ABEA School Committee Questionnaire

By Yanxin Schmidt

Published on 4 April 2023

Note: the Acton Boxborough Education Association (ABEA) is the local teachers’ union. They submitted a questionairre to all of the school committee candidates in mid-March. This is the questionairre and Yanxin’s replies.

1. Why are you running for School Committee? Are there any particular issues that inspired you to run?

I have been a parent volunteer for AB Schools since our family moved to Acton in 2018. At the time, I wished to provide a sense of security and support for my two young children who had just transferred to a school building that is twice as big as their cozy elementary school in New York. Over time, I developed an appreciation for the thoughtful and positive learning environment that AB Schools have provided for our students in collaboration with the Town of Acton and Boxborough. Our communities, in turn, take great pride in the excellent schools that we have built together. Our schools need the continued support of our communities to work through the new challenges of today’s world. I am running for the school committee because I believe that to invest in the education of our students is to invest in our communities’ collective future. I am confident that my thoughtful approach and effective communication will serve both our towns and the schools well.

2. What role do you see for the ABEA in our school community? How can the School Committee and the ABEA work together for the benefit of students and staff?

As a parent, I have seen how much positive impact a good teacher can have on my child. ABEA supports our teachers and therefore plays a crucial part in enabling the district to deliver excellent education service to our students. Having open, honest and respectful communication between the AB School Committee and ABEA is critical for both to succeed in our mission.

3. Our district’s finances have resulted in staff cuts for two years in a row, while student needs are greater than ever. If elected, what ideas or strategies would you advocate for to increase revenue so that we can fully fund our schools and provide our students and staff with the resources they need?

A good school budget requires a balanced approach to examine both revenue and expenditure. I am aware of the difficult financial situation that our district is in, and I have been following our district’s budget process closely. In order to better understand the school budget, I took “Charting the Course” by MASC Academy for School Leadership. In addition, I have visited our state legislators to inquire about the state aid our district currently receives. On the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District’s website, I found information on our district’s expenditures for 2020. The Out-of-District education spending for the year 2020 was $9,022,417, 9.2% of the entire expenditure, and 6,246% higher than similar districts. With the Operational Service Division’s approval of a 14% tuition increase, the Out-of-District education spending for our district will increase as well. If elected, I would like to work to fund the programs in the district so that we can keep the students and the money in the district.