Scott Mason
This isn’t Scott Mason’s first rodeo, and that’s some of the reason why he’s so excited.
Mr. Mason, who was a Board of Education member from 2003 to 2007 and served as its vice chairman, was unanimously voted at Monday night’s board meeting to fill a temporary seat left vacant by Russell Katz.
“I know there’s a lot to it, but I really like the work,” he said. “You have to be flexible — never have your mind made up before listening to both sides.”
Mr. Mason, who is running for a permanent, Republican seat in November, went unchallenged by other candidates in the interview process for Mr. Katz’ seat.
He was brought in front of the board, where he questioned about his return as well as district-wide problems the board will face this fall.
“In your opinion, what are some of the major issues facing the board?” asked John Palermo, a Republican member of the board.
Mr. Mason said the two major issues are well known — a potential school closing based on enrollment and the cost of implementing appropriate school security.
“We have to get the town to participate in funding this project,” he said. “The town’s support is crucial to getting this done.”
He added a third issue: The transition away from textbooks to digital e-books, which he believes is inevitable.
“Education is going that way, it’s only a matter of time,” Mr. Mason said.
Vice Chairman Irene Burgess asked about the district’s transition to the common core curriculum.
Mr. Mason admitted he wasn’t as familiar with common core standards as he would like to be, but that he would lean on the administration for guidance when voting on common core issues.
“Education standards are changing — I understand that,” he said. “The standards are always changing really.”
Board member Mike Raduazzo projected that Mr. Mason would win the seat in November and asked him what he would like to improve during his four-year term.
Mr. Mason didn’t cite specific examples, but claimed that the key to the board’s success is to avoid staticity.
“What I learned in my first term is that you should never stand still where you are — you must keep moving forward,” he replied.
Chairman Austin Drukker spoke last before the vote, eschewing any questions in favor of warning his former board member about his new position.
“We worked for four years together,” Mr. Drukker noted. “A lot has changed. Those years were steady, now you’re getting into a much rockier time — there’s a lot more issues ahead of us. With that said, I think you’re aware of them and I’m confident you can handle it.”
Mr. Mason replaces Mr. Katz, who had served six years on the board. His term expires in November.
Mr. Katz’ decision to resign was announced at the Board of Selectman’s meeting on July 31.