Kathleen McArdle-LeClair

A Mattapoisett resident for more than twenty years, Kathleen McArdle-LeClair said she feels like it’s time to “give back to the community and get a little bit more involved.”

McArdle-LeClair is running for a three-year seat on the Mattapoisett School Committee.

“I feel like I have a pretty unique skill set that can add value to the functioning of the School Committee,” she said.

McArdle-LeClair said she works as a corporate governance paralegal where she tracks votes and resolutions and keeps records.

If elected, she said a priority would be to look at “processes and compliance and just making sure we're dotting our I’s and crossing our T's.” One of those processes is making School Committee information more accessible to the public.

She said that making information more accessible would “bring around more of a trust that would build more of a foundation and a better relationship with the community,” she said.

A parent to two children who went through the Mattapoisett school system, McArdle-LeClair said that the town’s schools do “an amazing job.”

Declining enrollment is one particular concern facing the schools, according to McArdle-LeClair.

“It is something that we have to be conscious of all the time,” she said.

McArdle-LeClair said she’s in favor of further supporting teachers in the classroom on a daily basis. She’s also in favor of professional development for teachers, who she said face many challenges today.

“It's very tough because we send our kids off to school and we expect teachers to do amazing things,” McArdle-LeClair said. “But I think you're dealing with kids that are distracted in class, whether it be from technology or just various different things.”

There are areas within the Mattapoisett School Committee where McArdle-LeClair could “improve the processes to bring more transparency and accountability to the community,” she said.

“I think I can make us a stronger, more efficient School Committee, and I have the time and I would love to give back to my community,” McArdle-LeClair said.