SACO — Wards 1 and 5 are facing contested races for the School Board. The

Ethan Alcorn is running against Arthur Archie for the Ward 1 School Board seat, and William Gayle is running against Kerry Grover are running for the Ward 5 School Board seat. Ward 3 School Board Member Jeffrey Richard is running for reelection unopposed, as is Ward 7 School Board Member Beth Johnston.

All School Board seats are three-year terms.

Three City Councilors are running unopposed for reelection in November’s election – Ward 1 City Councilor Marshall Archer, Ward 3 City Councilor Joseph Gunn and Ward 6 City Councilor Jodi McPhail are all running unopposed for three-year terms.

The school board candidates in Wards 1 and 5 were emailed questions. Here are their responses. Candidates are listed in their ward in alphabetical order by last name.

Ward 1 School Board Candidates

 Ethan Alcorn

Occupation:

I am a landscape business owner in Saco for 20 years. My family's been in business here for around 60 years.

List any previous political offices held and for how long. Also, list any municipal or school appointed committees you have served on.

I have run for two other offices, but haven't served in office, or been on any committees, but would like to.

Why are you a good choice for the School Board? List any experience, background and skills that are relevant.

I am a good choice for school board because I care about the community I've been a part of for so long, My kids went thru all the schools, and I have hired and fired people, dealt with budgets, taxes, and know how to do more with less, from 20 years of running my business.

What are your top three priorities if elected?

My top priorities are being a team player to maintain the trust of the community in the school board, find ways to lower the budget to cut taxes, and common sense covid strategies that get us back on track and stop wasting time.

What are the greatest challenges facing the School Board in the upcoming year?

The biggest challenges for the board are delicately balancing the support of "teaching", with extraneous agendas that people / groups want to push our children to comply with; and the apparent lack of ability to say " no, the taxpayers shouldn't be paying for that".

 Arthur Archie

Occupation:

I am a truck driver, and own a local landscaping company.

List any previous political offices held and for how long. Also, list any municipal or school appointed committees you have served on.

Although I have not recently held a position in public office nor been on a committee, while in high school I was elected by my peers to be on the student council for 4 years and held the VP position my junior year and President of the student council my senior year.

Why are you a good choice for the School Board? List any experience, background and skills that are relevant.

I believe I’m a good choice School Board because simply put, I’m a parent who cares. I intend to bring a commonsense approach to the board and keep politics out of it. I want to make sure our children and staff have the proper resources to succeed.

What are your top three priorities if elected?

My top 3 priorities; Keep our children and staff safe and maintain the “back to five”, ensure we are on or below budget especially with building a new facility, and keep an open transparent dialogue with the parents and tax payers for Saco.

What are the greatest challenges facing the School Board in the upcoming year?

Our greatest challenges currently are securing a location and starting to build a new facility, ensuring we have enough staff to transport and properly tech our children, and maintaining transparency.

Ward 5 School Board Candidates

 William Gayle

Occupation:

 I am currently the Grant and Policy Administrator at the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority which manages the Downeaster train. 

List any previous political offices held and for how long. Also, list any municipal or school appointed committees you have served on.

Currently I am serving on the City of Saco’s Traffic Safety Committee as an appointed member of the public. This is my first experience running for political office and I am enjoying meeting and hearing from the residents of Ward 5.

Why are you a good choice for the School Board? List any experience, background and skills that are relevant.

I’m a father of two young children– one of which is in Saco Pre-K – and I am passionate about assuring a high-quality education for all Saco students. I have dedicated nearly a decade of my career to public service and have worked on a number of policy issues, from education to transportation, at the local, state, and federal levels. I have had the opportunity to work on a range of projects - from overseeing a mentoring program introducing engineering principles to inner city school children, to securing a $16 million dollar grant for the Downeaster. Over and over again, it is my responsibility to bring together differing voices and find strength in multiple perspectives. I have worked collaboratively with private businesses to find solutions that ease the impact of regulation and implemented initiatives passed by the state legislature and Congress. I am able to overcome challenges by listening and approaching issues collaboratively and with an open-mind. I also bring to the table a professional knowledge of the budget process which would be an asset to the school board.

 What are your top three priorities if elected?

I have three main priorities: 1) assuring the safety of students, teachers, staff, and families; 2) applying my professional knowledge of budget development to uphold a responsible, sustainable school budget; and 3) improving communication by bringing an understanding of the school board's work to residents in easy-to-use formats.

What are the greatest challenges facing the School Board in the upcoming year?

In talking with people in the Ward, addressing school safety tops the list as the foremost issue of concern. From our family’s experience and hearing from others, having our children learning in-person at school is critical. In-person schooling allows not only the benefits of socialization and reliable education, but also a number of other vital services, such as meals and supervision. These are needed for our children to succeed, and to support our hardworking families. While the implementation of the “Back to 5 Plan” has succeeded in providing in-person instruction to start the school year, we need to continue to be ready to adjust to circumstances if they change in the future. In these uncertain times, it is imperative we communicate effectively and quickly with parents and the community. Ensuring that the school department has what it needs to be able to proactively and reactively address the challenges ahead will require efficient and collaborative decision-making with parents, residents, and the City Council.

 Kerry Grover

Occupation:

New England Administrative Coordinator for a telecommunications company.

List any previous political offices held and for how long. Also, list any municipal or school appointed committees you have served on.

While I have volunteered and worked as a campaign coordinator on an array of political campaigns in the past, I have not run for office before.

Why are you a good choice for the School Board? List any experience, background and skills that are relevant.

My life and career experiences have allowed me to develop the necessary skills to pivot and change course in an instant. As we know from the pandemic, this is something the schools and board need to be prepared for. I am detail oriented and I have always been empowered to think creatively, question processes and procedures, and provide feedback and new solutions. In the ever-changing world we live in, these are vital skills.

 If elected, my efforts as a board member would center on serving ALL children in the community. A school board member must build public understanding, support, and participation. The board must be responsive and receptive to parents, staff, students, and the community at large.

What are your top three priorities if elected?

I want to engage the community to have open dialog. Everyone has the right to be heard, not just to speak. There needs to be more understanding around how and why decisions are made.

I want to help create a long-term vision, mapping a course that provides the necessary opportunities students need to reach their full potential. The board is responsible for establishing and maintaining a structure that supports this vision, empowers the staff, and provides leadership.

I believe we have tremendous teachers and staff working with our children. Education takes place in the classroom and the board’s efforts must focus on enhancing and enriching what goes on there by having the necessary resources to do so.

What are the greatest challenges facing the School Board in the upcoming year?

With all the challenges that have come up in the past couple of years we need to remain vigilant to keep our kids safe, connected, and in school. Now more than ever we need to protect our access to education, acknowledge and find solutions for bridging the education gaps for our most vulnerable learners, and recognize just how important and valuable our leaders, educators, and staff are.

The pandemic has taught us that moving forward, innovating, and accepting new challenges with creative solutions is incredibly important. I am confident I can help keep our schools moving towards the future.

Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.