Q&A with Fairfield Board of Education candidate Tim Kery

On Tuesday November 3rd, Fairfielders will have the opportunity to vote for candidates up for election on the Board of Education and the Representative Town Meeting. These are important elections for both entities. The Board of Education is tasked with hiring a new superintendent of the school district, and the RTM will be faced with another tight budget. Your vote is meaningful. In light of this, we will be interviewing the candidates, and posting individual Q&A to help voters understand who the candidates are and what they stand for. To ensure you do not miss an article, subscribe to HeyFairfield’s daily newsletter in the box at the top of the righthand column. Today’s Q&A is for Republican Board of Education candidate Tim Kery – Ed

Tim Kery, Fairfield Board of Education candidate.

Tim Kery is a lifelong resident of Fairfield. Mr. Kery earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts. He held the Budget Representative post on the Osborne Hill School PTA from 2006-2008, is a co-founder of the Fairfield School Space Coalition and is a member of the Fairfield Public Schools Technology Strategic Planning Committee. Mr. Kery is married with four children and is a small business owner in Fairfield. He has a website at www.keryforboe.com

What made you decide to run for the Board of Education?

A few years back I attended a BOE meeting, and was watching the process. I decided to get involved. I was mainly concerned with the Facilities & Planning and overcrowding. The more I got involved, the more I was asked by people if I would do it [run for the Board of Education - Ed]. I then saw the budget process and came to realize that the Town did not see the BOE managing the budget process well. We really need to establish from a budgeting perspective, the BOE of conducting strong oversight. I am a small business owner, and I have run a $300million division of a company in the past. I am well-suited for this job. I was born to communicate and collaborate with people.

What is the most immediate issue facing the Board of Education today?

Get a new Superintendent in place

What experience do you bring to the table to resolve that issue?

I have hired at least a dozen people for top management positions. This is like hiring a CEO, we need someone who can manage the budget process, demonstrates smart spending, has facilities experience, and can create an efficient and strategic long-term plan.

After that issue, what other priorities need to be addressed, and how will you impact that?

Redistricting and overcrowding in the district. The constant, annual reactive redistricting, needs to be put aside in favor of a long-term plan. The Board needs to improve enrollment projections, as the current methodology doesn’t recognize population density and other factors. We need to be very realistic of the economic environment we live in now and how do we create long-term plans that work . The Board has had difficulty creating long-term plans and processes. In 2009,

even with 100 less homes being sold we still ended up with 45 more kindergarteners than anticipated.

What other Town bodies and commissions does the Board of Education need to work with?

The Board needs to work more closely with the RTM, the Board of Finance and the Board of Selectman to achieve it’s objectives. Connecting with the other boards is vital, the reality is we are going to need to figure out how to efficiently use limited funds in the coming years.

What type of leader do you think we need as Superintendent?

Someone who is focused on academic excellence, is an innovative and decisive leader, and will be a strong communicator with our community.

What do you say to the taxpayers that don’t have children in the school system?

There is room for better decisions at the budgeting table, but we need to use a scalpel instead of a hatchet to remove costs.