This week, we invited the candidates running for local office in the Nov. 5 General Election to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.
Below is the unedited response from Paul Weiss, who is running for Arlington School Board.
Too many decisions that come from the central office and the school board are not grounded in the day-to-day reality of teachers, building staff, parents, and students. This disconnect has contributed to a strained relationship between our children’s classrooms and the APS central office. Arlington’s students, teachers, and building staff need a teacher’s voice on the school board.
After serving successfully as an Arlington teacher for 22 years, I retired in July to run for the APS school board. I was not able to participate in the Democratic caucus, but I am a lifelong progressive Democrat.
I am the parent of two W-L graduates, both of whom had struggles and successes in school, and my wife and I are forever grateful to the dedicated teachers and staff–secretaries, cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers–whom they encountered during their time in APS. Part of the reason I chose to run is to help support the teachers and staff who work directly with Arlington’s children every day. They need better support so they can best serve our children.
My parents were both first-generation Americans and the first in their families to attend college. They were young teens during the Great Depression. I mention this because–although I am a firm believer in the societal benefits of good government–I grew up in a household that valued being smart with money.
Since 2019, APS student enrollment has grown by 14 percent. APS Central Office staff has grown by 47 percent–over 50 new Central Office positions. The smart decision would have been to use those 50 positions in the classroom.
When I first announced my candidacy, I was naively taken aback when someone asked for my platform. I thought to myself, “Platform? I’m a teacher and I’m running for school board. That’s my platform.”
The inquiry, of course, was perfectly appropriate. But my answer always comes back to teaching. It is teachers, along with building staff, who foster positive learning environments, and teachers who are crucial to our students’ success. I will strive to reduce class sizes, encourage us to look critically at standardized testing, and push for a more nimble APS central office that works for the students and teachers it is supposed to serve.
My two decades as an Arlington teacher make me uniquely qualified to serve Arlington’s children and parents on the school board. For the sake of Arlington’s children, vote for Paul in the Fall. https://paulweissforschoolboard.org/
