Westfield School Committee member Jeffrey Gosselin. (WNG file photo)
WESTFIELD – Incumbent Jeffrey L. Gosselin is seeking a second term on the School Committee in the Nov. 7 election, running on the platform of dedication, commitment and progress. “I’m very committed to working with children,” said Gosselin, who is an Autism Assistant at JFK Middle School in Northampton, and previously served in the Springfield Public Schools.
Gosselin said he will be the only educator on the School Committee, once William Duval ends his term in December. “I want to see a better, improved school district in my home town,” said Gosselin, who graduated Westfield High School in 1986. “I want to see the students receive a very good education like I have,” he said.
“I want to be a voice for the educator,” Gosselin added. He said he wants to continue to chair the Curriculum & Instruction sub-committee, and said he is a driving force in math and science on the School Committee. Last year, his committee jointly recommended with the Human Resources sub-committee requiring four years of math at WHS. The vote lost four to three. Gosselin said that new state standards will ultimately require four years of math at Westfield High School.
Gosselin supports the district’s plan to build a new elementary school for 400 students. “We need a new elementary school,” he said, adding that Westfield is currently at the top of the Massachusetts State Building Authority’s (MSBA) list. In response to a question at the School Committee forum, Gosselin added, “I believe the Mayor has a good plan. We’ve been fighting for a school for so long, why throw in the towel now?”
Another focus of Gosselin is universal pre-kindergarten education. He said in his next four years, he would like to really look at the pre-school program in Westfield. He says he has advocated for early education for years, and this year wrote to the Democratic party asking them to include universal pre-k in their platform.
Gosselin said his motivation is the public service modeled in his family. His mother Sharon Merlo-Gosselin, a Westfield High School graduate who ran for mayor in 1991 was a veteran member of the School Committee, serving three terms from 1997 to 2007. She passed away while serving on the School Committee, and Jeff Gosselin was appointed to serve in her place until a special election was held. Gosselin’s father Lawrence Gosselin, a Westfield Voke graduate spent 30 years on the Westfield Police Department, retiring in 2002. Going back further, his grandmother was a driving force on the Prospect Hill elementary school PTA.
“Public service is ingrained in me. It’s a huge part of my legacy and my family,” he said.
In addition to his service directly on the School Committee, Gosselin previously served as a founding board member of the Head Start School-Westfield, an Adjunct Faculty member at Westfield State University, and a Counselor/Supervisor at the Carson Center.
“I am dedicated, committed to continuing the work. It’s been a lifetime journey of mine,” Gosselin said.
