York election 2024: New candidates, key issues in School Committee race

YORK, Maine — Three new faces are running for two seats on the York School Committee.

Wade Fox, Marie Evans and John R. Clarke have filed to run in the election, which will take place May 18 at York High School. They are seeking to replace School Committee Chair Tom Martine and committee member Dawn Belliveau, who have decided not to seek reelection.

Fox, who has lived in town since 2016, comes with a background in developing advanced medical devices and a passion for local education. Evans is a former educator and communications manager for Boston public schools who came to York in 2020. Clarke, who owns the Booktenders store in York with his wife, said he grew up in York and moved back 10 years ago from Philadelphia.

The candidates said they are aware of a trend towards declining enrollment in York schools, which is shown in data from the superintendent’s office. They have also heard calls from some residents to spend less on education in town in response to the declining enrolments.

While at least one said consolidating schools may be necessary in the future, they each said they hope to help bolster the school’s offerings, so families choose York’s public school system as an option.

“I’m running as an independent person just concerned about this school district making the right choices over the next three to five years,” Fox said.

Superintendent: New board will help chart future of York schools

Data from the school superintendent’s office shows that York’s student population is set to decline in the coming years. Enrollment is projected to drop from 1,514 to 1,467 in the 2024-25 school year, according to a slide show presented to the Budget Committee this year.

That decline includes 20 fewer children in kindergarten and first grade at Village Elementary School, as well as 10 fewer in grades 2-4 at Coastal Ridge Elementary School and 12 fewer at York Middle School.

Meanwhile, the school district is faced with the challenges of renovating and maintaining four schools and their facilities. This year the School Department is also asking voters to approve $6 million for a new athletic track and field facility. They are also putting forth a budget that has a 10.74% increase, much of which is due to a recently approved teachers' contract.

Superintendent Tim Doak said whoever is elected to the two seats will need a vision for planning the next several years for the School Department. He referred to what he calls the “three P’s” needed for board members – planning, policy and promotion.

“I think sometimes the biggest mistake on boards is you plan day to day,” Doak said. “I think the future for any school board … is planning out two, three and five years.”

Fox wants to help schools navigate 'perfect storm'

One candidate, Fox, called the current decline in enrollment and increase in spending a “perfect storm.”

“We’re going to ask for a lot of money, and we’ve got a lot of challenges which (Superintendent Tim Doak) has laid out quite well,” Fox said.

Fox, who went to Yale for his post-graduate work, believes his background in the medical field prepares him for challenging situations. He said he worked directly with doctors on training for new medical techniques and devices – a challenge, he said, teaching individuals already as qualified as physicians. Further experience, Fox said, he brings from his career includes strategic planning and financial analysis.

“We’re going to need people that have experience in building, doing structures like this, in difficult times, which is what I’ve done,” Fox said.

Fox believes future consolidation of schools may be necessary in the face of a shrinking student population, even if through ways that did not include laying off staff. He also said he believes in improving programs for students' success after high school through bolstered internship programs and promoting alternatives like the military.

“We really need to build a lot more off-ramps for our graduates,” Fox said.

Evans, new to York, touts education experience

Evans believes a key challenge in the coming years will be to entice more families to put their children in the York school system even as many in town can afford private school. She said she and her family moved to York in 2020 from Boston and chose to come here for the small-town, coastal environment.

“We drove into York, and we drove over near Harbor Beach,” Evans said. “I started to cry, and I was like, ‘Wait a minute, I could live in this place?”

Evans, who taught middle school and high school as well as worked in education advocacy, said she was surprised when she eventually met parents who were leaving the school district. One family, she said, was choosing a private school. Another was looking to homeschool.

“It really made me raise my eyebrow and say, ‘Wait a minute, we’re in this small town here that has all these resources at our disposal,’” Evans said. “What is the gap that’s happening that families feel like they need to move their kids out?”

Evans said that was one question that made her interested in helping the school district. She started seriously thinking about running last spring and said she hopes her understanding of education will help the board navigate tough decisions.

“This town has so much potential and there’s so much opportunity,” Evans said. “What can we be doing, I don’t want to say better, maybe differently, to ensure that every kid is getting their needs met right here.”

Clarke, longtime school volunteer, brings 'life experience'

Clarke says he has never been a politician and does not have a professional background in education. Rather, he said he’s a parent who has spent the last 10 years helping with his children’s school activities as a volunteer. That could include an extra hand doing crafts or helping young students learn to read.

“I just always wanted to be interacting and helping the kids,” Clarke said. “I don’t have doctorates and masters … I have life experience.”

Like Evans, Clarke believes the accessibility to private school for many families that can afford to live in York is a big reason why enrollment has declined. He said that does not mean there are no families in town who are working class and who see public school as their only option.

Clarke believes it will be important for the School Board to help recruit more parents to volunteer and get involved with the school district. He said it is important to support the school district’s educators and for more families to ask what they need to do their job.

“Actually, speak to the teachers and say, ‘What do you need?’” Clarke said. “What is it you’re missing that could make your classroom better or your job easier?”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: York election 2024: Three-way race for two School Committee seats