Meet Rochester School Committee candidate Barbara Lee

ROCHESTER — For two years Barbara Lee has volunteered on the Rochester Memorial School school council, and after the urging of some friends and residents, is now running for a seat on the Rochester School Committee.

With a long background in finance, including 20 years at an investment company where she still works, Lee said her friends told her she could help with the district’s budget concerns.

“I think I bring a unique set of skills with my financial background, which is a little different than everybody else that’s on the school committee,” she said.

Lee said that she is also “a big fan” of the school system and the community and thought being on the school committee would give her “an opportunity to just be able to volunteer my time in a different sort of way.”

Before moving to Rochester four years ago, Lee was treasurer at her kids’ old school where she helped handle the budget and financial transactions and figure out funding.

Lee said that being part of the Rochester Memorial School’s student council has helped her acclimate within the community and understand the school’s curriculum.

“It’s been tremendously beneficial because it assists me to acclimate into knowing a lot of the academic acronyms,” she said, adding that she thinks it has also prepared her for joining the school committee.

Lee said that she has been able to “see more of the bigger picture” while on the council, including what the budget is, how money is being spent, what’s important regarding how the school is run, how the school is organized, information regarding unions and teacher positions and the administration.

“Knowing some of the background, knowing why some things are the way that they are, is just really important,” she said.

Lee said that she’s also familiar with the aspects of having a child who may need additional help in the classroom because she has a child who has “struggled from an early age.”

She added that she has gone through evaluation processes and early intervention ever since her child was preschool-aged.

“I am very familiar with the whole 504 [plan] and the [Individualized Education Program], knowing parents’ rights,” Lee said.

She added, “Every child is an individual, and I also think that’s extremely, super important that children are treated that way.”

According to Lee, being on the school committee is “the one opportunity we have to have a say in the curriculum and how it’s going for students.”

Lee said the focus of the school committee should be on the children and their education rather than politics or political agendas and that kids “shouldn’t have to know of the controversy or what’s going on outside.”

“It’s not about personal agenda — it’s about being the voice of the residents, and that’s what I want to do,” she said, adding that she thinks residents should be invested in the school system because the kids are “going to be the legacy of Rochester.”