Voters faced with new names or status quo on Board of Ed

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STAMFORD — There’s a chance on Nov. 7 that the Board of Education could remain as is if voters are happy with the state of Stamford Public Schools, as Democratic incumbents Jackie Heftman, Andy George and Betsy Allyn vie for three open seats.

But with three more outside candidates running — Republican Dan Mena, Green Party candidate Jackie Pioli and unaffiliated candidate Theresa Robbins — there’s the possibility voters might swing for the unknown.

Even if the incumbents keep their seats, there will still be a shifting of Board leadership. George, previously a Republican, is running as a Democrat for outgoing board president Geoff Alswanger’s vacant seat. Once the new Board takes their seats, they will vote for a new president.

But the candidates are more than just their parties. Behind the labels are efforts in volunteerism, activism and education.

Jackie Heftman

As the current chair of the Board’s labor committee, Heftman, 73, said that she’s often awake negotiating contracts until 1 a.m. It’s why she says that she still has the stamina for the role.

Heftman, running for her fourth term, is currently the longest serving BOE member. Despite serving for nine years, Heftman said she still has the necessary passion.

For critics who may find Heftman’s long stay on the Board to be a negative attribute, she notes that her “experience and things that I’ve done on the Board, and that historical perspective, are an asset.”

With BOE president Geoff Alswanger not seeking re-election, the second most experienced member of the board is Betsy Allyn, who is finishing up her first term of three years.

No matter who is elected on Nov. 7, it will be a relatively fresh Board. Heftman said that it takes at least three years to learn the ins-and-outs of the school system, which she believes makes her experience valuable.

Heftman is retired now, but has a history of volunteering within the schools. She was previously a paraeducator at Roxbury School for seven years, but outside of this, her life has been mainly devoted to volunteering. She also served on the zoning board for 10 years prior to BOE.

“My whole life has been about public service in one way or another,” she said.

Andy George

George, 63, has been a member of the Board for two years, but is running for re-election after switching parties.

Like Heftman, George believes it takes time to learn the specifics of the school system so experience is important.

“I’ve enjoyed the two years and it’s been fun to get involved in this way,” he said. “The cold reality, though, is that the pace of decision making in a government setting is slower than I’d like.”

George said he waited until his kids graduated from Stamford Public Schools to run for the Board so he could devote his full attention to it.

“We have a lot of evening meetings and that’s a lot of time out of the house,” he said.

George hopes to see the schools become more equal in terms of resources. For instance, Westhill High School has their agricultural science building, and he thinks it would be beneficial if Stamford High had something like that.

George wants to develop a long-range plan for school facilities if re-elected.

“The Board of Ed isn’t meant to micromanage or dictate the curriculum or operations themselves, so our responsibilities become advocating for Stamford at the state level and cooperating with the mayor,” he said.

Betsy Allyn

Allyn is running for a second term. With children still in the public schools, Allyn said that she is still invested in the daily operations of the district.

“We’ve done some really good work and I’m dedicated to the kids in the city,” she said.

Before being elected to the Board, Allyn worked for 20 years as a compliance analyst for GE. She decided in 2012 to stay at home with her children and volunteer, which led her to such roles as vice president of the Parent Teacher Council and freed her up to complete a program at the Parent Leadership Training Institute, an organization that teaches local residents how to get involved in their community.

“Education is your key to success in life,” Allyn said. “This is what we do, we give them the foundation for the success in their lives.”

If re-elected, Allyn said she would focus more on transparency on the Board. Over-crowding at some schools is also an issue she hopes to tackle.

“We need to continue to work with the mayor and our state legislature to figure out how we’re going to afford to build another school,” she said. “We have these portable (classrooms) that we have to address.”

Dan Mena

Mena, 80, grew up in Queens and spent much of his life throughout other downstate N.Y. areas like New York City and Westchester County. He moved to Stamford to better accommodate his wife, who worked in Greenwich, after their son went away to college. He has lived here since, for over 18 years.

Mena believes the current Board is lacking the one thing instrumental to a Board of Education: educators. Mena has a doctorate in psychology and education from Columbia University, and taught for over two decades at institutes such as the New York Theological Seminary.

“One of the main reasons I want to pursue this position (on the Board of Education) is to be involved in education again,” Mena said. “You have to have the experience of the beauty, growth, and art form of education ... there’s lots of things that happen in a classroom that non-educators will not know how to deal with. To assess that you had to have been a teacher.”

Mena wants to focus on solving an absenteeism problem he believes Stamford Public Schools have, and also said that the schools do not have a “very pleasant dress code.”

Beyond his educational pursuits, though, Mena is an author — and has a soft spot for wolves. One of the books he’s written is a children’s book about the animal.

“They’re misunderstood creatures and are always made the ‘big bad wolf,’” he said. “It’s actually a noble animal that takes care of its family. I wanted to educate children at an early stage on how beautiful this animal is.”

Jackie Pioli

Pioli, 39, is a parent advocate throughout Fairfield County and felt compelled to run for BOE to support parents and students who she feels don’t have as loud of a voice.

“I feel there’s a disconnect between the parents’ voice and what goes on in the central office,” she said.

She helps families navigate the challenges of schools, such as bullying, emotional issues, and the curriculum.

“Whatever they need, I help and support them,” she said.

Due to her own family experiences, Pioli wanted to counsel other families who might be feeling similarly about navigating the school system, and in turn, run for the Board of Education.

Pioli believes Stamford Public Schools can do a better job of reaching students from all backgrounds. If elected, she hopes to improve the communication between the Board and the rest of the school community, such as teachers and parents.

In her work with surrounding communities, Pioli has found that families are often looking for guidance. She hopes to bring her experience in working with families to the Board of Education.

“Parents go to Board meetings and they feel they’re not being listened to,” she said. “I feel there is an outreach problem. A lot of the parent engagement is through technology, but face-to-face goes a long way.”

Theresa Robbins could not be reached for comment.