Subscribe to our mailing list and consider following WestfordCAT on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for daily updates from Westford’s hometown source for news.
Chris Sanders, Westford Resident
Jim Arciero has been an outstanding, dedicated public servant for the people of the 2nd Middlesex District. His constituents know that they have an accessible and accountable representative in the Massachusetts legislature. And as the chair of the Westford School Committee, I know that I have a partner at the state level who works tirelessly for the students and families of Westford, Littleton, and Chelmsford. Jim understands that by investing in public education, we are investing in democracy and in the future of the Commonwealth.
Jim has been a champion on funding our schools through ever increasing amounts of local aid to our district during his time in office. Not only has he provided historic levels of local aid and Chapter 70 funding for our schools, he recently fought for and passed the Student Opportunity Act which will update this funding formula for the first time in 30 years. It will provide an additional $1.5 billion a year for Massachusetts schools to fund their K-12 education programs. This will complement the nearly $6 billion that is returned to cities and towns already in local aid from the state budget.
As the parent of a special education student, Jim has been a leader in recognizing the challenges that students and families with special needs face in our public schools. He has instituted an annual SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Committee) “Day on the Hill” event on Beacon Hill so that special education families from across Massachusetts can lobby their elected state officials on the issues related to special education in our state. He also has filed legislation to provide for a non-voting SEPAC representative on our local school committees so that their concerns and needs for educating their children are better recognized and addressed.
Lastly, Jim brings to the office an innate ability to communicate and connect with people, strong critical thinking skills, a collaborative spirit, a knack for creative problem solving, and an unwavering sense of civic duty. In doing so, he embodies and models many of the key skills and traits we hope our schools will instill in our students and which we know are vital for the future health and success of our communities.
I will be voting for Jim Arciero on November 8th, not only because of his character, but because of his track record of successful advocacy for education in our communities.
Disclaimer: If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, contact managing editor Ben Domaingue at bdomaingue@westfordcat.org. Letters to the editor are reviewed and published at the discretion of the editor. Letters to the editor do not necessarily represent the opinions of WestfordCAT or its employees. WestfordCAT retains the right to refuse any letter to the editor for publication as it deems necessary.
Local journalism is vital to our communities. As other publications shift focus toward regional journalism, WestfordCAT continues to provide high-quality hyperlocal reporting to our town, free for everyone to read. So — we have a small favor to ask. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, helps us sustain our journalism and keep our community informed. Please consider supporting WestfordCAT for as little as $1 on PayPal.
