On Wednesday, September 10th, the Brockton Candidate’s Forum Coalition hosted its Annual Candidate’s Forum at the Arnone School Theatre. The event was organized by a wide range of community groups including the Brockton Interfaith Community, Cape Verdean Women United, the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, and the ACLU of Massachusetts.

The format was strict: no campaign signs or literature in the hall, one minute to answer each question, and a timekeeper keeping every candidate to their limit. Questions came directly from Brockton residents.

I appreciated the opportunity to participate, but I also know that 60 seconds isn’t enough to address the serious challenges facing our schools. That’s why I am expanding on my responses here. Voters deserve more than soundbites — they deserve a clear, detailed plan for Brockton’s future.

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Question 1: On School Committee Responsibility

My 60-Second Response at the Forum:
“We’re not doing enough. We need guardrails. The superintendent works for the School Committee. We don’t work for the superintendent. The city has been in a deficit for each of the last 20 years because the committee sits back and does not put their hands in and get the work done. My answer is to roll up my sleeves, get the work done, and call out the waste, such as consultants. Fire them, and put the money back into safety and academics.”

Expanded Answer:
The role of the School Committee is not ceremonial — it’s oversight, accountability, and leadership. For two decades, Brockton has run deficits because the committee has acted like a rubber stamp.

• Fiscal Guardrails: Stop balancing budgets on the backs of teachers and paras while consultants collect checks.
• Governance Guardrails: The superintendent must answer to the committee, not the other way around.
• Community Guardrails: Launch a real-time financial dashboard so taxpayers can see where every dollar goes.

By cutting wasteful contracts and redundant administration, we can redirect resources into safety and academics — where they belong.

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Question 2: On Budget and Deficits

My 60-Second Response at the Forum:
“At the VA, I managed 400–500 employees and helped build national resource allocation models. I know federal, state, and local budgets. I know how to create systems and internal controls to stop deficits. Special education and transportation costs are destroying our budget. We need to look at those along with central office costs to make sure money is going to the right place.”

Expanded Answer:
Brockton’s 20-year cycle of deficits is a leadership problem, not an inevitability.

• Special Education & Transportation: Fight for full state reimbursement, renegotiate contracts, and streamline routes.
• Central Office Costs: Streamline top-heavy admin, freeze non-instructional hires until academics improve.
• Transparency: Implement real-time budget dashboards so families can hold leadership accountable.

Other cities don’t run deficits year after year. Brockton can stop the bleeding — but only if we cut waste and protect classrooms.

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Question 3: On Supporting Teachers and Staff

My 60-Second Response at the Forum:
“We need to cut high-paid consultants and administrators and reinvest into classrooms and students. In the Army, we had a saying: those that do the work are the salt of the earth. Teachers, aides, and staff are doing hard jobs every day. We need to support them and give them avenues to progress.”

Expanded Answer:
Our schools survive because of the frontline staff — teachers, paras, aides, janitors, cafeteria workers, bus drivers. They are the backbone, and they are too often overlooked.

• Cut from the Top, Invest at the Bottom: End consultant contracts, trim central office, redirect dollars into classrooms.
• Professional Growth: Create development pathways for paras and aides to grow into higher-paying roles.
• Morale & Respect: Celebrate staff publicly and ensure they aren’t the first ones cut in every budget crisis.

If frontline staff aren’t respected, students lose. I’ll fight to make sure the people who show up every day for Brockton kids are supported and valued.

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Question 4: On Truancy, Standards, and Student Outcomes

My 60-Second Response at the Forum:
“It’s the administration’s fault and the committee’s fault. Truancy is at 49%. Reading and math scores are well below state standards. Common Core has been a failure. I will push to get rid of it, push for more truancy officers, and push for more teachers. No student should spend four or five periods a day in a cafeteria.”

Expanded Answer:
Nearly half of Brockton students are chronically absent. Test scores are in the bottom third of the state. That’s unacceptable.

• End Common Core: Replace it with a classical, knowledge-based curriculum that restores rigor and civic literacy.
• Fix Truancy: Expand from one truancy officer to at least six. Partner with community groups to tackle root causes.
• Stop Wasting Student Time: No student should be warehoused in a cafeteria. We need more teachers and paras, not more consultants.
• Restore Discipline: Support teachers with enforceable policies so classrooms can focus on learning.

We cannot keep passing failure forward. Brockton must demand higher standards and enforce them.

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Closing Statement

My 60-Second Response at the Forum:
“We pay $22,500 per student, far more than other districts. The ROI? 49% truancy, bottom-third test scores, low proficiency in English and math. I’m here to shake things up and make sure money is spent the right way. I ask for your support, your trust, and your vote on September 16th.”

Expanded Answer:
We are spending more than most districts — yet getting less. Parents and taxpayers have every right to demand a return on investment.

• $22,500 per student with no results is not sustainable.
• 49% truancy is a disgrace.
• Test scores in the bottom third of the state prove we are not delivering.

My pledge:

• Fiscal Accountability: Every dollar tied to literacy, safety, or student outcomes.
• Transparency: Honest, open budgets families can see and track.
• High Standards: Enforce literacy benchmarks and raise expectations at every level.

I’m running to shake things up — to bring discipline, direction, and accountability back to Brockton schools. Because when we have Strong Schools, we build a Strong Brockton.

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I humbly ask for your trust, your support, and your vote for Ward 1 School Committee. Together, let’s bring back the culture of winning that once defined our schools and our city.

The Machine vs. The People

My opponent has the backing of the Mayor, the big-money Democrats, and the city’s political machine. He’s raised three times more than us from insiders and power brokers who want to keep things the way they are.

But here’s the truth: we just proved in the preliminary that hard work and grassroots support can beat big money. Families, students, and everyday Brockton residents stood with me — and together, we shocked the establishment.

Now we need to finish the fight. That means reaching more voters, printing more signs, and making sure our message of Strong Schools and a Strong Brockton is heard loud and clear.

I don’t have machine money. I have you. Every $25, $50, or $100 donation goes directly into knocking on doors, standing out on corners, and giving parents and taxpayers a voice.

Chip in today here Donate and let’s show the machine that Brockton belongs to the people, not the politicians.

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