There are four candidates running for two three-year seats on the Scarborough Board of Education. Incumbent Chris Brownsey, Michele Hallett, Grace Scarano and Colleen Staszko are the candidates.

Chris Brownsey

Chris Brownsey is seeking his second term on the Scarborough Board of Education this November and has decided to run again because he feels he still has something to offer the community.

Brownsey also feels his experience on the board is helpful. It takes a while to get acclimated to serving on the school board and Brownsey said it took him some time before he was able to get more involved.

“I try not to get too hung up on politics,” Brownsey said about his decision making on the board. “If it’s the right thing, it doesn’t matter.”

Serving on the board is Brownsey’s first political experience and he said it was a good way to assist the town.

“My son loves school and we have a good environment in Scarborough and I would like to keep that going,” he said.

Brownsey said the biggest issue facing the school district is its future buildings at Wentworth and the middle school. The district unveiled a plan to build a new Wentworth and construct an additional at the middle school that is estimated to cost between $40 million and $50 million.

“A case can be made for both; there’s a strong need,” Brownsey said, adding that the middle school is too small and Wentworth is too old. “It’s probably too much all at one time in my feeling.”

Other important issues coming up are the completion of the high school and ensuring that the project was done correctly.

Brownsey said school spending is about where it should be and the board will have to continue to keep costs in check. Still he said there have been a number of improvements made in the schools during his tenure, including the addition of all-day kindergarten and the high school construction.

“We don’t have everything you could have, but I think we have everything you could need,” Brownsey said about the schools’ course and program offerings.

Brownsey said the district has to make sure that as student enrollment increases the district continues to offer a wide range of programs. Additionally, Scarborough, like other school districts throughout the country, needs to do better in math and science.

Brownsey, 36, is a financial manager for Unum Provident. He and his wife Christine have two children, Jonathan, 7, and Meagan, 4.

Michele Hallett

This is Michele Hallett’s first time running for local office and, with two children in Scarborough schools, she would like to participate in the running the district.

“I would like to be involved, be a voice for the residents in town,” she said.

Hallett, 37, is a manager at Seligman Mutual Funds, and said her work experience in business handling budgets and managing projects will benefit the school board.

Hallett said the biggest issue facing the district in the next three years is school overcrowding. With several of the schools facing space constraints, that is something the district has to address, she said.

The district is currently investigating an estimated $40 million to $50 million project that would build a new Wentworth and add space at the middle school.

While that is a lot of money, Hallett said the portables at the district’s schools are a temporary fix and new construction will be necessary.

“Unfortunately everything is expensive, but we have to do what’s best for our children and schools,” she said. “We need to fix the problems.”

Another big issue is classroom instruction and Hallett said the district has to ensure it is on track in being the best school system in the state and planning its future accordingly.

Hallett thinks the district is spending enough money for students and believes the town should provide students with whatever is necessary in order to learn.

“We need to give children what they need,” she said. “It’s a hard balance to make everybody happy, but we need to provide kids with what they have to learn.”

It is important that the district provide with the latest in educational tools in order to remain competitive, Hallett said.

“We don’t want to fall behind,” she said.

Hallett has not identified any major problems within the district and said if elected her philosophy would be to learn more about the schools and how the board operates instead of making any sweeping changes.

Overall, her experience with the district has been positive and Hallett said the teachers have done an excellent job.

She is a volunteer Sunday School teacher at St. Maximilian Kolbe and volunteers for the Ronald McDonald House.

Hallett and her husband Mark have two children Brooke, 7, and Brittany, 15.

Grace Scarano

Education instructor Grace Scarano has never run for public office, but figures her knowledge of education will benefit the town.

“I really want my expertise to be able to benefit my own community,” she said.

Scarano is a full-time tenure-track faculty member at the University of New England’s Department of Education, where she focuses on instructing administrators.

“I understand schools,” she said. “I’ve been a teacher and education researcher. I now teach education.”

Part of her job is helping people in other places with educational issues. She is now working on a grant helping 500 teachers and 7,000 students improve science achievement.

“I want to help Scarborough because I live here,” she said. “I think the experience I have is definitely going to benefit students.”

Though students’ literacy and reading scores are high, Scarano said she would like to see more teacher development in areas that need improvement.

Scarano said the district should work to provide what teachers need to be successful. “Teachers need to feel they can still be creative and meet the standards,” she said.

Scarano said the district’s goal should be to allow students to reach their academic potential. While she thinks long-term goals could be higher, a good first step would be to have at least half of students meet or exceed state standards, which is now true for only about half of the state standards.

Scarano said the district should come to a consensus on its grade configuration and, if possible, stagger the necessary school construction projects.

The district now believes that residents feel comfortable with the current configuration, but Scarano said the survey conducted during the spring was more about popularity rather than research.

Scarano said the district should look at other funding options – such as state money and grants – before taking the entire construction project to the voters.

“I think we have to choose the needs,” she said. “I think we have to realize that money spent on a building is not necessarily money spent toward student learning.”

Scarano, 39, is married to Michael and has two children at Wentworth, Zachary and Sophia. Her third child, Noah, is 6 months old.

Scarano has participated in the Scarborough Middle School Math/Science Mentor Program. She also is a soccer coach with Community Services, a Sunday School teacher and an assistant with mid-week Bible workshops for children.

Colleen Staszko

Colleen Staszko started her career with the Social Security Administration and today is a fourth-grade teacher in North Yarmouth. She believes her experience in both business and education will benefit the Scarborough Board of Education.

“I basically would like to do something to give back to my community,” she said. “I want to use my expertise.”

She would like to advocate for students and bring her classroom experience to the board.

“That’s a piece our current board is missing,” she said.

If elected, Staszko said she would focus on setting high educational standards and ensure that students are meeting the Maine Learning Results. She also would like to promote more parental participation in the schools.

“In our community I’d like to see more people get actively involved,” she said.

In terms of school construction Staszko thinks the district should focus on Wentworth since the building has become old and beyond repair whereas the middle school is running fine, though too small. But building a new school does not mean the district will produce high achievers.

“There’s a lot more to education than just a building,” she said.

Staszko said the district has done a good job budgeting and prioritizing its needs in the last few years. She supports many new programs such as all-day kindergarten.

“I’m amazed at how much we do with keeping decent student to teacher ratios and keeping our tax burden in an acceptable way,” she said.

If elected, Staszko said she would like to increase the amount of student-teacher interaction, including possible an advisor program with students and teachers remaining together for more than one year, creating a lasting relationship.

Staszko also would like to see the district constantly review its curriculum, particularly in math, to ensure that it is working for students.

While the district is doing a good job in professional development she would like to ensure teachers have what they need to be successful.

Staszko was a member of the Superintendent Search Committee that hired Bill Michaud. She also has been a member of the Finance Advisory Committee, a member of the PTA and runs a summer math club for Scarborough children.

Staszko and her husband William have two children, James, a sophomore at Scarborough High School and Jack, a student at the middle school.

Chris BrownseyMichele HallettGrace ScaranoColleen Staszko