The following was submitted by the candidate
My name is Becky Padera, and I am asking for your support in the upcoming Milton School Committee election. For the past year, I have been serving as an interim member on the School Committee, having been hand-picked out of a large pool of candidates to fill an open seat. My experience as a trained educator, parent and volunteer prepared me for the opportunity to serve the taxpayers and parents—while representing the 4,000 students in the Milton Public Schools—and I would like to continue doing so.
As a parent with two children at Glover Elementary School, I have great pride in the Milton Public School System and all it has to offer. During this past year on the School Committee, I enjoyed touring all six Milton Public Schools, and was chosen to represent the Milton School Committee at the Annual Conference of the MASC (Massachusetts Association of School Committees). I am presently serving on the subcommittees for Finance, Milton Foundation for Education, and Health and Wellness. Some of my accomplishments while serving on the School Committee include co-writing a grant to the American Heart Association to provide elementary school recess aids with training to make recess more structured and valuable, and organizing a tour of the MIT Space Systems Laboratory for School Leaders as part of the STEM initiative and robotics programs.
As a School Committee member, I will continue to work with the Administration and my fellow School Committee members to keep Milton one of the top school districts in Massachusetts. I will remain committed to looking for innovative ways to support and develop new programs that will enhance education. And, will prove that I am a passionate and dedicated leader who advocates for educational progress for all students.
Even before joining the School Committee, I demonstrated my commitment to the town of Milton and its schools by serving as President (2009-11) and Board Member (2011-present) of the Glover Elementary PTO, and by being a Precinct 2 Town Meeting Member. By training, I am a high school guidance counselor, and I worked at Arlington Catholic High School for ten years. While there, I coached cross-country and track, and started a successful Peer Educator Club to deal with substance abuse, bullying, and other issues affecting students. My education includes a BA in Psychology from Boston College which I pursued while working full-time at MIT in both the MITES (Minority Introduction to Engineering and Science) program and the Space Engineering Research Center. I also earned a MEd from Suffolk University in School Counseling. I have continued my education over the last few years by enrolling in courses in Counseling and Educational Leadership from UMass-Boston and Bridgewater State University.
My husband Bobby and I have lived, with our two children, in Milton for seven years. Bobby is a physician at Brigham and Women’s hospital, and teaches at both MIT and Harvard Medical School. He volunteers as a skating and soccer coach for our children’s teams. We both have had positive experiences with the schools, teachers, School Committee and administration in Milton and would like to continue giving back in as many ways as we can.
Please feel free to contact me at beckyforschoolcommittee@gmail.com or visit my website at beckypadera.com or my facebook page at www.facebook.com/BeckyPaderaForSchoolCommittee for updates and ways to support my campaign. I am very excited to continue to serve on the School Committee, and to remain an advocate for all parents and children in the Milton Public Schools. Please consider voting for me on April 30th.