Candidates at a Nov. 1 bilingual forum in Holyoke offered overlapping strategies to narrow learning gaps for English‑language learners (ELL) and students with disabilities.

Mildred Laffette, an incumbent and candidate at‑large, said the first step is addressing root causes and student belonging. “If a child or student doesn't feel that sense of belonging and is not engaged, you're not gonna help to close that gap,” Laffette said. She added that schools should “honor” home languages and use students’ talents as strengths rather than treating language or disability as barriers.

Rosalie Tinsley Williams emphasized staffing: “We need teachers that qualify to be able to teach the ESL children,” she said, and suggested volunteers could supplement supports where staff are limited. Louis Orlando Isasa called for expanded teacher development, family engagement and better metrics that capture individual student growth rather than relying only on standardized tests.

Gents Michaelson cited local data in describing the scale of the challenge: “Chronic absenteeism is about 20 percent,” and he said English‑learner churn is “like 26 percent,” which he said makes it crucial to make each year meaningful for students who may not return the next year. Michaelson and other candidates supported dual‑language programs as a proven boost for ELL students.

Christian Carde highlighted the city’s demographics—“57% of the population in Holyoke is non white or Caucasian, and 81% of our students are Latino”—and argued that one‑size‑fits‑all approaches fail the district’s students. He urged more time and resources for teachers and school mental‑health staff to implement individualized education plans (IEPs).

Patty Lebault, a Ward 6 write‑in candidate, pushed for universal design as a foundational classroom approach. “Universal design is a ramp for ESL and students with disabilities to access the curriculum,” Lebault said, adding that scaling teacher practices already shown to work would reduce what she described as “lasting learning trauma.”

None of the candidates proposed a single, detailed implementation plan; instead they offered overlapping priorities—staffing, training, family engagement, dual‑language expansion and universal design—that they said the committee should promote.