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Guilford Board of Education Candidates

The Nov. 2 elections promise the most contentious Board of Education race in recent memory. At the polls, Guilford voters will select five citizens to serve on the Board. The Courier reached out to the candidates to learn their motivations for running and what they hoped to accomplish should they be elected. They offered the following statements; some have been edited to allotted space.

In addition to the information below, voters can find all of our 2021 elections coverage, letters to the editor, and profiles on all candidates seeking office at Zip06.com/election.

Row A DemocratsMoira Rader

“For the past four years, I have been a proud member of the Guilford Board of Education. I am also the current secretary of the board, chair of the Policy Committee, and member of the Operations Committee. I attend all meetings of the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Committee and have participated in various negotiations with several of our bargaining units. I have also participated on hiring committees for new administrators.

“During my tenure on the BOE, our district has successfully navigated the global pandemic while keeping the safety and wellness of our students and staff at the core of every decision. We have strengthened the district’s focus on the social and emotional wellbeing of students, while supporting rigorous curriculum that speaks to the potential of every student. These efforts have included a community-driven initiative to replace our high school mascot, participation in the CT Teacher Residency Program, and the creation of a family equity liaison position to serve students and their families.

“I ask for our Guilford voters to think honestly and seriously about how you will cast your vote at this enormously consequential time in our community. It is imperative that we support our students to think critically and develop the capacity to become empowered and empathetic global citizens. In successfully winning a second term, I will ensure and protect all that makes Guilford Schools the incredible, award-winning district that we all know and revere.”

Arnold Skretta

Arnold Skretta is first and foremost a husband and proud father of twin five-year-old daughters attending kindergarten at Calvin Leete elementary school. He is an attorney in private practice and hearing officer with the State of Connecticut who formerly served as deputy COO of the Democratic National Committee during President barack Obama’s re-election campaign. He represents individuals, businesses, and organizations primarily in regulatory matters. Originally hailing from Branford, he currently serves on the Guilford Board of Assessment Appeals.

He is running for the Board of Education to protect and promote Guilford schools by:

(1) ensuring that the schools maintain their already rigorous academic standards and state- and nationally-ranked esteem, which forms the very bedrock for strong property values in Guilford;

(2) supporting (and trusting) our amazing students, teachers and school administrators, who are doing an excellent job. I will do this in an apolitical and mutually respectful manner across party lines;

(3) in stark contrast to my opponents, supporting a continuously expansive, evolving and enriching curriculum, including supplementary instruction in equity and social justice, which provides students with multiple analytical lenses to develop a more complete picture of the world, allowing those students to become successful and contributing members of society both inside and outside of Guilford; and

(4) supporting technology initiatives by investing in both the school technology infrastructure and individual student technology, ensuring our students are prepared for good-paying jobs and/or challenging higher educational opportunities upon graduation.

Row B Republican CandidatesTim Chamberlain

“I graduated Branford High and Hillsdale College, but the chief reason I am qualified to be on the Board of Education [BOE] is that I am able to see the difference between a sales job and a quality product.

“The current BOE is changing education in Guilford in significant ways. I’m running for the Guilford Board of Education to further the deep investigation of our curriculum, teaching methods, impartiality of faculty, and ridding our school system of any version of Critical Race Theory. I find these views abhorrent, and the attempt to sell them as just a slight change in the way we look at the history curriculum is what got me involved in a deeper analysis of the BOE’s actions as a concerned parent. I seek to bring an end to the political activism that currently dominates our schools. I am running because I disagree with the position the BOE has taken on this topic.”

Nick Cusano

“My wife Julie and I have been back in Guilford for the past 19 years and are the proud parents of Christopher (GHS class of 2022) and AJ (GHS Class of 2025). I am a 1990 graduate of Fairfield University (B.A. economics) and a 2002 graduate of Quinnipiac University (MBA—information systems). I have spent my professional career working primarily in healthcare-related industries with companies such as Bayer Pharmaceuticals, HealthNet, and Aetna. Currently, I am an IT manager supporting the revenue cycle operations of a major health care organization.

