Having Nick Cincotta JUST attending the school committe meetings .. is kind of like having a very attractive girl as JUST a friend ... One can be in her presence but can never actively date. However, Mark intends to be a thoughtful active committee member with a real VOTING privilege that makes a difference.

Phil, I appreciate your input. Having both attended and watched numerous School Committee meetings, I am aware of the role of the student representative at the meetings. I actually have a sibling at NAHS who knows Nick. Without a doubt, I am very happy to see people like him choosing to get civically involved, and I hope that more students follow in his footsteps. But I differentiate between a student being given an opportunity to voice his opinion (as any member of the public may during public comment), and a student being given a chance to vote on issues that impact the school system. I hope I did not imply that students are not listened to; I appreciate that the School Committee takes the time to hear student input. This was in no way meant to degrade or even to criticize the efforts of the current School Committee. I view this not as an injustice that needs to be rectified, but as an opportunity to be taken advantage of. I have heard from many voters across town that they are excited at the prospect of having a young, fresh voice on the School Committee, and I look forward to discussing the many ways we can work together to improve the quality of our schools. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at mmezzina@procint.com.

Mark, thank you for your response.

I’d say that you didn’t leave much room for interpretation, as your post is deliberately written in saying that there are 8 people who sit behind a desk (which means you are talking about all official participants, not just the sc membership) and that there is one group that is not represented, which you say is the students. My point is that your claim is inaccurate, because Nick Cincotta sits at the supposedly student-less table serving as student rep and providing student input.

I do want to add that in your response to my comment you use the word “student” in the same context to describe both yourself and Nick Cincotta; and that your election would give a “student” a chance to vote on the issues. However, Nick is an actual student, currently enrolled in the very school system that the school committee oversees (an often overlooked fact is that the student rep serves as an ex-officio SC member). I think it is a fantastic idea to have more students sitting around the table, where they can provide feedback based on their experiences in the NA Schools. But - though you are not far removed from school – you are neither a NAHS student, nor a NAHS graduate. Thus, it really isn’t fair to equate your perspective with that of the NAHS student rep.

I agree with you Tim 100%. I know Mark personally he is an independent minded person who will work for the good of the community. I have more trust in him then anyone else in this election.

Having a student voice his opinion at School Committee meetings is no different than any member of the public doing the same during public comment. Not to mention that Nick does not speak at every meeting, that is a stretch of the truth. I think Mark do a great job giving a different perspective on the school committee. Mark will be an active voice for transparency on the North Andover School Committee, and I am proud to support him.

Ken, I will be sure to keep that in mind. Thanks for voicing your concern.

Thanks for posting Heather! I look forward to meeting voters and discussing my candidacy and the issues affecting our students.

Bill, thank you for the question! My direct experience with special needs children is limited. However, I have spoken with special ed instructors and parents on multiple occasions over the past few years, and I want to make sure that our school system is equipped to deal with every special needs student. What changes would you like to see for our special education program?

Mark - I think that the School Committee should continue to work towards increasing the amount of students that they can serve either in district or in partnership with other districts. Of course, private placements might be the only solution for certain students according to their IEP, but to the extent that we can manage that cost it benefits the rest of the schools. I also think that the special education department really needs strong leadership and there has been churn in the leadership district-wide.

Bill, I 100% agree. It's a cost savings issue as well - shipping a student off to an entirely different facility (sometimes as far away as Cape Cod) every day can become extremely expensive. Any time we are considering new faculty, I want to look at people who are well-trained in dealing with special needs students, and perhaps training courses for current faculty members as well. Obviously this all needs to fit within the budget, but it's an important issue that has to be examined.

Kumbaya.