Savard for School Committee

05/20/2025

Please consider this: Dawn Naborsky is the only candidate that knows the intricacies of what happened during the Covid years (and there was a LOT) that NEED to be considered in many of the upcoming decisions the School Committee will make. The importance of her knowledge and experience CANNOT be overstated. PLEASE, PLEASE vote for Dawn!

Send a message to learn more

05/01/2023

Because many of you have asked, I thought I would take the opportunity to post here. Yes, I have made the decision not to seek re-election in the upcoming Holliston election on May 23. The last three years have been an eye opening experience and one that I shall not soon forget. Honestly, I know what it takes to do this job well, and I know that I am running out of steam. At this juncture of personal and professional life, I just know that I need to take a step back. Thank you for your support over these years. I hope to always remain active in the lives and happenings of Holliston Public Schools, but just in a different capacity.

08/04/2020

Hello everyone!
Thank you to those who have reached out with your questions about the reopening plans. This is an evolving entity and the more input we get, the better the plans can be adjusted and edited.
Please feel free to use the link that Dr. Kustka emailed you to submit your questions. You may also message me directly from this page, or send your thoughts to my Holliston School Committee email address: [email protected]. You also have the option to send an email to any of the other SC members. We're compiling a master document with all of your questions and concerns, so please do let me/us know what you're thinking!
Thank you for your time and participation.

06/28/2020

New email. Please use this address from now on:

[email protected]

06/24/2020

My deepest, sincere thanks to each of you who displayed confidence in me with your vote. I am honored that you have put your trust in me and I am ready for this challenge. Much lies ahead; We'll do this together.

Thank you for your time and energy, for your support and kindness, for your important and challenging questions.

I am both grateful and excited!

06/23/2020

Today is the day! If you have not yet already voted by mail, the polls are open today from 7am - 8pm at the Holliston High School. Come by and wave and say hello, and VOTE!

06/23/2020

Polls are open today from 7 am to 8 pm! Come out and vote!!

06/17/2020

Hello everyone! Recently, Mary Greendale invited the candidates running for School Committee to speak to our thoughts on how we think that the Holliston School Committee can and should be involved in anti-racism efforts in our schools. Below are a few of my thoughts. This is by no means an exhaustive statement; it is just a beginning. I invite anyone who would like more details or further conversation to message me directly. I would gladly continue this very important conversation since one Facebook post can surely only minimally scratch the surface.

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Racism is a system, and a systemic problem demands a systemic approach to a solution.

I believe that Holliston Public Schools should examine and establish policies that support interventions at the micro, meso, and macro level of the system. We need to examine our educational systems from each of these perspectives and we need to intervene from each of these angles. This should be done with a careful lens to the developmental needs of each grade level. Rooted firmly in principles of active cultural humility, consciousness raising and self-examination should be core tenets. There are many existing, outstanding curricula that support this work; we will not have to recreate any wheels.

Engaging first through principles of cultural humility and consciousness raising, HPS should establish a formalized relationship with a diversity officer and/or a community advisory board. Perhaps in conjunction with Diverse Holliston, if they so wish, there should be an ongoing and developing forum/space where people can discuss concerns and issues with the School Committee. Ideally, student participation in this format would be encouraged. The forum should be separate from any subcommittees that may/should also be established toward diversity issues in town because there is not minority representation on the School Committee. In its current composition, it is not possible to adequately address issues of race within the confines of the School Committee members. External input is mandatory.

What can parents do? It absolutely has to be a long-term commitment.

From the earliest ages, examine the books in your house, the toys that your children play with, and, most importantly, the way that you talk. The way that parents talk to their children becomes the voice inside their head. Examine your own wording, phrasing, implicit biases and then talk to your kids about the ways that things are happening in the world. As a school system, we can and should support parents with resources, books, videos, podcasts etc. to scaffold critically important conversations.

There is much work to be done. The work is not impossible, but the obstacle is formidable. This will be a long process but we need to make a firm commitment to staying the course.

06/12/2020

Today is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming town election!

06/06/2020

Hello everyone! Just a few thoughts on this beautiful weekend morning:

First, I want to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone that has written me message of support and to those of you who have asked to host lawn signs. I am both happy and regretful to say that I actually do not have any more signs, but that's really a good thing in the end. I'm new at running a campaign, but I will know better for next time; Buy more signs!

Second, I would like to speak to some common questions that I am getting from many of you.

a) No, I am not running for School Committee in hopes of reversing the school start times vote. While it is true that I have some strong feelings about the WAY that the science is being implemented, I am NOT against the science being implemented as a core concept. I'm a highly trained researcher and educational analyst, and I firmly believe that we should apply the best, most rigorous science that we have with the utmost fidelity. If you have it in you to go back and watch the HCAT videos from archives, you will see that each time I went to make a public comment before the School Committee last year, I spoke only to the rigor of and the application of the science. I could talk more about this in great depth, but I don't know that we even have this luxury right now. There is a crisis on the table, and right now we need extensive contingency planning!

b) What are some of my concerns or ideas for the upper grades in our town?

Well, I have a lot! One example is that I would like to see the use of curricula like Facing History and Ourselves as a core element of the High School experience. It appears that this is a real growth opportunity at HHS.

I would also like to see more tailored approach to high school courses through unconventional means. Specifically, I think that we should be looking at early college as a method for students to explore topics that are of interest to them and also to promote student ownership in carving out their academic experience. Historically, many school districts have cited transportation as a considerable hurdle in using the early college model. Given that many universities will be pivoting to focus and enhance their online offerings, we are in a new position to reconsider the early college model for our high school students of all interests and abilities. The world of online learning has been a steep learning curve for most educational settings, but it could also prove to be a vast field of opportunity and options for our HS students as we move forward.

c) How do I see my experience as a nurse informing my time on the School Committee?

I have been a nurse for more than 20 years and I have worked every possible shift in a wide range of health settings while putting myself through graduate school. Being and RN is core to my identity and I see it as being a language that I speak. One example of this is the following: As we think through the interweaving of health and education ahead of us, could we use industrial strength UV sterilizers for some high-traffic areas in the schools? I worked in a homeless shelter for the elderly in NYC where the UV devices were used to combat several communicable diseases transmitted through droplets and close contact. The devices are also commonly used in sterilizing operating rooms. Perhaps these could be used at night in the schools? On buses in between runs? These are the types of ideas that are born of my nursing training but are pertinent to our current situation.

These are just a few of the questions that I have received via email and messages from you, and I welcome them. Keep them coming! We have A LOT of work to do, and I'm ready!

05/28/2020

Hello! Recently, the candidates running in a contested race were interviewed by Mary Greendale for the show on HCAT. Below is the link to those interviews. If you have a second to watch, I would appreciate it, and please consider voting Savard for School Committee.