Germantown school board candidates emphasize reading, teacher input and school safety at Chamber forum

At a Germantown Chamber of Commerce candidate forum, two candidates for the Germantown School Board, Sharon Kiernan and Jeff Voyer, answered residents' questions about curriculum, school safety, teacher retention and district transparency.

The forum gave residents a chance to compare how each candidate would measure district success and handle district-school-village coordination on safety and growth. Both candidates framed student achievement as the top measure of success but emphasized different levers to get there.

Sharon Kiernan, a retired elementary teacher of 33 years, said success for the district includes both measurable outcomes and students' sense of belonging: "Students should love coming to school. They should feel safe and supported and like they belong." She said the district should use state data—attendance, postsecondary preparation metrics and growth and achievement measures—alongside surveys of students, families and staff to track performance. Kiernan argued teachers must have a voice in classroom resource decisions, saying, "We tie one hand…