On Monday, January 28, Arlington School Committee candidate Joseph A. Curro, Jr. joined fellow parents before the Board of Selectmen in support of the Transportation Advisory Committee's conceptual plan to improve school transportation safety.
Reiterating many of his remarks the previous week before the School Committee, Curro, a Stratton Elementary School parent of two, thanked the Board of Selectmen for their previous endorsement of Phase 1 improvements around the school. He acknowledged Selectmen Chair Annie LaCourt, who participated in a walking tour of trouble spots in the area last year, and he highlighted the particular problems that continue at the intersection of Dickson and Hemlock.
Curro thanked the Transportation Advisory Committee for their hard work on the issue, and he praised their approach of generalizing the program across all school districts in town and relying on the local knowledge of those who make up each school community.
Showing posts with label Advocacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advocacy. Show all posts
Curro Stands for Children
On Saturday, January 26, Arlington School Committee candidate Joseph A. Curro, Jr. joined fellow residents, as well as Representatives Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington) and Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont) and 250 other activists from throughout Massachusetts, in attending the Stand for Children statewide education summit in Reading.
Participants in the summit were treated to excellent keynote presentations by Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria, Governor Patrick's Special Advisor on Education; Paul Reville, Chairman of the Massachusetts State Board of Education; and Dr. Karla Brooks Baehr, Superintendent of the Lowell Public Schools and a former Arlington teacher.
Curro participated in one workshop on the school funding landscape given by the head of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center; and another on the cultivation and recruitment of committed leaders, which was co-facilitated by Barbara Goodman, a former Arlington School Committee member and co-chair of the Arlington Chapter of Stand for Children. Arlington Chapter co-chair Cindy Starks served as master of ceremonies for the summit.
At the end of the day, Stand for Children members were asked to endorse the 2008 Campaign for Children Legislative agenda, calling for specific action in the areas of:
Participants in the summit were treated to excellent keynote presentations by Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria, Governor Patrick's Special Advisor on Education; Paul Reville, Chairman of the Massachusetts State Board of Education; and Dr. Karla Brooks Baehr, Superintendent of the Lowell Public Schools and a former Arlington teacher.
Curro participated in one workshop on the school funding landscape given by the head of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center; and another on the cultivation and recruitment of committed leaders, which was co-facilitated by Barbara Goodman, a former Arlington School Committee member and co-chair of the Arlington Chapter of Stand for Children. Arlington Chapter co-chair Cindy Starks served as master of ceremonies for the summit.
At the end of the day, Stand for Children members were asked to endorse the 2008 Campaign for Children Legislative agenda, calling for specific action in the areas of:
- Immediate Financial Relief
- Reform
- Innovation
Curro Testifies in Support of Safe Routes to School
The following is a statement from Arlington School Committee candidate Joseph A. Curro, Jr.:
On Tuesday, January 22, I joined parents and professional staff from most of Arlington's school districts in testifying before the School Committee regarding the Transportation Advisory Committee's (TAC) conceptual plan to improve school transportation safety.
The TAC was appearing before the committee in order to seek support for a phased plan envisioning incremental and capital infrastructure improvements; the joint involvement of principals and parents with other responsible parties in town; and the strategic employment of traffic supervisors and law enforcement personnel.
In my remarks, I noted the leading role that has been taken by Stratton Elementary School and particularly their Safe Routes to School coordinator Lenore Wadman. Last spring, I was happy to assist Lenore in reaching out to Board of Selectmen chair Annie LaCourt and to join both Lenore and Annie, School Committee Member Ron Spangler on a walking tour of Stratton approach routes with Jessica Yaquiant of MassRIDES.
During that walk, we pointed out a number of problem areas to Ms. Yaquiant and discussed the heavy funding requirements for measures like sidewalks and how MassRIDES might help. We also talked about certain modest improvements to pedestrian routes that are called for in the special permits governing the nearby Symmes redevelopment project and which are slated to be funded by the redeveloper. I am familiar with these requirements as an area Town Meeting Member and resident who actively participated in the permitting process for Symmes and as the former chair of the Symmes Neighborhood Advisory Committee, and I continue to monitor their status.
This was but one step in elevating the visibility of the Stratton area's safety problems. After working closely with the the TAC, Safe Routes to School advocates won approval in August of Phase 1 proposals for improvement from the Board of Selectmen.
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In my testimony to the School Committee, I pointed out how the Stratton initiative has served as a model for the TAC's comprehensive town wide proposal. There are similar pursuits underway in other districts, including a particularly energetic group of concerned individuals at Thompson Elementary School, who presented the School Committee with an extremely comprehensive list of proposed Phase 1 improvements.
