I am Kathleen Hillman. I am asking for your vote to elect me to the Westfield School Committee in the upcoming city election on Nov. 2.
My husband and I have lived in Westfield for 42 years with our three daughters, who attended Westfield schools.
For those of you who don’t know me, I am a positive, caring, collaborative, troubleshooting problem solver. I stand for two-way communication and base my decisions on educational philosophy and goals, and promote rights and responsibilities of all individuals.
I have a bachelor of arts in education and a master’s degree in instructional technology. I have been a preschool (two years), computer, and a makerspace teacher (kindergarten through middle school) for 30 years in both private and public schools. During my time as a public-school teacher, I was president of the West Springfield Education Association for 14 years, representing teachers and paraprofessionals. I negotiated four interest-based bargaining contracts. Presently, I stay current with local data, education research and policy shifts around the state and the county, and consider myself an advocate for students, educators and parents.
For me, public service is a privilege and helping my community is extremely important. I serve on the Westfield Taxpayer’s Association, Artworks of Westfield, Community Emergency Recovery Team (CERT), WRAFT and Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) with Kristen Mello to improve the quality of our water.
Before the pandemic and during the pandemic, I became active in attending most city meetings to become knowledgeable with how our city works. I decided that I could make the biggest difference in our schools. With my background and knowledge, I will serve our students and teachers to move us forward in all our education endeavors. As a mother and a grandmother of seven, education should provide children with knowledge-based opportunities surrounded by caring, intelligent individuals who can foster a child’s growth. As an educator for 32 years, I want an educational experience where parents, students, teachers, and administration all have a voice in decisions involving policy and procedures. I think it’s important to celebrate our achievements and work on our deficits to improve the quality of education for all students.
Vote Kathleen Hillman, candidate for Westfield School Committee.
Kathleen Hillman
Westfield
