Full Name: Anne E. Schools
Address: 50 Hillview Rd
Education: BA in history from the University of South Florida 2006, and a JD from the University of Maine School of Law 2009.
Personal: I was born in Maine but grew up in Florida. I returned to Maine to attend law school and fell in love with the state, and later with my husband, who was born and raised in Gorham. I have lived in Gorham for the last six years with him and our two daughters. We love kayaking at Shaw Park, enjoying the local parks with the kids and our two dogs, or buying fresh produce at the local farmers’ market on Saturdays during the summer. I truly cannot imagine a better community to raise a family.
Employment: I currently work for the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles as a Hearings Examiner. I am licensed to practice law in Maine and was a partner at a law firm in Westbrook prior to opening a law practice in Gorham and subsequently accepting my current position with the state in May 2017.
Political and community experience: My law firm was a member of the Gorham Business Exchange and we sponsored school programs such as the GHS musical. With a fourth grader and kindergartener in Gorham Schools, I will be serving as a parent volunteer. I attend weekly sporting activities and as many school events throughout the year as possible. I have provided countless hours of pro bono representation to lower income community members in Gorham and surrounding areas. I was a regular volunteer with the Volunteer Lawyers Project and Pine Tree Legal Assistance throughout my time at the University of Maine School of Law and was the recipient of the 2009 Student Pro Award for providing the most pro bono hours of any student that year.
Growth is a hot topic in Gorham. What do you see as possible solutions for managing growth in our town?
I think it is wonderful that our town is one of the fastest growing towns in Maine, however, I recognize the difficulties this adds to our school district. Balancing the needs of students versus the capacities of our schools is a challenging situation. However, continuing to provide high quality education to each and every student in Gorham must remain our top priority.
I understand that the most recent attempt to reconfigure the elementary schools was aggressively opposed by members of the community, including parents and educators. I do not believe that reconfiguration is in the best interest of our students, or this town, and feel that the benefits of any proposed plan need to be carefully weighed against the potential detriment to Gorham families.
Our town is growing, and all our schools need to be able to handle this growth. We must have enough classrooms, updated technology, reliable transportation, and enough teachers to accommodate our growing student base. Any reasonable solution, such as expanding the high school, must be both affordable, and in the best interest of our students.
I wish I had the answer, but I realize how complicated these issues are. I welcome the opportunity to discuss potential solutions with committee members, community members, educators, and administrators, and will strive to be a meaningful part of the solution.
What do you see as the other major issues for our community and how might they be addressed?
There are many issues facing our community right now, but hunger and safety are two that I believe impact our school district significantly. While I feel that our schools should continue to work with local law enforcement and fire departments to ensure that our facilities remain safe, we also need to consider the health of our students.
Every student deserves to go to school and learn comfortably and safely and that is difficult to do if they are hungry. There are far too many children that come to school from lower income families that are unable to provide the basic school supplies, or even food, for their children. While many students rely on free and reduced lunch plans, fantastic programs such as the BackPack Program rely on volunteers and community donations to provide food for children who may otherwise go hungry over the weekend. Having nutritious meals is imperative to academic success, and I believe that no student in our community should have to worry where their next meal comes from.
How would your perspective or experience benefit the Town Council/School Committee?
I have lived in Gorham for six years and have two children in the school district. I have been a local business owner and have had the pleasure of meeting many community members throughout my time here as a resident and work here as an attorney. There is no place that I would rather be. Being a lawyer, and serving as mediator at times, has trained me to see both sides to a situation and to work towards a successful resolution if possible. I am aware that you can rarely make everyone happy at the same time and that there are some potentially contentious issues that will likely face this committee in the upcoming years. However, I welcome the opportunity to be part of the dialogue and work towards solutions.
Full Name: Darryl B. Wright
Address: 26 Murray Drive
Education: BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern Maine
Personal: Married with two children
Employment: Vice President/Market Manager for People’s United Bank
Political and community experience: Chairman of the Gorham School Committee (3 years); Member of the Gorham School Committee (7 1⁄2 years); President of the Board for the Gorham Arts Alliance; Member of the Gorham High School Building Committee; Volunteer for the Nonesuch Service Unit of Girl Scouts; Past President of the Westbrook/Gorham Community Chamber of Commerce; Director of the Gorham Founder’s Festival; Previously served as a Board Member of the Portland Regional Chamber; Previously served as a Board Member for the Westbrook Housing Development Corporation.
Growth is a hot topic in Gorham. What do you see as possible solutions for managing growth in our town?
This is not an issue that the Gorham School Committee can address directly. This is a question that faces our Town Council and our councilors will need to provide the solutions as to how to manage the growth in the Town. The role of the School Committee is to try to plan for this growth while maintaining a high quality education for all of our students using our tax dollars in an efficient and effective way.
What do you see as the other major issues for our community and how might they be addressed?
One major issue facing the district is the growth in student population. How our Town Council decides to manage this growth will provide the School Committee with a direction that will help us plan and prepare for the increasing numbers of students moving into our community. Another issue that will need to be addressed that ties into growth is in regards to our buildings and facilities. We are running out of space due to our increasing enrollments. This is going to require the School Committee to look for long term solutions on ways to handle this growth. Currently the School Committee is looking at a renovation and expansion of GHS, but we will also need to look at the Elementary Schools and the Middle School for possible expansions as well. The School Committee needs to look at the most effective and efficient ways to use our tax dollars to provide all of our students with a high quality education that will prepare them to be successful after they graduate.
How would your perspective or experience benefit the School Committee?
I come from a background in Banking and Finance and have a good understanding of the finances of the district. I bring my 7 1⁄2 years of experience as a member of the School Committee as well as my experiences of being a member of the Finance, Personnel and Policy Committees during my tenure, as well as serving as the Chair for the past three years. I have also been part of numerous ad-hoc subcommittees including All Day Kindergarten Committee, K-5 Reconfiguration Committee and the GHS Building Committee. My previous experience on the Committee will help provide historical perspective as we deal with issues that face our district now and in the future.