Ten candidates at Woburn CPAC forum debate budget, inclusion, diversity and student safety ahead of Nov. 4 election

At a forum hosted by the Woburn Community Parent Advisory Council (CPAC) at Woburn Memorial High School, ten candidates seeking seats on the Woburn School Committee outlined competing priorities and answered community questions on budgeting for vulnerable students, inclusion and special education, recruiting diverse staff, school safety and a forthcoming school-building plan.

The event, which the CPAC said was intended to surface concerns from families of students with disabilities and other community members, focused repeatedly on how the district will fund and staff special education and other supports for multilingual, immigrant, low-income and unhoused students. Candidate Maria Teresa Nagel, who directs the Office of Immigrant Affairs in Somerville, said the district must align spending with values: “If our values are that we are going to ensure that every child, no matter their background, their learning abilities, they are going to be supported, then that is the way that we need to be investing our funding.”

Why it matters: Voters will decide seats on Nov. 4, and several candidates framed the immediate consequence of the vote around priorities that affect day-to-day services — staffing for individualized education programs, outreach and translation services,…