of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. The future of our
state depends on our hard-working teachers and a strong public school system. Education
must always be a top priority and I look forward to working hard to make sure
the resources are there for our teachers and students.
Thank you for your time in reading
this post. To keep up with the campaign, please check out www.brendancrighton.com,
find Brendan Crighton for State Representative on Facebook and Twitter. Also,
please feel free to email us at info@brendancrighton.com.
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