By: Daniel Carson — Community News Editor and Daniel Zagoren — Op-Ed Editor

Voters headed to the polls for the annual Sharon town election on May 18th. One race in particular, positions on the School Committee, generated widespread interest across the community. The results were announced, and the new members of the committee held their first meeting on May 19th. 

New elected committee members are Wenxiao Tiano, Prisnel Dominique, and Avi Shemtov. Candidates Tanya Lewis and Veronica Wiseman won their reelection bids, while Heather Zelevinsky and Katie Currul-Dykeman lost. 

Wenxiao Tiano hopes to improve the educational process surrounding the middle and high schools in Sharon. She asks educators throughout the town, “As we prepare to roll out the MTSS framework in K-5, I wonder if educators feel that the subsequent rollout to 6-12 will require different strategies or perhaps a variation of the base framework?”

Prisnel Dominique plans to improve upon the relationship between the School Committee and the community. He says it’s important to understand that going into a discussion you won’t always agree with everyone on everything and that’s ok.

“It is important to remain focused on the higher-level goal – we are at this table to focus on problem-solving and creating an optimal situation for students and teachers – always!” he added. 

Avi Shemtov says he will strive for a better school community and wants to tweak little things in order to provide a better experience for students. He talked about taking the necessary steps in order to improve the learning environment and wants input from teachers on how that can be achieved. “If we can be a more perfect school district over 3 years, what steps would we need to take and how would we achieve them?” he asked. 

Tanya Lewis has experience on the school committee and is planning on using her insights to improve the school environment. Although the education that students in Sharon receive is great, Lewis  looks to improve upon it. She asks current teachers and staff, “I’d like to know what the School Committee can do to help our children receive an exceptional education?”

Veronica Wiseman has served on the School Committee previously and hopes to continue the work she has done in previous years. Wiseman plans to pursue an equitable learning environment for all students. “The great challenge is providing that individual programming while serving all the students equitably,” she said.

The Sharon School Committee will host their next meeting virtually on May 21st at 3:30 pm. Residents of the town of Sharon, as well as educators, are looking to see what the members, new and old, have in store for the community.