TOP STORY: Focus on Kids and Community—Not Politics—Dominates Region 18 Candidates’ Friendly Forum

LYME-OLD LYME–The Region 18 Board of Education candidates, many of them parents of current students, started Wednesday evening’s candidates’ forum by agreeing Lyme-Old Lyme (LOL) Schools offer an outstanding education. 

The companionable exchange of ideas at the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau (LYSB) “Meet the Candidates” event continued with broad consensus on numerous issues in the two-hour question and answer session moderated by WFSB personality Eric Parker. About 50 people came out to the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School auditorium while others watched the online livestream. 

They agreed on the importance of making all students feel included. They agreed state and district policies give parents the right to shield their children from objectionable material, while at the same time keeping books and lessons available to the rest of the students. They agreed on limiting guns in schools to the security guards already authorized to carry them. 

Numerous questions, submitted in advance by residents, had been narrowed down by LYSB to a list of 10. Some of the questions went to all candidates, while others were answered in groups of four. Candidates had 90 seconds to respond.  

There are eight hopefuls from Old Lyme vying for four open spots, including one being vacated by Democratic First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker as she makes another run for the town’s top spot. Members Chris Staab (R) and Laura Dean-Frazier (U) are also not running for reelection.

The candidates are evenly split under the Democratic and Republican banners. 

Seven of the eight candidates at the forum have children in the school system, compared to four on the current nine-member school board. Several mentioned moving to town because of the quality education. 

Among the candidates were those driven by data, like Democrat Sheryl Shyloski, a school psychologist, and Republican Brandy Campbell, a veterinarian and scientist at Pfizer. Jarod Bushey (R) referred to education as the foundation of the American Dream that led him to become an aerospace scientist. Michael Hansen (D) advocated for giving trade-seeking students the same support and resources as college-seeking students. 

Shaun Mastroianni (R), who is no stranger to the campaign trail, leaned on experience as a nonprofit healthcare executive and a former regional school board member in Chester. Democrat Cynthia Love McCollum said a career as a public defender gives her the ability to interpret and adapt the rule of law as it relates locally, while Judicial Branch family relations counselor and incumbent school board Chairman Jason Kemp (D) said he has helped ensure all members’ voices are heard. 

In Lyme, retired educator and incumbent school board member Democrat Anna James is running against Republican-endorsed unaffiliated candidate Lannie Mossberg, a zoning assistant at Lyme Town Hall. 

James was unable to attend because of a family commitment, according to Parker. Old Lyme candidate Carlos Piña, an unaffiliated candidate running with Republican endorsement, also could not be there. 

Reducing the Budget

When asked to suggest specific areas of the budget that can be reduced, several candidates talked about the state “minimum budget requirement” preventing school boards from cutting a budget below the previous years’ total. Others couched the issue in terms of savings rather than cuts. 

Shyloski said she has worked as a school psychologist to bring special education students back to the district after they were placed in outside programs. 

Special education costs, which can be significantly affected by the need to find out-of-district programs for students whose situation can’t be addressed locally, are often cited as driving factors in rising education budgets statewide. 

She said keeping students in the district is a cost saving, but it’s also what is right for students. She acknowledged it is up to LOL Schools’ staff members to come up with any plan. 

“So while that wouldn’t be my role on the board, I would seek to push administration and the superintendent to explore how that might be done here,” she said. 

Bushey told the audience that keeping costs down amid inflation and a prohibition on reducing overall spending puts board members between a rock and a hard place.

“So we’re kind of left in a position where the best we can do is slow the rate of growth,” he said. 

He was among those who said the district’s reserve fund needs continued attention and discussion. 

“If we’re seeing year-over-year surpluses, by definition, that means that we are over-budgeting in certain areas. So we should look at those areas to see if funds need to be moved to different accounts, or look at two ways we can scale back,” he said. 

A Focus on Trades

Bolstered by Hansen’s enthusiastic support for more vocational training opportunities in the schools, the candidates got behind the idea of building a focus on the trades into district offerings. 

Hansen has cited the issue as a key factor in his decision to run for the school board. 

“As a lifelong tradesman, son of a carpenter, currently employed with Amtrak, I believe my experiences could further the district’s efforts to offer our trade-seeking students the same support and resources as our college-seeking students,” he said. 

He emphasized he is not talking about “turning LOL Schools into a trade school.” 

He said asking an eighth grade student to decide whether to attend a vocational high school is a serious commitment not all are prepared to make. That’s why the students should be supported with opportunities to explore the trades in their home district throughout their high school years. 

“I want the climate of our district to be that trades are an equal choice, not a second choice,” he said. 

On Censorship

One question asked candidates how they would would ensure that lessons and library resources are appropriate for students while respecting families’ diverse values. 

Campbell called it a complex issue. 

“On one hand, parents and communities should have a say in what materials are appropriate for their schools. Schools are for learning, and some books may have ideas and themes that require maturity,” she said. “But on the other hand, outright bans stifle conversation and critical thinking, which is essential to an education.” 

She said there’s a district policy allowing parents to review instructional material that may not be widely known. 

“I do feel appropriate labeling and parental awareness is not outrageous, and it’s not an outrageous idea since we do that with websites, music, movies, and potentially even book content,” she said. 

Kemp referenced the same policy to explain that parents can choose to excuse their children from reading books or participating in lessons they deem objectionable. They can also fill out a form requesting review of material by the library media specialist or curriculum director, who must report to the school principal. Decisions may be appealed to the school board. 