“I am running for the Board of Education to ensure the current and future students receive a high-quality education that allows each child to excel to the best of their abilities. Our schools should be the place where our children are taught how to think not what to think, however, the current administration is invalidating this philosophy with the ever-increasing inclusion of political and social opinion into the classroom. Our children should receive an education based on merit and fairness with equal opportunity for excellence for every student, while classrooms should be free of political and racial influence and division. This is the foundation that made the Guilford Schools System great and the reason many families like mine choose to live here. I am not seeking to change the school system but to preserve what makes Guilford schools great in the first place. There are other ways to stress diversity and cultural awareness in our schools without resorting to a divisive Critical Race Theory (CRT) sociopolitical experiment using our children as the test subjects. As a member of the board, I will look to pursue less divisive diversity alternatives to CRT while re-emphasizing core academics, fine arts, and sports that have made the Guilford School System the envy of the shoreline.”

Bill Maisano

“I have lived my entire life in Guilford. I am blessed to live here and be surrounded by such loving people. After graduating from GHS I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served in Europe.

“Following that, I attended SCSU and got my degree in education along with my teaching certification. I became a police officer in Guilford and began teaching the DARE program in the middle schools. I did this for around 18 years and loved every minute of it. I had to retire due to a spinal injury and it was one of the lowest points in my life. People, especially Matt Hoey, were very supportive and I am eternally grateful.

“I have always loved children (and animals) and want them to always be proud of who they are and confident in themselves. I also understand that this is not easy. Guilford has exceptional teachers and I personally like them tremendously. Parents will sometimes have questions about school. It is only because they love them and are invested in their education. I have learned that the most important thing you can do is listen to and respect people. That is who I always have been and will be.”

Ally Passarelli

“I come from a very mixed family. We are our own melting pot, Black/White Catholic/Jewish, gay/straight, and I know having such a diverse background will shed new light and bring new and different perspectives. I am currently an instructional/data coach, and have many degrees in education in addition to 20-plus years of personal experience. I also currently work in the inner-city as an instructional/data coach, where I am responsible for supporting teachers in five different schools and compiling and analyzing program wide data. I grew up in Guilford and attended Guilford Public Schools.

“I am running for Board of Education because I want to do what is best for my children and all our children. Instead of pushing politics we should be supporting STEM, SPED, foreign language, and athletics, allocating funds so that children directly reap the benefits including but not limited to supplies, technology, academic programs that support learning, and athletic gear/resources. I would like to see more transparency and accountability across all aspects of Guilford Public Schools. I would also like to see more early childhood education programs, like our classrooms at Lakes (50/50 model) or regular preschool classrooms.”

Danielle Scarpellino

“I am a 17-year resident of Guilford and a proud wife and mother of three school aged children. I graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor of fine arts degree in ‘92. After graduating college, I was a fulltime assistant designer for Kenneth Cole Productions and an assistant to the chief operating officer. I was also a working actress and I had a brief role as an actress on the daytime soap opera One Life to Live, and I was a professional NBA dancer for the Nets. However, my most rewarding experience was mentoring through Mentoring USA, a volunteer New York City-based mentoring program that assigned vetted adult professionals to inner-city children to support and encourage these at-risk children. After being a stay-at-home mom for 13 years, raising an amazing child with autism, and substitute teaching off and on at our elementary schools, I decide to open my own small business in town, the Spot Guilford Acrobatics & Company.

“Out of a concern for not just my own children, but for the future of all our students, I feel it’s my civic duty to offer myself as a potential candidate for the Board of Education. If elected, I will ensure that the safety and wellbeing of our students is our number-one priority and that their education is free from any political indoctrination. In a well-intended, but ill-advised effort to combat racism and achieve equity in our schools, our educational leaders have purchased and implemented the largely theoretical New York State Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework and corresponding leader/teacher training programs. A shift this drastic should never be based on any unproven, experimental theory. I am running to preserve the integrity of Guilford’s academic-based curriculum and prevent identity politics from further dividing our school community.”

