Three vie for open school post
Published on August 15th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - Before the Town Meeting voters decide on how to divvy up the trash fee funds this Thursday night, the Board of Selectmen and School Committee will get together and vote on a replacement for outgoing School Committee member Miriam Regan-Fiore.
Regan-Fiore elected to move out of Stoneham prior to her term’s end on the School Committee, and her departure left an opening that three Stoneham residents have thrown their hat in the ring for.
Stoneham residents Carol Feke, Shelly MacNeill and Matt Stavre have all tossed their hats into the ring for consideration, and the nine-person grouping of the Selectman and School Committee are expected to deliberate in the Town Hall Hearing Room Thursday night, August 16 at 6 p.m. prior to the Special Town Meeting.
Feke ran for the board in 2006 and was defeated by Regan-Fiore and continues to hold out hope that she can give back a little to the Stoneham school system after receiving so much over the years.
“I had four children go through the Stoneham school system and they went on to excellent college educations and now hold good jobs…so I feel I have a good understanding of where we are now, what we’ve been in the past and where when should shoot for in the future as far as Stoneham education goes,” said Feke, who boasts a wide-ranging past in the educational field and was a substitute teacher in a host of Stoneham schools as her children were going through the school system. “Whether it’s my grant-writing experience or my background as a legal assistant, I’ve been a student my entire life and I understand the importance of learning and the importance of the education offered in the town that we live in.
“I think I could be a valuable resource during contract negotiations and budget-time and I look forward to Thursday,” added Feke. “The only thing I hope is that it’s not a 3-3-3 split between the voting of the two boards on Thursday, because I don’t know what would happen then.”
MacNeill finished in second place in the 2007 School Committee election behind Joe Viselli, and at the time hoped to use her background in state government as an assistant to State Senator Pamela Resor in concert with the varied talents already on board the School Committee.
“I feel like the relationships I have within the state government could be a valuable resource for the school committee given the importance of state funding and the ongoing discussions about Chap. 70 funds,” said MacNeill. “I’ve been very impressed with the cooperation taking place between all of the town boards as of late, and I’d hope to join that process and help lead Stoneham out of some troubled times.
MacNeill has been involved with the PTO at the Colonial Park School where she serves as Co-President this year, and also sits on the Alternative Energy Board within town – a group that hopes to save the town money by figuring ways to conserve energy and find less costly means of powering the municipal buildings within the town.
“Everything little thing we can do in the end to save money is going to help the kids and open up doors to improve the education we offer in Stoneham,” said MacNeill. “I will always 100 percent for that.”
Stavre is a member of the Finance and Advisory Board, but did not return a phone call from the Independent seeking comment about his interest in the vacant School Committee position.
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