“So I think we leave it to the experts for the overall picture, but parents have a right to make the decisions for their own family,” he said. 

To Mastroianni—who ran unsuccessfully against state Sen. Martha Marx (D-New London) last year—the politically charged question was another way of asking if candidates “support a book ban.” 

“I just want everybody to know I am not somebody that likes to be put in a box, and I do not support a book ban,” Mastroianni said. 

The issue emerged locally in 2023 when 135 people from Lyme and Old Lyme signed a petition to remove two books from the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library’s Young Adult section based on sexual content. Staff members, bolstered by a vote from the library’s Board of Trustees, refused. 

None of the candidates on the stage signed the petition. 

Mastroianni said the district entrusts educators to “make the right decisions” when it comes to curriculum. 

“There are ways that you can have your concerns heard, but I do not think that there should be any book banning. I think there is far worse out there on the internet that they can get their hands on than a book,” he said. 

McCollum supported the review policy while calling for the free flow of thought-provoking ideas. 

“I believe there should be more books,” she said. “I think students should be challenged in complex ideas, that they should be challenged with provocative thoughts. They should learn to discuss them, use their rhetoric to try to persuade, and learn and grow their critical thinking skills.” 

Open and Accepting 

Another question asked candidates how the Board of Education can actively address the needs of LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming students to ensure they have equal access to support and opportunities. 

The candidates agreed state and federal law, as well as district policy, forbids discrimination, bullying and unfair treatment. 

Hansen said the guidelines are crucial amid a growing climate of anti-LGBTQ actions nationwide focused on what he described as “the new boogeyman” of transgender students in sports.

“I think every child, regardless of how they feel about themselves, has a right to participate in sports. That is a foundational experience that I don’t think we should be limiting anyone from,” he said. 

McCollum said teaching students about the importance of accepting each other is paramount at a time when they are all trying to figure out who they are. 

“I think one of the greater challenges that we face day-to-day is how we engender a climate in our schools of acceptance, inclusion, respect for all students – regardless of how they walk through the door of the school in presenting themselves in all of their humanity,” she said. 

Mastroianni said the candidates’ answers to the question exemplified Old Lyme’s “open, accepting” sense of community. That’s why he and his husband chose to settle there a couple years ago. 

He said the question at the top of their minds when they looked for a new home was whether their daughter, “… would be made fun of because she has two dads.” 

“I think that our community handles this well, and I think that our school system handles it well, and this is why I live here,” he said. 

Student Safety

None of the four candidates asked to weigh in on the ongoing threat of gun violence in schools supported arming additional staff members. 

Kemp said the district employs armed security guards, which he voted for in 2022. Guards must be retired state or municipal police officers with a minimum of 10 years of experience, who have retired in good standing. 

He said he does not believe “putting that responsibility on ordinary staff” is either legal or appropriate. 

Campbell thanked the Old Lyme Police Department officer standing at the back of the room during the forum while acknowledging the safety is a top priority in the district. 

“I have two brothers in law enforcement, and I know that the safety program in our school surpasses what many schools around the nation have,” she said. 

She called for the district to “stay vigilant” by looking at emerging technologies and safety protocols to safeguard students and staff. 

For Shyloski, staying vigilant means watching out for students mental health, as well. 

In response to a question about addressing stress, anxiety and mental health challenges, the school psychologist drew on her professional experience when she said the schools need a clear, consistent approach when it comes to supporting students’ mental well being. As a board member, it would be her job to ensure policies are continually reviewed to reflect the latest best practices. 

“Making sure that students all have trusted adults within the school is a protective factor for risky behavior,” she said. “So we need to be very vigilant in that regard because we do see increasing suicide risk and increasing threat risk. And that’s just a reality of where we are today.”

Lyme Contest

Lannie Mossberg, an unaffiliated candidate from Lyme running against incumbent Democrat Anna James, counted artificial intelligence (AI) as a main area of focus going forward. She is the zoning assistant at the Lyme Town Hall. 

Mossberg said AI can be an important tool for teachers, while students will need to be taught how to put the technology into action. 

“I feel students should learn how to use it more wisely and appropriately for class assignments or in general,” she said. 

She told the audience she wants to join the school board to be present in the lives of her three children as well as to advocate for all students and the Lyme community. 

“I just would like to help our town thrive and see our students grow in a good direction while keeping the budget under proper alignment,” she said. 

Moderator Eric Parker read a statement for James in her absence. 

“Our current board is a cohesive, outcome-oriented board, which is focused on supporting what is best for children in the district,” she wrote. “I would like to continue to support and contribute to the momentum this board has generated, and I have the skills to do so.”

James, a four-year member of the board, is a career educator who has served as director at Integrated Day Charter School and district administrator and principal in New London. 

She recounted starting out as a first-grade teacher before teaching at various grade levels, including college-level classes. She cited expertise in various teaching disciplines as well as fiscal management, school administration, resource and personnel management, and community relations.

Consensus

Bushey toward the end of the evening noted every candidate had only positive and forward-thinking things to say about the high-quality district in a supportive, welcoming community. 

He called for continued opportunities to make inroads with each other, work across party lines, build trust and reach consensus. 

“If we’re united, no one can come divide us, and that’s what we should be as Board of Education members: united in purpose to deliver the best education and opportunities we can for our children,” he said.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated to correct the spelling of Shyloski’s name.