Katrina Munichiello, Westford resident 

I am writing to express my support for Laurie Oliver and Tom LaFlamme for School Committee.

I have known Laurie Oliver as a passionate music educator in our schools and as an involved parent of WPS students. But what others may not know is that Oliver’s engagement in the lives of students goes beyond the classroom. For more than two decades, she has been a Girl Scout volunteer. From Daisies to gold awards, she has supported Scouts. She also helped to create and lead the Girl Scout Chorus, where she spends hours each fall and winter working with Girl Scouts to prepare them to entertain the community at the townwide holiday tree lighting, concerts, and more. Westford’s students remain her priority, even after her own students have graduated.

My first interactions with Tom LaFlamme were as a neighbor, but I soon found him to also be an engaged supporter of the arts in Westford, both through band and theater. But that alone is not why he has my support. As a current member of the Finance Committee, LaFlamme brings a deep understanding of our current budget situation and will be able to quickly get up to speed with helping WPS make the difficult financial decisions ahead. While on the Finance Committee, he frequently attended School Committee meetings to ensure he understood not only the challenges but also the nuances of school budgets and how decisions impact students. He is also a former town employee and he has served on the affordable housing committee. His experience makes him a uniquely qualified candidate for School Committee in this difficult budget period.

I hope you will join me in supporting Tom LaFlamme and Laurie Oliver, two dedicated community volunteers, in their runs for School Committee.

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