Row C Independent Party CandidatesJennifer Baldwin

“I was born into an active-duty military family and lived in many places, including Germany for four years. I graduated from the University of Connecticut and then attended Quinnipiac College School of Law (this is before it became a university). I was in private practice in New Haven handling cases in all areas of the law. We handled personal injury cases, family law, probate law and criminal defense. I left private practice to join the Public Defender’s Office in 2001. Now my entire focus is on criminal defense of indigent clients. My son receives special education services and I am a member of the board for the SEPTO (Special Education PTO). I was the secretary of the A.W. Cox PTO for three years and Baldwin Middle School for seven months. I also ran the book fair at A.W. Cox for many years.

“I am running for the Board of Education to ensure the positive changes that have been made by the current board and superintendent continue to move forward. We need to teach our children to be global thinkers. I believe that the Board of Education should ensure that this kind of education continues to happen in our public schools. I love this town and am happy that I have had so many opportunities to volunteer with various agencies to better the experience of my children. I am excited to run for the Board of Education to continue this excellent work in Guilford Public Schools.”

Kristy Faulkner

“My husband and I moved to Guilford in 2008. I have had the pleasure of volunteering on various School committees, PTO boards (including SEPTO), the Guilford Zoning Board of Appeals, and the CT Association of Fairs Baking committee. I hold two degrees from the University of Connecticut, a bachelor’s in molecular and cell biology and a master’s in education. After taking time away from the workforce to stay home with my children, I have recently resumed a full-time career at a biotech start-up within Guilford.

“I am running to protect Guilford schools and our town from an attack by far-right ideologies that are divisive and misaligned with our community values. I believe the outstanding reputation and achievements of our schools can be directly attributed to our superintendent, our excellent teachers, the bipartisan success of our Board of Education, and a community of supportive parents...it takes a village, or in our case, a beautiful town.

“I am asking for your vote Nov. 2 so that I can ensure our schools, our town, and our Board of Education maintain a path toward continued growth and success. I look forward to finding middle ground and collaborating across party lines to find solutions that can bring balance back to our community.”

Noel Petra

“I have lived in Guilford with my wife, Liza, since 1996, where we have been raising their two children. As an executive leader in both the private and public sectors, I have tremendous experience in strategic planning, organizational policy and culture, and managing hundreds of direct employees and hundreds of millions of dollars of budget/work on a yearly basis. My experience has given me deep insight into how to negotiate complex situations while balancing budgets and multiple stakeholders’ needs.

“I’m running to protect our nationally ranked school system from an extreme right-wing group who openly state that they want to deconstruct the school system and reduce it to what it was 40 years ago when they went there. Our schools build and maintain our property values, attract new businesses, people, and fresh ideas to our community. The Guilford Public Schools have embraced inclusivity and open-mindedness. If the Board of Education were to be taken over by five extreme Republicans, it would harm our district’s reputation, and thereby jeopardize our economic stability. I am running for the Board of Education because I have the experience to protect our schools and our property values.”

Row E Petitioning Candidate

Joseph Golino

Joe Golino is a Guilford resident for nine years and has been married for 22 years, with two children, one a recent graduate and one currently attending Guilford High School. He served 20 months on Guilford Board of Education (he is a current board member) and served four years on the West Haven Inland Wetlands Watercourse Agency. He is a nine-year volunteer EMT and EMS-I and a religious education teacher at Our Lady of Victory/St. John Vianney in West Haven for four years. He volunteers at Knights of Columbus and the Italian American Civic league. Golino has an experienced 22-year career at MTA Metro-North Railroad as a training officer and assistant director of station operations.

“I am running for the Board of Education because I am not done working for the community and it should not be political. I was appointed to this board for my leadership and experience with labor unions. I have the ability and drive to continue to keep Guilford schools on top and I have a unique ability to associate one idea with another to find the best outcome from a mass of data, along with my personality and ability to work with all current board members the choice is clear, and I need to fight to stay on the board to do what’s right for us all.”