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WESTFIELD – The Whip City has long been a community with pride in its educational system, and for Mike Tirrell, a man whose education has led him through the halls of Westfield High and across the stage at Westfield State, serving on the city’s School Committee seems just right.
After winning a special election two years ago to take over the seat and remaining term years for the departing Laura Maloney, Tirrell is looking to win a full term of his own, and he plans on doing it by focusing on something he knows quite a bit about.
“We’re trying to keep our schools pointed in the right direction with technology,” said Tirrell, who works as the director of integration software in the Agawam office of a company based in San Francisco. “We’ve made pretty good strides, and we’re in the process of upgrading the wireless capabilities in our schools.”
Should he return for his full term, Tirrell also hopes the district continues to bond for technology, which he hopes will happen in the next few years at all of the district’s elementary schools, as well as support the continued implementation of the Power School, a program which will assist parents in monitoring their children’s academic progress.
“We also need to see our science labs upgraded, especially at the high school. We cannot stay with these aging labs.”
While the district has made great strides in math and English, science still trails, a trend which Tirrell hopes will dissipate.
“We’re trying to keep improving our test scores,” said Tirrell, while praising the efforts of Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Scallion for improving professional development days for the district’s teachers.
“We need to continue focusing on science and continue efforts with technology,” he said. “It’s a slow process and it’s no one’s fault. You’re in a constant fight with changes in technology. You’re buying and working with equipment that is obsolete in a few years.”
Tirrell is also looking to continue advances in the younger grades.
“We’ve introduced great math programs and a great reading program in Read 180,” he said. “Our goal is to get every child in the early grades reading 30 minutes a day (with Read 180).”
Overall, Tirrell, who has three children at Highland Elementary school, believes that there is always room for improvement in the schools district.
