Argus: When did you decide that you wanted to get involved with Glastonbury’s Board of Education?
Douglas Foyle: I got interested in education issues January of this year when they proposed teacher cuts in Glastonbury. I decided to run in March. Some of the cuts were taking place at my children’s elementary school. I helped organize people from the school to fight that process. We held a town meeting where parents showed up to talk about education issues. There was a particular father who talked about a parent-teacher conference he had—it was recommended that the child be held back because of teacher cuts in first grade. That was the moment I decided to run.
A: Are there any other major factors that influenced your decision to run?
DF: We needed someone who would emphasize the importance of small class size. People who were in power weren’t prioritizing class size like they needed to. So I’m going to step up and do it. Teachers cost seventy thousand dollars a year. The Board of Education said they had no money and cut 9 teachers. In March, the budget was cut further and over summer they [layed off] five more teachers. This isn’t about adding more money. It’s about prioritizing teachers in the classroom. Look at the Board’s philosophy on community. It’s all about the flow of information out, instead of getting the public opinion. It’s hard for members of the public to get engaged in Board policy. So, I’m emphasizing two-way communication. The Board should meet at every school once a year. We should take the board to the people. I’m thinking about an electronic opt-in system—check the things you’re interested in online, so when the Board talks on these topics, people get an email.
A: Will exposure to your children’s school system influence your role on the Board of Education?
DF: Well, I have a 4th grader and a 2nd grader in the elementary school system right now. There is only one person on the Board who has elementary aged kids, and he is retiring. I am very plugged in to the elementary-aged crowd across town. I know what elementary-aged parents are most concerned about.
They recently changed a program for 5th graders, and the Board hadn’t anticipated a public outcry from the removal of the program. We need to take the public in. My kids are in the school system for another 10 years, so I care about middle and high school, as well.
A: Has Wesleyan influenced your ideas for the Board of Education?
DF: Wesleyan is an important piece of the story. First, there’s the public service angle that we as an institution favor. It’s the mentality I witness in our students, making a difference, being a positive agent of change. I see these things in my students on a daily basis, and this is an opportunity for me to live that in my town. Also, knowing the classroom is an important thing for me as an educator. I know that once you get past 25 students in a class, it just becomes a big lecture. You can’t have those deeply nuanced discussion with a class larger than 25. I don’t have classroom management issues here at Wesleyan. If you do at an elementary level with more than 25 kids, the learning will be compromised. My experience as an educator will be important for my experience as a Board member.
A: What are the largest issues you see facing the education system in Glastonbury over the next few years?
DF: Money. Glastonbury is a relatively well-off suburban community in central Connecticut. Even so, people are hurting in the town. There are lost jobs, frozen salaries, cut incomes, so there are limitations on what we can do fiscally. We need to be creative in preserving the education system within the serious fiscal constraints. We have to choose policies that have the biggest bang for our dollar. For me that means small class size, not new shiny books and technology. If you have a larger class, learning is compromised. Class size is a huge issue for our town across the entire school system, but I have an understanding of what works.
A: What are you doing right now for the campaign?
DF: Well as a social scientist I focus a lot on public opinion. But there are no polls. I go door-to-door and talk to people, and I hear what they happen to think of, but I’m hesitant to say that that represents public opinion.