WESTFIELD – William Duval is not running for re-election to the School Committee this November. Duval, who recently turned “39 for the second time” (he’s 78), said when he joined the School Committee in 2009, he planned on serving no more than two 4-year terms.
“I think the people are good people, who care about doing the right thing. They listen to each other and discuss in a positive way,” Duval said about the School Committee. “It’s been positive. I think some of my ideas were listened to. When we had a disagreement, we were able to work it out. No one person dominated,” he added.
Retiring School Committee member William Duval. (Photo by Amy Porter)
“The reason I’m not running is I was only going to run for 2 terms,” Duval said. He also said that strong communities need strong schools, and the more different people who serve on the School Committee, the better for the community.
Duval has a long history in education. He was a professor of Psychology at Westfield State University from 1970 to 2002, which he called “a great experience.”
“I wanted students to walk out of my classes knowing more about themselves,” Duval said. He’s also worked in public schools, serving as a guidance counselor and a school psychologist.
He has high praise for Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski. “Stefan is a superb superintendent. He really cares about what’s going on. He doesn’t hesitate to get involved. I worked in a school system where if you had a problem, the last person you talked to was the superintendent,” Duval said.
Duval said the teachers are committed to doing good work. He also likes the new 5-7 (intermediate school), 7-8 middle school project, which he thinks will be a positive for the city.
Another one of the models he likes, which he attributes to former Supt. Suzanne Scallion is the communication between the classrooms. “When I was in public school, each room was a kingdom. Now, there’s coordination between the rooms. Teachers are encouraged to share,” he said. If a teacher is having trouble with material, or not getting through to a student, they can discuss it. He called it “a willingness to open up themselves and their classrooms to peers.”
Another difference he noted from his time in public school is the job of vice principal. He said the vice principal used to be a warden. Now, the position is an assistant to the teachers. He recalled serving as a guidance counselor in Norwich, CT in a 7-8 grade school. He said when the boys were sent to the vice principal, “They’d come to see me first, I’d intervene on their behalf,” he said.
Duval said the most frustrating part of serving on the School Committee is what he called “the Ashley Street School fiasco, which is costing us millions.” He said even if the Supreme Judicial Court rules in the city’s favor, it would still be a year of putting the job out to advertise and bid, before they could start to build. The court is expected to make its decision on the appeal this month.
Originally from Stafford Springs, CT, Duval attended the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, and obtained his graduate degrees at the University of Connecticut and Indiana University. After completing his degrees, his wife Linda Duval said he was offered a job in California, but she encouraged him to take the position at Westfield State. “I wanted to come back where all our family were. That’s why he ended up at Westfield State,” she said.
Duval said the city of Westfield has the same issues other cities have. “When I first came to Westfield State, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay here. I had colleagues who lived in Northampton. Culturally, Northampton offers a lot of things, But I was told Westfield is a great place to raise your kids, and I had three kids,” he said.
They first bought a two-family home on Smith Avenue. He said his daughter could walk around the corner to the Franklin Avenue School. When Westfield State took over Juniper Park, he transported his kids to school there. Later, they were able to purchase a seven-acre home on Sackett Road in the Juniper Park district.
Duval has three children (two of whom reside in Westfield), four grandchildren, ranging in age from 8 to 31, and three great-grandchildren. He said his great-granddaughter now goes to Fort Meadow pre-school “and loves it!”
Duval also has a long history of voluntarism. Prior to joining the School Committee, he served for 25 years on the board of directors of the Carson Center. After his term is up in December, he’s going to join VIPS (Volunteers in Public Schools). “I still want to be involved with the schools,” he said.
“The more retired people in the schools, the stronger the schools are. For VIPS, you can be a reader, to classes or to individual kids.” Duval called VIPS a well-run team that people care about.
Duval also has “a bunch of guys I have lunch with every day. One is a native of Westfield, and we learn how it used to be.” He also goes to breakfast once a week with former colleagues from Westfield State.
Duval said the budget pressures in the city and with the schools are not going to let up. “There’s not enough money to fund all of the things that need to be funded,” he said. He explained that when an adult has a kid in the school, they care about the schools. After their children graduate, they complain about taxes.
“I always say, education should not be viewed as a cost, but as an investment. The better educated students are, the more they will contribute as adults,” Duval said.
