Photo: Alicia Piedalue is running for Newton’s School Committee seat representing Ward 7. Courtesy Photo
Alicia Piedalue is running in the special election to fill the Ward 7 School Committee seat vacated by Amy Davenport.
Piedalue is a mother of four and has professional experience in organizational health and talent management, and she has served on multiple public and private school governance boards.
“I have four very diverse learners under my own roof—including a child with multiple disabilities—and I believe that public education can and must ensure every child thrives,” Piedalue said.
Piedalue, who’s been busy meeting with parents, teachers and community leaders for a few months to get different perspectives on what Newton’s schools need, is calling for data-driven decision making and more communication between families and schools, and praised Newton’s new superintendent, Anna Nolin, for her work bringing the schools through a tumultuous year.
“I’ve heard from so many in our community, and while there are certainly differing opinions, there is broad consensus that Newton is poised to do next-level work over the coming years,” she said. “We have a strong leader in Dr. Nolin; the chaotic and reactive work of Covid and the strike is behind us; and there is a renewed enthusiasm in the community to double down on improving our schools. It’s an incredibly exciting time to do this very important work.”
Piedalue is on the Governing Board for the Eliot Innovation School in Boston’s North End. She said that role involves an approach that relies on measuring student progress and school success and using data to make decisions about paths forward.
“NPS can and should be a model district for the Commonwealth, and we need to ensure that all student groups—our English language learners, our students with disabilities, our historically underserved populations, and our kids who require advanced opportunities—are thriving,” she said.
Piedalue has a bunch of endorsements from people in the community, which you can see on her campaign website, www.AliciaForNewton.com.
One of those people is Caitlin Cusick, a teacher at the Underwood Elementary School and parent of kids in Newton public schools, who’s helping Piedalue with her campaign.
“I am thrilled to support Alicia as a candidate to represent our Ward,” Cusick said. “Having known Alicia both personally and professionally, I’ve consistently been impressed by her dedication to public education. In our conversations, her extensive knowledge and experience shine through, driving her passion for making public education the best possible option for all learners. Alicia also deeply values building strong community-school partnerships, ensuring educators feel connected, empowered, and appreciated in their work. She is the kind of leader who will bring both insight and heart to every decision, and I’m confident she will be a tremendous asset to our schools.”
Newton’s special election to fill the Ward 7 School Committee seat will be March 18.