My name is Joe Gray and I am running for the School Committee seat in Ward 6. It would be my honor to be the representative of the families and children of this Ward.
A little bit about my background and then a brief summary of some the issues, that I see before us.
I was born on the island of Trinidad. Raised in Boston, Massachusetts and became a naturalized American citizen at a young age. Except for a short stint of a couple of years in Catholic school, I have attended the public school systems in Boston and finally graduated from Boston Latin.
I spent four years in the United States Army as a crypto technician and a short time in the National Guard unit out of Quincy.
My day job is as a technology professional working on computers and network repair.
I am currently enrolled at UMASS Lowell to get my degree in Information Technology. I have to thank my wife for all her encouragement as she is currently enrolled at BU for her Masters.
When the news broke, that the three people, who had pulled nomination papers for Ward 6 school committee had all withdrawn, it was too late to solicit signatures for this year’s ballot.
We now have a situation with exactly zero candidates listed on the ballot for Ward 6 school committee.
I have three children in the public school system here in Malden. As a long time advocate for improving the quality of education in the public school’s in Malden, I felt it unfair for the families of Ward 6 to not have any representation concerning important issues.
I decided to not let the fact that I have never run for public office stop me from volunteering to do my part. I may not be the most outgoing and talkative person, but my desire to serve, since my first teenage job working in a church rectory till my days in the Army, has re-asserted itself.
Enough about my background. The three major areas before the school committee this year are
1) Technology infrastructure upgrades. The new national teaching and testing standards require massive technology enhancements to schools that have fallen below minimum acceptable levels.
2) Space needs. New Malden initiatives are on the table for a vocational curriculum. There is also an ever expanding student head count, which is competing for space with the other initiatives in the existing school properties.
3) Strategic Plan. Malden is required to have on record, a 5 year strategic plan for the public school system. According to current school committee members, it could take a year and a half to write the next plan due in 2015. So the time to start writing, that plan, is now.
Woven through the three major school system issues, is implementation of the new Common Core teaching standards. Common Core is fueling much of the changes throughout the school system. There has been much debate about Common Core. It will be our responsibility to implement Common Core to produce a robust education system.
I want to make it clear, that ensuring a high quality curriculum, comprehensive safety, quality teachers, modern facilities and a vision for the future are all goals, that I'm hoping to help achieve with your help.
My name is Joseph Gray. In the available ballot space, write-In my name for school committee. I will make Malden proud. Volunteers are encouraged and urged to contact me at (781)248-7354. Thank you for your support.
Vote November 5
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