Old Rochester Regional School Committee candidate profile: Betsy Stewart

MATTAPOISETT — Betsy Stewart spent 16 years volunteering her time in her children’s schools and being an active member of the Parent-Teacher Organization in the Franklin Public School District. Now she’s looking to apply her experiences to the Old Rochester Regional School Committee if elected on Tuesday, May 20.

“I am seeking this seat on the School Committee for what I believe are the right reasons: to improve our schools, to improve our experience for students and to ultimately improve the community,” she said.

Stewart said one of the issues that’s important to her is responsible budget management.

“Just making sure that we’re prioritizing what’s best for students and at the same time supporting staff,” she said.

Currently being discussed, Stewart said, is how the money the district received from the federal government during the Covid pandemic was spent, which was meant to be used to reopen the schools and for long-term support.

Stewart, who is certified in yoga instruction and owned and directed Franklin Yoga & Wellness, said she has solid business experience that would lend to her understanding of how to help manage the school’s budget.

When MCAS first became a graduation requirement in the early 2000s, Stewart was asked if she could come in to ease the elementary school students’ stress about the exam with her yoga expertise.

“They had anxiety of taking a test, but it was mitigated at the beginning, so they were a little bit more direct and they could hopefully perform better on the test,” she said. “And naturally it went very well — it was well received.”

During the 16 years Stewart had children in the Franklin Public School District, she was “very engaged” in classrooms, helping with fundraising initiatives, volunteering for field trips, and being present whenever a teacher needed help.

“Teachers and administrators in the school system started seeking me out for help with some of the social, emotional learning aspects that they wanted support in,” she said.

Stewart said it’s important to understand that each student has different social emotional needs.

She intends to find an effective way to address individual students’ needs so they become “the best versions of themselves when they’re ready to move on to higher learning.”

“Let’s make sure that these kids get what they need so that developmentally and academically they’re moving forward in a way that they’re at their best,” she said.

To ensure students’ success, Stewart would like to see more community members engaged with the school administration, which would not only improve children’s education but also shows people how their tax money is being spent.

“Ultimately it’s supporting the town,” she said.

She added that by being involved people would also be supporting children to become productive and healthy members of a town they all live in.

Stewart said that if she is elected to the Old Rochester Regional School Committee she would work to keep discussions open with the public to hear people’s questions and “actively listen to what [their] concerns are.”

With an understanding of the community’s opinions and concerns, this would enable the School Committee to make things better for both students and staff, she said.

“Ultimately you want children, families and teachers to feel they’re supported,” she said.