Response to MEA Questionnaire

May 4, 2025

Dear Marblehead Educators,

Thank you for the invitation to complete the MEA Political Action Committee’s questionnaire ahead of the June 10 election. Many of you know me as a longtime advocate for the Marblehead Public Schools and a strong supporter of our teachers and staff. I deeply value the work you do every day, and I hope to earn your trust—and, for those who are voters, your support at the polls on Tuesday, June 10.

While I appreciate this opportunity to share my views, I’ve chosen not to pursue endorsements and related financial support from advocacy organizations or PACs. Even when well-intentioned, endorsements can create a public perception of undue influence, which could undermine my credibility if elected to the School Committee. My focus is on engaging Marblehead voters around the serious challenges facing our schools—and offering the steady, transparent leadership needed to address them.

That said, I believe that strong, respectful relationships between educators and School Committee members are vital to the success of our schools. Those relationships must be built on trust, open communication, and a shared commitment to our students. I appreciate the thoughtful questions in the MEA’s questionnaire, and I welcome the opportunity to share my responses below.

With appreciation,
Kate Schmeckpeper

What is your vision for the Marblehead Public Schools during next year and beyond? If elected, what do you believe your role is in making that vision a reality?

Strong public schools are the bedrock of our community. I am running for school committee because I believe that restoring the stability and credibility of school leadership is essential for the future success of our district. Our school committee can do that through good governance practices and focusing its energies and efforts on thoroughly executing its areas of responsibility (policy, budget, and oversight of the superintendent) while empowering our administrative team to operate the schools. 

As a school committee member, I will engage openly and honestly with the community and work to reach consensus within the school committee. It is vital that there is constructive dialogue and consensus building in the coming months as the superintendent builds the strategic plan that will guide our district for the next several years. After several contentious, divisive years, the strategic plan provides an opportunity to find common ground and re-center our community’s energies on moving the schools in a positive direction.

Do you believe our schools are fully funded? Why or why not? If not, what will you do to ensure Marblehead Public Schools receives the necessary funds to remain amongst the best in the Commonwealth?

Marblehead has deferred addressing school funding for too many years. It is a daunting task each year and, despite paying lip service to increased funding, we ultimately find a way to make do with less. While there is certainly virtue to frugality and being thoughtful with our resources, this approach has cost us dearly in some very important ways. Good teachers and administrators have left to work in districts where they will have the resources they need, and those of us who remain are left fighting for the resources to provide the caliber of education we expect for Marblehead students. 

  • In March of 2024 I (alongside two others) published a letter to the editor on this very topic, in which I called upon the school committee to do the work necessary to define what “fully funded” means, fix the underlying structural deficit that keeps us in this position, year after year, and advocate for the funding our schools need.

  • Additionally, responsible management of the funding that we do have is critical. Here are some of my thoughts on how the school committee should improve budget management practices. While the budget will inevitably include non-student-facing expenses, school committee members must be careful stewards of our limited resources, ensuring that funding for teaching and learning is prioritized over legal fees and PR firms. 

  • Advocating for the funding our schools need happens long before “budget season.” I will advocate for our district to dedicate the time and energy needed for comprehensive long-term financial planning and projections that will guide the school committee’s work of advocating for the schools’ financial needs with town leaders and citizens.

What is your impression of our facilities? How will you address any concerns you may have?

We are lucky that Marblehead voters invested in a portfolio of modern school buildings over the past several decades. Our students and staff benefit from state of the art facilities built for the needs of modern education. However, it is vital that our district actively maintain these facilities in the immediate term, and plan for their needs into the future. 

A top priority in the next year needs to be completing the high school roof project and taking steps to remediate any interior damage caused by five or more years of active leaks. Hopefully voters approve the funding necessary for this project. If so, I will advocate for an oversight committee to be formed to ensure the project remains on schedule and a top priority. If funding is not approved, the school committee and administration must use the funds that are available to repair as much of the roof as possible and create a plan to fund and complete the remaining work. Here are more of my thoughts on this topic.

Beyond the roof, school committee members and/or administrators should work with the town’s reconstituted capital planning committee to address the long term capital maintenance needs of the schools, while allocating appropriate resources, including expertise, to the regular maintenance of our facilities.

Do you think a flag policy is necessary for Marblehead Public Schools? If necessary, what are some key elements? If not, why not?

I do not think that it was necessary for the school committee to create a flag policy. I disagree with the school committee’s interpretation of Shurtleff v. City of Boston. I believe that our educators (and students where appropriate) are the ones who should decide what is displayed on the interior walls of our school buildings. Here are my public comments on the matter, from the school committee’s February 26, 2025 flag policy forum. 

How do you plan to actively engage with parents, educators, and other stakeholders to gather diverse perspectives and ensure inclusive decision-making within the school committee?

The most successful leaders are those who listen a lot more than they talk. By being honest, straightforward, and open to truly understanding perspectives other than my own, I will build strong working relationships with a broad range of stakeholders to both guide my own decision making and bring a broader perspective into the school committee’s decision making process. There are lots of ways to actively engage with stakeholders – from phone calls to roundtables – but those cannot be successful without a committee member who comes to the conversation open to hearing and understanding the views of others.

Educators over the past year felt disrespected, unsafe, and ignored which led to a strike. How will you use your office to repair relationships between educators, management and the school committee?

Our educators are our district’s most valuable asset. Strong, authentic relationships between school committee members, administrators, and educators are an essential component of the future success of our schools. Rebuilding those relationships requires more than good intentions; it calls for structure, consistency, and a shared commitment to doing better. For the 2025–26 school year, the school committee and superintendent should jointly commit to measurable goals around collaboration and communication with educators, and improving staff morale. Goals should be tracked and reported just as we would with academic progress or budget management—because culture matters just as much. Here are more of my thoughts on the matter. 

How would you approach finding a balance between collaboration and oversight with the Superintendent and school administration when it comes to controversial issues (e.g. school start times, school safety, recess, non-student-facing positions, curriculum decisions, etc.)?

Collaboration and oversight are easier when they happen in the context of mutual trust and respect. Our district administrators are the subject matter experts and it is essential for school committee members to rely on that expertise to operate the district and inform decision making. I will focus on building strong working relationships with our administrative team. It is important for school members to execute their oversight responsibilities without undermining the credibility and leadership of our administrators. I will do this by keeping issues in perspective, centering decision making on what is best for our schools, and evaluating our superintendent on overall performance.

An unnecessarily contentious relationship between the school committee and school administrators benefits no one. It is important that the school committee work with the superintendent to set clear goals for the district and evaluate progress towards those goals at regular intervals. It is vital for the school committee to find a balance between actively managing the superintendent and allowing the superintendent latitude to make decisions and lead the district without school committee overreach or interference.

Marblehead Public Schools experienced an unprecedented and concerning turnover rate in their teaching staff of more than 20% from last school year to this one. As a school committee member, what would you publicly advocate for in order to attract and retain dedicated and highly-qualified educators in our town?

For too many years, Marblehead has asked our educators to do more with less, which I believe has contributed significantly to the concerning turnover of the past year. As a school committee member, I will advocate for well funded schools and work to turn the focus away from the school committee and back to the schools. I believe that this will help create an environment that attracts and retains dedicated and highly-qualified educators. Well funded schools mean competitive compensation and benefits for our educators, as well as schools that have the resources educators need to do their jobs successfully. I am committed to advocating for what is in the best interest of our schools, our students, and our educators, even when it is not easy or politically expedient, as I come to this role with no agenda other than building the best possible schools for Marblehead.

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