Physician and town-meeting member Elite Schultz backs override, stresses fiscal restraint and academic excellence

Elite Schultz, a physician, town meeting member and candidate for the Brookline School Committee, told Brookline Interactive Group she supports the operating override on the May 5 ballot but stressed that the district must cut recurring costs and collect better data so future overrides are less likely.

Schultz said the town’s schools are “in a time of transition” and that the committee should pair academic priorities with responsible budgeting. “I am not afraid to ask tough questions,” she said, adding that the override is necessary now while also urging steps to limit dependence on future overrides.

Schultz framed academic excellence around individualized opportunities and critical thinking. She said students who excel in music or advanced math should have pathways to deepen those skills and that schools must teach students to evaluate information from social media and other sources rather than substitute opinion for fact.

On finances, Schultz pointed to guidance from the town’s Expenditure and Revenue Subcommittee (ERSC) and named several areas for scrutiny: reducing healthcare premium contributions, aligning wage growth to projected revenues, and reevaluating educational-technology expenditures that “sometimes… end up costing us.” She said those measures would help retain teachers and free resources for student-facing programs.

Schultz urged a collaborative oversight role for the school committee with Superintendent Bella Wong, describing the committee’s three principal duties as hiring and supervising the superintendent, managing the budget, and setting policy. She said the committee should gather and filter parent feedback into “actionable suggestions” that the superintendent can implement.

Describing her leadership experience, Schultz cited clinical work at the Veterans Home in Chelsea, nonprofit board service and a Brookline Community Foundation–funded senior “lunch and learn” program she helped launch. She said small operational changes can yield measurable improvements — for example, reorganizing orders so nurses saved about “30 minutes off of their medication rounds,” freeing staff time for direct care.

On classroom diversity and past curriculum changes, Schultz said the district rushed some solutions without sufficient data — citing a previous ninth‑grade social‑studies redesign as a case that produced friction. “We still don’t really know whether it is achieving the goal,” she said, adding the district should collect deeper metrics about student goals and supports before making widespread curricular changes.

Asked about morale, Schultz said recurring cuts to programs and staff drain energy and suggested creative after‑school enrichment options to restore world languages, music and other offerings when they cannot fit into the regular school day.

The interview closed with campaign notes: Schultz said she has enjoyed meeting voters and confronted occasional rumors on the campaign trail. Host State Representative Tommy Vlo directed viewers to eliteshultz.com for more information and reminded voters of early voting and the May 5 election hours.

The candidate’s website is eliteshultz.com and the host provided voting locations and early‑vote guidance during the program; the election is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5.