Senator Jason Lewis to Host Community Conversation with State Education Commissioner

Continuing his “Community Conversations” issue discussions, Senator Jason Lewis is excited to announce an upcoming conversation he will hold with Massachusetts’ Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, Dr. Mitchell Chester.  Held in every community of the district, “Community Conversations” are issue discussions delving into a different topic at each forum, with ample opportunity for residents to share feedback and have their questions answered by experts on the given topic.

This upcoming event – Community Conversations: The Future of Public Education in the Commonwealth – will take place on Wednesday, October 5, at 6:30pm.  The event will occur in the GAR Room at Memorial Hall, 590 Main Street, Melrose, and is free and open to the public.

This forum will offer the chance to hear directly from one of our Commonwealth’s chief policy setters regarding the education of our youth as Senator Lewis and Commissioner Chester engage in conversation covering a wide variety of issues related to public education in Massachusetts, ranging from standardized testing and MCAS 2.0, to how best to serve special education and ELL students, to charter schools, to ensuring adequate and equitable funding, to social and emotional health in our schools, and much more.  There will be ample opportunity for Q&A from attendees.  The forum is sponsored by Senator Lewis in coordination with Melrose Mayor Robert J. Dolan, Melrose Superintendent Cyndy Taymore, the Melrose School Committee, and the Melrose Education Foundation.

“With our children having just returned to school, our attention is focused on the public education our communities and our Commonwealth offer,” noted Senator Lewis.  “I hope that this conversation offers residents more in-depth perspective on the array of educational issues facing our state and local communities and provides an opportunity to give real-time feedback.  The conversations I have directly with constituents across the district are the best source of information and guidance to help me do my job in the legislature.”

“Community Conversations” forums have been held in all six communities of the 5th Middlesex district on topics including: public transportation; small business and entrepreneurship; challenges facing senior citizens and caregivers; energy policy and environmental priorities; and, efforts to combat substance abuse and opioid addiction in our region.