I stressed to the Committee that my neighborhood reminds me of the neighborhood where I grew up, primarily because there are kids everywhere! And this raises the stakes for making wise choices.
When my daughter began school, I was pleased in a nostalgic kind of way that there is still a student safety patrol. They wear safety yellow shoulder straps now, rather than the garish orange of my youth. However, in the ultimate paradox, a number of safety patrol officers actually receive rides to school before they take up their posts. It is simply too dangerous for them to walk on their own.
The issue of safety is very personal for me. On October 3, my wife contacted me at work and was extremely agitated. She, my children, and a group of neighborhood parents and kids with whom they were walking came very close to being hit by a speeding vehicle while crossing one of the area's most dangerous intersections. And we hear stories like this every day.
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I was glad to see the TAC plan adopted unanimously by the School Committee. It takes an initial phased and objective approach to translating the previous successes of Stratton, Thompson, Dallin, and other of our school communities to a comprehensive plan for the entire community. It balances the need for infrastructure improvements with the equally important need for human eyes and ears where they are most needed. And it places the power for local prioritization directly in the hands of parents and other stakeholders throughout the town.
With this plan, the conversation can begin in earnest about how to put together a package of local capital funds and state and federal grants to implement needed safety enhancements over time.
Improvement of pedestrian safety around our neighborhood schools benefits our entire community. I wholeheartedly endorse the School Committee's action, and I hope the Board of Selectmen will act similarly to support this plan when it comes before them next week.
On Tuesday, January 22, I joined parents and professional staff from most of Arlington's school districts in testifying before the School Committee regarding the Transportation Advisory Committee's (TAC) conceptual plan to improve school transportation safety.
The TAC was appearing before the committee in order to seek support for a phased plan envisioning incremental and capital infrastructure improvements; the joint involvement of principals and parents with other responsible parties in town; and the strategic employment of traffic supervisors and law enforcement personnel.
In my remarks, I noted the leading role that has been taken by Stratton Elementary School and particularly their Safe Routes to School coordinator Lenore Wadman. Last spring, I was happy to assist Lenore in reaching out to Board of Selectmen chair Annie LaCourt and to join both Lenore and Annie, School Committee Member Ron Spangler on a walking tour of Stratton approach routes with Jessica Yaquiant of MassRIDES.
During that walk, we pointed out a number of problem areas to Ms. Yaquiant and discussed the heavy funding requirements for measures like sidewalks and how MassRIDES might help. We also talked about certain modest improvements to pedestrian routes that are called for in the special permits governing the nearby Symmes redevelopment project and which are slated to be funded by the redeveloper. I am familiar with these requirements as an area Town Meeting Member and resident who actively participated in the permitting process for Symmes and as the former chair of the Symmes Neighborhood Advisory Committee, and I continue to monitor their status.
This was but one step in elevating the visibility of the Stratton area's safety problems. After working closely with the the TAC, Safe Routes to School advocates won approval in August of Phase 1 proposals for improvement from the Board of Selectmen.
---
In my testimony to the School Committee, I pointed out how the Stratton initiative has served as a model for the TAC's comprehensive town wide proposal. There are similar pursuits underway in other districts, including a particularly energetic group of concerned individuals at Thompson Elementary School, who presented the School Committee with an extremely comprehensive list of proposed Phase 1 improvements.
I stressed to the Committee that my neighborhood reminds me of the neighborhood where I grew up, primarily because there are kids everywhere! And this raises the stakes for making wise choices.
When my daughter began school, I was pleased in a nostalgic kind of way that there is still a student safety patrol. They wear safety yellow shoulder straps now, rather than the garish orange of my youth. However, in the ultimate paradox, a number of safety patrol officers actually receive rides to school before they take up their posts. It is simply too dangerous for them to walk on their own.
The issue of safety is very personal for me. On October 3, my wife contacted me at work and was extremely agitated. She, my children, and a group of neighborhood parents and kids with whom they were walking came very close to being hit by a speeding vehicle while crossing one of the area's most dangerous intersections. And we hear stories like this every day.
---
I was glad to see the TAC plan adopted unanimously by the School Committee. It takes an initial phased and objective approach to translating the previous successes of Stratton, Thompson, Dallin, and other of our school communities to a comprehensive plan for the entire community. It balances the need for infrastructure improvements with the equally important need for human eyes and ears where they are most needed. And it places the power for local prioritization directly in the hands of parents and other stakeholders throughout the town.
With this plan, the conversation can begin in earnest about how to put together a package of local capital funds and state and federal grants to implement needed safety enhancements over time.
Improvement of pedestrian safety around our neighborhood schools benefits our entire community. I wholeheartedly endorse the School Committee's action, and I hope the Board of Selectmen will act similarly to support this plan when it comes before them next week.
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