Lisa Covino
We moved to Melrose 5 years ago, and fell in love with the town. We love the walkability, the businesses, and the friendly, caring people. In 5 short years, we’ve built a community that we’re proud to call home.
Last year we enrolled our oldest into Kindergarten at Hoover. Let me tell you, he adores it. Our teachers are amazing, and we’re so impressed with how much our son learned. However, we became concerned after hearing about our budget shortfalls, the lack of a teacher contract for more than 6 months, and insufficient or no funding for substitutes, librarians, and lunch and recess monitors. These are vital resources that must be funded for our schools in order to ensure safety and basic education.
We came to a crossroad. Do we keep our son at a school he adores? Do we hope his incredible teachers don’t leave? Do we have to ignore that our city has not funded the school system appropriately? We had so many questions.
That's when I met Sam Hammar. She provided historical context of how we ended up here, dating back 25+ years ago. She talked about how we need our principals to give the city a budget instead of the other way around. Only then will we know what it costs to operate schools that our students, teachers, and community deserve. Only then can we chart a path toward financial stability for our city.
A city government official told me there's little we can do about our fiscal situation, and if we want good schools we should consider different towns. I was shocked to hear this. But when meeting with Sam, the message was different. Sam has a vision to not only drive for better schools, but a better Melrose. It's not a zero-sum game when we modernize our city policies and practices. And she has the experience to get us there.
Sam has solved similar problems in her years of experience in city and state government. She has proved that she can bring change to Melrose in a way that supports all residents. After hearing Sam's vision and plan, we chose to stay with Melrose Public Schools. With Sam at the helm, Melrose can rise to its potential.
If you haven't had a chance to speak with Sam, please do so. She has regular public events and is always available to talk with anyone (find her events on Facebook). She is dedicated to listening and bringing Melrosians together to help solve our biggest challenges. Sam is the change we need.
Lisa Covino
Park Street, Melrose
