BCAT News

The following is a letter to the editor: 

My name is Kent Moffatt, and I am running for re-election as a Burlington representative for Shawsheen Valley Technical High School’s School Committee. I approach this work as a longtime resident (my wife and I have lived in Burlington since 2011) and parent of two children who are students at Francis Wyman Elementary School.  I am currently employed as an investment operations manager at a private insurance company in Waltham.  I completed my Master of Business Administration at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell in 2011, and my undergraduate degree at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 2003.

I am seeking re-election to the Shawsheen School Committee to continue to build upon the positive changes that I was a part of making during my first term.  With the hirings of a new superintendent and business manager (I served as the chair of the search committee for the latter), the Committee was intentional about making choices that would stabilize Shawsheen’s administrative office given the turnover in the last few years.  As chair of the budget subcommittee during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years, I helped create a more efficient, transparent budgeting process.  I have continued to participate in this committee’s activities in the 2022-2023 academic year.  Additionally, I served as a member of the facilities and capital planning subcommittee in all three years of my term; we have begun the long process of seeking funding from the state to build a new Shawsheen.

I have continued to serve Burlington in other capacities in the same time frame.  I have been a part of the Town of Burlington Scholarship Committee since its re-establishment in 2019. We have made strides in creating an efficient, unified application process for the many scholarships awarded annually.    I have also served on the Conservation Commission from 2021 to present and will continue to do so to ensure appropriate environmental safeguards for the Town of Burlington.

If re-elected as Burlington’s Shawsheen School Committee representative, my goal for the next term is to increase the awareness of Shawsheen as a first-quality option for the secondary education of Burlington students.  As a continuing member of the budget subcommittee, I will aim to continue our pattern of transparency in budgeting.  With my work on the facilities/capital planning subcommittee, I plan to help advance the MSBA process to get a new Shawsheen built.  As I have since the inception of my service to Burlington and Shawsheen, I intend to continue working with new and returning school committee members and administrative staff to act a resource and mentor.  Above all, I would like to continue to be an advocate and leader and to provide support for students, parents, teachers, school staff, administration and the Burlington community.

I would greatly appreciate your vote in the upcoming election on April 1^st.

Kent Moffatt