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Uncontested Candidate for School Committee in April 2007 Elections
| Deborah Cohen |
| School Committee
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Town Service:
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Professional Career:
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Educational Background:
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| Candidate Statement: I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Deb Cohen and I am running for Wayland School Committee. My husband and I moved to Wayland 13 years ago because of this school system’s reputation for excellence. I now have three children in the Wayland schools: one at the town’s preschool and two at the Claypit Hill School. My educational background includes a bachelor of arts degree from Cornell University and a law degree from Boston College Law School. I have worked as a management-side labor and employment attorney for 15 years. Currently, I have a solo law practice based in Wayland where I develop employment-related policies and agreements and provide guidance to employers regarding their obligations under state and federal employment laws. I have used my background in labor and employment law to serve the town. Previously, I served on the Personnel Board, which oversees the town’s eight other unions and non-union personnel. During my tenure on the Personnel Board, we implemented policies that saved the town money and increased the efficiency of the personnel department, including a new wage and salary classification system. We also developed the town’s first Employee Handbook and successfully settled 16 labor agreements. I have spent many hours at the collective bargaining table on the side of management and I believe that I can be helpful to the School Committee as it negotiates the terms of a new labor agreement with the teachers. As a member of the School Committee, I would promote a financially prudent plan for the construction of a new high school. A new high school is needed given that the current building is deteriorating, its infrastructure is inadequate and its classrooms are overcrowded, overused and undersized. There are also significant health and safety concerns. In fact, the High School is presently under the scrutiny of the Massachusetts Division of Occupational Safety, it has received a Notice of Noncompliance from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and it is at risk of losing its accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The time has come to act. Wayland deserves a high school that is safe, that meets today’s standards, and that meets programming needs. I also recognize the need to continue to attract and retain high-quality personnel and maintain standards of excellence in a fiscally sound manner. As Chairman of the Personnel Board, I helped negotiate union contracts that stayed within strict budgetary guidelines and I helped develop policies that improved the town’s efficiency. I look forward to helping the School Committee do the same. I am committed to seeing that Wayland’s schools continue to flourish. I believe that my background in labor and employment law, my previous involvement in town government and my strong commitment to the Wayland schools make me a good choice for School Committee. I ask for your support at the polls on Tuesday, April 24. Thank you.
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