Tom Abruzzese has announced his candidacy for School Committee. The following is his statement:
“I’m Tom Abruzzese, a candidate for reelection to the School Committee, representing Ward VI. I’m a lifelong Everett resident, a retired attorney for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a longtime coach in Everett youth sports, and a grandfather of five wonderful kids, three of whom attend the Everett Public Schools.
Today, I’m asking you for your support to continue my hard work on the Everett School Committee. Over my many years serving our community, I’ve always been a strong advocate for our students, parents, teachers, and school staff.
Anyone who knows me understands that I have no political ambitions beyond the School Committee. I have not spent years running for other political offices and I’ve always stated we must keep politics out of our work.
I’m proud to have led the School Committee as Chairman (2019-2020) during a tumultuous time. Under my leadership, and with the support of my colleagues, we put the safety of our students and teachers first by taking quick action to address the serious allegations against the former superintendent of schools.
I was also Chairman of the Superintendent Search Committee and assembled a diverse cross-section of Everett residents to help lead the search for a new superintendent. We conducted a professional, open process. We spent many hours holding community meetings to listen to what parents, students, and teachers wanted in a new superintendent, and ultimately hired a highly credentialed superintendent, who is a recognized leader in English language-learning and is a former teacher herself.
Under my leadership, we clearly turned a page and moved forward as a community.
In fact, the Everett School Committee won an award from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees for its excellence in following this process. Everett was the only district in the entire region to win such an honor- and the first time any Everett School Committee received this award.
I’ve always tried to encourage the dreams of all our students, regardless of income, background, or any other factor. We need to give students the resources they need to dream as big as possible and not let politics get in the way of moving our district forward. There’s still plenty of work to be done – and Everett needs someone tough and courageous enough to do what’s right.
I may be the last name on the ballot, but I’ll be first for the Everett Public Schools.”