NORTH SMITHFIELD – School Committee Vice Chairperson Jean Meo announced her campaign for re-election, saying she has three main reasons for running.
“First, I have three grandchildren currently attending North Smithfield schools, and I want the best education possible not only for them but for all of our students,” said Meo.
“Second, as a past School Committee member for many years, I have the knowledge, experience, and commitment necessary to ensure that students receive the education they need to be prepared for whatever futures they may choose.”
“Third, I believe that North Smithfield has one of the best school systems in the state, due to outstanding leadership and administrators, teachers and staff, and I’d like to continue working towards maintaining the excellent education we offer.”
Meo said she has always believed her purpose as a member of the North Smithfield School Committee is to genuinely listen to the concerns of the school community and the larger community, to thoughtfully consider differing perspectives and their potential impact on the students, and to respectfully communicate her perspective on important decisions regarding the education of children.
“The School Committee is the decision-making body that will guide our students’ futures, and it must be comprised of individuals who are open-minded, objective, goal-oriented, and without political or personal agendas,” said Meo. “To that end, I am excited to team with Christopher Simpkins. We share similar values, goals, and expectations for our students. We want them to have access to the education and opportunities they need and deserve in order to reach their potentials. Our ultimate goals will be to make informed decisions in the best interests of our students, our school system, and our community.”
Let’s review Mrs. Meo’s record. Since being elected school spending has gone from $24.7 million to $32.3 million or a 31% increase from 2017. And the results are a school that ranked 9th in the state before Mrs Meo to now 15th in the state. So the only thing the town has to show in Mrs. Meo’s time on the school committee is a refurbished football field at $1million and a decline educational program. Not getting my vote.
The declining test scores and ranking are a direct result of the hiring of Mr. St. Jean and the departure of Mr. Lindberg in 2016, and not Mrs. Meo. Under the current Superintendent, we now have way too many administrative hires and underperforming schools. It is time to do a systematic review/audit, data driven, to determine how to move these schools forward and the contract of Mr. St. Jean should not be renewed. Vote Meo and Chris Simpkins, educational advocates!
So Mrs. Meo has done zero to correct the current superintendent issue and re-electing her will fix the issue. I don’t think electing these 2 will change anything at the school department and Mr. St.jean along with these two will continue to run school performance into the ground. And let’s not forget continuing to waste taxpayers dollars with zero results. 8 years with Mrs. Meo and zero results so reelection will not mysteriously change anything. Time for a change.