New Chelmsford School Committee member looks to future

The two open seats on the School Committee did not feature a contest in the elections -- but the School Committee does have a new member.

Maria Santos joined the committee, running unopposed along with incumbent John Moses.

Santos is already known to many in town as a Town Meeting representative, and through her many leadership roles in school and parent organizations.

Santos recently shared her thoughts about issues facing the schools, and how she looks forward to serving.

Please tell me about your reasons for seeking a seat on the School Committee.

My primary reason is that I would like Chelmsford to have a school system that is known for its excellence so that all students, teachers, administrators and the community as a whole do benefit from the system and its continuous improvement. 

School committees are an essential part of the public education system.

I see my role as that of a community representative who brings to the table a background of parental involvement and participation in the system for the past 10 years while my daughters have been students in Chelmsford, my own background as a student in both public and private education in the USA and abroad. 

[Being on the] School Committee allows me to participate at a more extensive level, where I can have a more internal view of the entire system and continue to provide input to foster excellence for all who participate in our schools. 

I believe deeply in educating the whole person so that I would like Chelmsford Schools to remain very much at the forefront of providing access to the arts, sports , clubs and activities that promote social and emotional learning and involvement of the whole person.

What is your education, and professional background?

I am the managing partner of Alphen & Santos, PC. I represent corporate and individual clients in immigration and nationality law.

I graduated in 1988 from Boston College Law School and have been a private practice attorney ever since.

My bachelor's degree is from Rivier College (1985 Summa Cum Laude).

I am a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association. 

I am a board member of Naveo Credit Union, formerly Cambridge Portuguese Credit Union, a $130 million asset size financial institution with two branches serving Somerville, Cambridge and surrounding areas.

I served as board chairman from 2007 to 2017, as the first woman board chair.  I served first as vice chairman and then chairman of the Asset, Liability and Investments management committee from 2001 to 2017. From 2017 to the present, I have served as chairman of personnel.

I am president of the Chelmsford Council of Schools, a position I will leave this June, but which I have held now for more than five years.

This council brings all of the parent organizations together under one umbrella.

I am a past president of the Parents Teachers Organization board of Center Elementary School, I role I served for two years, and co-president with Cathy Poisson. Then, I served as president of the McCarthy Middle School PTO.

I serve as an elected Town Meeting representative for Precinct 8.

Chelmsford public schools, like many area school districts, is seeing an increase in diversity, including students and families of many backgrounds, and more English language learners. How do you think the school district can best meet those changing needs?

This is an area of immense interest to me.

I am bilingual and bicultural. I was born in the Azores, Portugal and immigrated with my family to Lowell,  at the age of 9.

Becoming quickly fluent in English was essential. My parents knew it, and made sure that my sister and I took advantage of every opportunity presented to achieve in education.

If you want to do well in school and keep growing, you have to learn English well.

Kelly Rogers, the English language coordinator in Chelmsford's school system, asked me a few months ago to start working on forming the English Learners Parent Council.

I have been working on this and will continue to support this effort and make sure it is an integral part of the system.

I think parental input and involvement in the English learners' process is key to making sure the system works well - so English learners can also access all aspects of the education system.

On the School Committee, it is important in every decision we make to understand the needs of English learner students and families and I am very much attuned to these needs.

English learner students, like all students, need social and emotional support as they move through the system.

I encourage parents of English learner students to participate and be very visible so that diversity shines through every aspect of our education system and process.

It makes the system so much richer. Chelmsford is becoming more diverse and thus its schools are becoming more diverse.

I see this as a good thing-enriching our society-but we want to make sure that the system fosters inclusion and we are sensitive to the diverse needs to all our students.

I also see the 1:1 initiative that is being rolled out this coming year in grades 5 and 9 as important for English learners.

We already provide access to computers and technology to English learner staff and students, but with access to these additional computers, learning will be moving towards a more personalized, individualized system of learning and for English learners, this is important.

It is also important for special education -- and this is not to take away from how each and every student is going to benefit from having access to a computer from day one of school.

School safety remains a topic of concern for many. What role do you think the School Committee can play to address those concerns?

We have taken some steps in this area in the past year.  Everybody is for school safety.

As a School Committee member, I need to keep informed and provide input on what our administration is doing at the physical facility level to insure safety.

[This is] whether we are following ALICE protocols, whether we are actively taking all steps possible, in conjunction with our Police Department and other town of Chelmsford community groups to insure safety.

Special needs is another area the district is working to meet as needs change. How well do you think the district is meeting those needs, and what can the School Committee do to help?

SEPAC [the special education Parent Advisory Council] has been very active and more involved in providing education about how each student can access special education services, etc.

I think that is very important and I would fully support this input.

I am also happy to see that we now have a more robust program in special education offerings in the Chelmsford public schools because I would like to see as many children's needs as possible addressed in our own community's education programs.  

What skills and strengths will you be bringing to the School Committee?

I bring my full background, my deep commitment to access to excellence in education for every child, my many years of being fully involved in the parent-teacher organizations in the Chelmsford Schools systems and my knowledge of providing input through boards and committees to keep community fully involved in the Chelmsford school system.

How can residents get in touch?

I will have a School Committee email:  santosm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us. Phone: 978-884-6795.