Just a few years ago, due to the charged national political environment, New Canaan public schools started flirting with some bad ideas that jeopardized the collective investment we’ve all made in this town. I felt compelled to do something, and won a seat on the Board of Education in 2021. Here’s who I am and what I’ve done…

• 9 year resident of New Canaan
• Father of four NCPS kids in 9th grade, 7th grade, 5th grade and 3rd grade
• Current New Canaan Youth Football and Baseball coach; former soccer/softball coach
• Current Vice Chair of the Board of Education; Vice Chair in 2023
• Zero political ambition beyond the Board of Education and New Canaan kids and families
• Fought to get masks off kids by sending a letter to the Governor from the full BOE
• Re-instituted the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at all BOE meetings
• Reinstated Columbus Day as a day off from school and a day of celebration for families
• Refused to hire a diversity consultant to meddle in our schools and change their fabric
• Stood firm against Cultural Humility, Gender Ideology, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
• Defanged the Open Choice program that would have ballooned costs and tokenized city kids
• Fought to have a police officer in every New Canaan school to give parents peace of mind
• Removed phones from Saxe Middle School and constrained technology use for 5th graders
• Voted for a start time compromise that alleviated pressure from our oldest learners and got the majority of our youngest learners in school earlier to optimize their learning
• Built a strong working relationship with our superintendent, his cabinet, and fellow board members on both sides of the aisle

And here’s what I intend to do for the next four years…

• Put Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) under the microscope and make sure the district isn’t misapplying it and creating anxiety and other problems in our kids where there aren’t any
• Work with the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, and Town Council on a sensible approach to the student enrollment bubble the district expects in the coming years
• Push to hire more male teachers and front-facing staff and administrators to support the proliferation of boys who struggle in the classroom environment and need more direction
• Tap into New Canaan’s parent class and find creative ways for them to share their collective knowledge and expertise with our students
• Carefully consider further technology restraints, including less computer use in Saxe and New Canaan High School, and further phone restrictions at the High School level

This started as a very personal journey for me. My youngest son had a speech issue that Covid-era mask restrictions were exacerbating. I fought and got him a mask exemption. Since then I’ve been relentlessly focused on optimizing education for New Canaan kids. I’ll always be a guard dog against Hartford’s excesses and a fierce advocate when misguided national politics require it, and I’ll be a collaborative, sensible, and steady hand in calmer times.