Withers Qualifies for Ward 3 School Committee Ballot

This fall's Ward 3 school committee election just got more competitive.

Local lawyer Stephen K. Withers Jr. was certified for the ballot by the Attleboro elections department last week. who was certified last month. Ward 3 incumbent Chris O'Neil also pulled papers but has not been certified.

Ward 4 candidates Brenda Furtado and Lori Scales are the only other school committee candidates to qualify for the ballot so far.

Aside from Withers' certification, the only other news from the Attleboro elections department this month comes from Ward 5 school committee incumbent Frances M. Zito, who pulled papers on June 13.

Now an official candidate, Withers responded to an email from Attleboro Patch with some basic questions about his candidacy.

Attleboro Patch: Why are you running?

Stephen Withers: I'm running for School Committee for many reasons, not the least of which is that I am a proud graduate of the Attleboro School System (AHS 1998, Brennan 1994 and Willett 1990).  I think the School District has made important progress over the past several years.  Still, there are still many improvements to be made, and these last steps are the most crucial, but the most difficult to achieve, so to ensure that our schools get back to the level they enjoyed not that long ago and beyond.  I've developed a campaign platform that addresses the areas I believe are key to achieving this continued improvement, and I won't get into that all here, but I will say that the first point of my platform, and one major factor that has continued to plague our system over the last several years, is a lack of professionalism in (much of) the school committee.  This hurts the public perception of our schools, causing the perception of quality to lag behind reality, and hurts the schools' relationships with the community, the city and local businesses and organizations.  Put simply, we can't achieve the continued success we need unless we improve the schools' perception in the community, and build these important relationships with community partners in order to obtain much needed support. None of this can happen without a more professional School Committee.

Patch: What is your background in school district involvement? 

SW: I attended Attleboro Public Schools for all but 2 years of my 1st through 12th grade education.  Since graduating law school in 2005, I have returned to the community to work and to live and raise a family.  Over the past several years through my involvement with the Attleboro Rotary Club, and other area organizations, I have been able to work with school leaders to observe the many issues the schools face and the many successes the schools are having.  In addition, both my parents are employed with the schools, and my oldest son Zachary has received services at the Early Childhood Center at Thatcher for the past 2 years.

Patch: How many children do you have at the district schools?

SW: I have two children, Zachary and Elliot, ages 4 and 2, respectively.  Zach has a year of Pre-Kindergarten upcoming and then will attend Kindergarten at Willett Elementary.  When he is eligible, Elliot will also attend Kindergarten at Willett.  In addition, as mentioned above, Zach has received IEP services in physical and occupational therapy at the Early Learning Center in Attleboro for the past 2 years.

Patch: How many years have you lived in Attleboro?

SW:  I moved around a lot as a child, but lived in Attleboro from 1986-1990, and then again from 1992-1998.  I moved back to Attleboro in 2006, a year after graduating law school, and work in the City. 

The deadline to get on the ballot for the fall election is July 30.