Marcy Rothenberg, lone participant in Ward 1 school committee debate, emphasizes safety, capacity and budgets

Marcy Rothenberg, a candidate for the Ward 1 seat on the Leominster School Committee, told a candidate forum that traffic, student safety and school capacity tied to the Orchard Hills development are her top priorities and that she will defend the committee's budget before the city council.

Rothenberg made the remarks during the final debate hosted by Michael Della Monica for Leominster Television and FLAP TV. Her opponent, Jen Alker, was invited but declined to participate, the moderator said.

Rothenberg said, "We have schools that are at capacity. We have safety issues in the area with traffic during school hours. I felt it wasn't being addressed, and I wanted to step up and be a louder voice for Ward 1." She described two priorities if elected: safety and the impact of the Orchard Hills development.

Why it matters: Ward 1 residents told Rothenberg they see both short-term and long-term effects from new development. She said schools in the ward are already crowded, with teachers and staff "stressed out" and space repurposed for multiple uses.

On capacity and facilities, Rothenberg said the district is "out of space," citing examples including the partial repurposing of library space at Johnny Appleseed Elementary for STEM. She said the district's youngest elementary school is "more than 50 years old," and argued for more forward planning, including identifying property for new schools or expansions.

Rothenberg also discussed safety in multiple senses: street and traffic safety related to construction and increased residential traffic, and emotional safety related to bullying and device use. "There are so many ways to hurt children," she said, naming cyberbullying and playground safety as concerns. She described current school policies that limit device use in class and said there is no single, comprehensive districtwide policy on technology use.

On budgets, Rothenberg said school budgets created by the Leominster School Committee in May should be presented and defended before the city council. "That budget needs to be presented to the city council. I don't see any members of the school committee ever standing there defending their budget. And I'll be that person," she said. She argued there is little obvious waste in schools and warned that cutting programs while asking for added programs would be inconsistent.

On curriculum, Rothenberg said voters she met with emphasized core subjects: "reading, writing, and arithmetic." She added that students should also have age-appropriate exposure to technical skills, computer science and preparation for future technologies. She also said some constituents are concerned about library content and cited worries that "a small group of people might wanna remove books from the library."

Rothenberg described a desire to improve communication between the school committee and the city council, calling for a clearer partnership so goals and constraints are shared. "If one group has a goal to really develop the programs, the other group needs to know what those goals are and to speak very openly on what their limitations are," she said.

In closing, Rothenberg summarized her experience and appeal to voters: she noted more than 35 years of experience in education, said she is president of the board at Ginny's Helping Hand, and urged voters to support her on election day. "Please vote for me, Marcy Rothenberg, Ward 1 School Committee on November 4. Let's show up for each other, and let's get to work," she said.

The forum was moderated by Michael Della Monica. The event organizer noted this was the final debate in a series covering municipal races in Leominster and Fitchburg.