Meet the candidate: Diane Trela seeks Ward 4 School Committee post
CHICOPEE — With Chicopee's Ward 4 School Committee member Sandra Ann Peret running for a different city position , a new candidate will represent the ward.
Diane Trela, a secondary school teacher with decades of experience, hopes to make a difference in the Chicopee Public Schools.
Trela, in her 60s, is a lifelong resident of Ward 4, the community she hopes to represent. The newcomer has no opponents.
Ahead of Tuesday, Nov. 4, The Republican reached out to all candidates for the opposed City Council and School Committee seats to answer a short questionnaire.
Each council candidate was asked the same four questions. A different set of four identical questions were sent to the candidates for School Committee.
Over the next several days, The Republican will be publishing the candidates' answers to the questions in print. Find more candidates and responses at masslive.com/topic/election .
Name:Diane C. Trela
Age:60s
Address:118 Farnsworth St., Ward 4
Profession:Secondary school teacher
Position running for:Ward 4 School Committee candidate
Introductory statement:
I have been an educator for over 40 years working in both the private and public schools. I graduated from Elms College with a bachelor's degree in history and minors in secondary education and sociology. I also have an M.Ed. from the Elms College with concentrations in Special Education and Social Studies. I want to be a participant in making a better Chicopee school system. This opportunity will give me a chance to work alongside committee members and our mayor, who share in a vision for a better Chicopee school system. As an educator, I know the hard work that teachers do every day, in the classroom and outside the classroom. The day does not end at 3 p.m. I felt it was time to give back to this community which fostered my educational career, give thanks to the great teachers we have in Chicopee and encourage a new generation of students.
Question 1: What letter grade would you give the school system? Why?
Using a letter grade to assess the Chicopee School District is a challenging task. Everyone is striving and working to improve the system. So, I am going to assess a B/B- grade because they are making progress in the areas that were highlighted as desired areas of improvement, including issues of bullying and security, improvement in MCAS scores.
Question 2: What is the biggest challenge the schools face?
There are a number of challenges facing school districts including the Chicopee school district including securing a safe, productive, and encouraging learning environment Another challenge is hiring and maintaining qualified, and committed teachers. We have hired 56 new teachers in our district this fall. We are fortunate to have a number of administrators in the right place and utilizing interventions and counseling for at risk youth and families.
Question 3: The school budget is roughly two-thirds of the city budget and there are concerns about federal and state assistance dropping. How should the School Committee address any loss of funding?
The loss of funding is addressed/discussed on a consistent basis. The issuance of contracts is dependent upon many factors. All ideas will be explored to secure the best outcome for our Chicopee School District.
Question 4: With the MCAS no longer a condition of graduation, what should the diploma requirements be?
With MCAS no longer a condition of graduation, a discussion of graduation requirements will necessitate a collaborative effort of educators. Each school/school system knows its students. It seems obvious that the goal has been to move away from a single standardized test format. With the opportunity to develop new goals, each district could bring forth multiple means of assessment which would be most fair to the student and their educators. This might include portfolio and internships, for example.
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