Board of Education

Phil Dwyer
2607 Congress Street

  • Experienced in elective office – Rye, NY School board and Northampton County Council
  • YMCA CEO who balanced $28M operating budgets and supervised over $60M of construction
  • Bachelors in Community Leadership and Master’s Degree in Government-Public Administration
  • Treasurer, Fairfield Foundation for Education
  • Appointed to Fairfield’s Land Acquisition Commission and Past President of Bridgeport Rotary
  • Active in Fairfield Youth Soccer as Coach, Referee and Directed the Annual Tournament
  • Member of Finance Committee and Chair of the Personnel Board at First Church Congregational
  • Married 42 years to Debby Dwyer.  Two sons, Scott and Mark who graduated from Fairfield Public Schools.

Key Issues

Fiscal Responsibility – The BOE budget is half of the Town budget.  Tough decisions now to avoid more painful decisions later.

Academic Excellence in a Positive School Environment – We must balance the budget while maintaining a focus on excellence and the well being of ALL students.

Better Communications – The BOE must work more closely with town bodies, parents and the larger community to better communicate and justify the needs of the school district

Personal Statement

When moving to Connecticut 20 years ago, the quality of public school education weighed heavily in our decision to choose Fairfield.  It is a significant factor in how people judge Fairfield’s quality of life.  Thus, I seek elective office to give back to a community that has been so good to our family and the Board of Education is a natural fit due to my past service on a School Board in Rye, NY, my commitment to public education and my professional background.

To learn more, see Phil’s comments at The Daily Fairfield.

Neal Fink
70 Crest Terrace
Neal@NRFMedia.com

  • Fairfield Woods Middle School Building Committee – Project remains on schedule and within budget despite a fast-track timeline.
  • Fairfield PTA Council, Former Vice President Programs – Worked with local PTAs to combine resources enabling enhanced enrichment programs for our schools.
  • FairTV, Former Chairman – Led launch of Fairfield’s Government and Education Access TV channels while successfully overcoming bureaucratic obstacles. Nearly all Board of Education and important town meetings are now broadcast on TV and online due to this initiative. The program is funded entirely through cable subscriber fees, at zero cost to the town.
  • North Stratfield PTA, member and volunteer since 2007 – Membership Chairperson, Chairperson Drama Program, Chairperson Variety Show, Spearheaded PTA Gift to School, Chairperson 5th Grade Committee.
  • Fairfield Theatre Company, Volunteer Grant Writer –Secured $45k grant to install video production capability at theater.
  • Eisner and Crane Lake Camps, Board of Directors – Support programs and raise funds for non-profit summer camps in the Berkshires

Business and Professional Experience

  • NRF Media Group, Owner (2001 – Present) – Fairfield-based small business provides design, engineering and programming for building automation, educational technology, and audio-visual systems. Play critical role in construction coordination between architect, builder, vendors and various trades for successful technology integration within facilities. Recent Connecticut school projects include: Hartford Sport & Medical Sciences Academy (magnet High School); Fitch High School, Groton; Wintonbury Early Childhood Magnet School, Bloomfield; Norwalk Community College Center for Science, Health and Wellness.
  • Appstream Software, Co-Founder (1997 – 2001) – Silicon Valley software company, acquired by Symantec Corporation. Developed business and strategic plans, presented budgets and financial data to Board of Directors, raised over $45 million from venture capital firms and corporate investors.

Father to Maxwell (10) and Rebecca (7); husband to Pamela

Key Issues

Fairfield has great schools, dedicated teachers and a supportive community.  Advances in technology and economic globalization promise both great opportunity and unprecedented challenges for our students. A business-as-usual approach is no longer enough to secure our children’s success and the future prosperity of our town.  My priorities as a Board of Education member will be:

  1. Evaluate:  undertake a comprehensive review of our schools including curriculum, facilities, and administrative operations to understand what we are doing right and where we are falling short.
  2. Improve: implement changes where required to better meet the needs of our students and achieve greater results without excessive increases in spending.
  3. Innovate:   investigate and pursue big ideas that will secure Fairfield’s position as a leader in education, considered a best-in-class example within the state and beyond.

As a member of the Fairfield community I feel it is time to take my involvement in the town to the next level.  My experiences in business and with volunteer work have made me realize that I am ready to serve in a more meaningful way.

It is critical to evaluate and improve our school system before we become complacent and lose what was built.  Through strong leadership and increased communication, I believe the school district can return to the stellar leadership position it had been known for in the past, which included an innovative, adaptive curriculum.

I want to leave my children, and the next generation, prepared to clean up the fiscal burden that has been placed upon them.  Children need to be prepared to participate in the global economy – and the public school system is the place to start.

Jessica Gerber
25 Shady Hill Road
jbgerbs@optonline.net

  • Osborn Hill Elementary PTA representative to the BOE, 2007-present
  • Osborn Hill rep to SPSBC for Osborn Hill annex project, 2009-2011
  • Parent rep on BOE Facilities Subcommittee Task Force for redistricting, 2009
  • Member, Strategic Planning Committee, communication action team, 2007
  • Osborn Hill PTA member, 2003-present; RLMS 2009-present
  • CCD teacher, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 2008-2010
  • Parent to John (13) and Gillian (8); wife to Bill
  • Fairfield resident since 1996

A key issue is the need for better communication between Board of Education and other town bodies, and between Board and the general public. There also needs to be continued attention to facilities issues.

I have been an active and involved volunteer in our school system since 2003. As a product of public schooling, I feel very strongly that a good public school system is invaluable to all members of a community. Well-informed, thoughtful, educated BOE members have the potential to strengthen the value of a town through continued improvements of its school system.

For more, see the Q&A at The Daily Fairfield.

Jennifer Maxon Kennelly
117 Edgewood Place
jenkennelly@optonline.net

  • 21 years as a professional educator, in both administration and the classroom
  • Four years teaching English at Greenwich High School
  • Coach of CT State gold medal winning Odyssey of the Mind team
  • Member of Fairfield’s Cultural Diversity Task Force
  • Member of Fairfield’s Gaelic-American Club, Fairfield History Museum, and Our Lady of Assumption Parish
  • Stratfield PTA member, volunteer and committee chair (2005 – present); Tomlinson PTA member (2011)
  • Bachelor’s degree in English; Master’s Degree in Secondary Education
  • Parent to Fiona (11), Emma (9), and Jim (8); wife to Jim

Key Issues –

  • Comprehensive and Responsible Fiscal Planning – We must balance the maintenance and technological needs of our schools with a careful examination of our budget and a realistic appraisal of town resources
  • Classroom/Curriculum Innovation – We must maintain our focus on achieving academic excellence, but with a renewed eye toward creative use and organization of existing resources
  • Collaboration with town bodies – We must improve the transparency and accessibility of our communication within and among subcommittees and other town boards to restore trust in our elected officials and the process by which important decisions are made.

Year after year, BOE candidates promise to maintain educational quality and demand lean budgeting. Yet year after year, taxes continue to rise while instructional programming is often cut at the eleventh hour to help control costs. I’d like to break this frustrating cycle. As parochial school administrator during the 1990′s, I closed a sizable budget deficit, increased enrollment and helped secure middle states accreditation for a school given up for dead by the central office. Now as a teacher at Greenwich High School, I work every day in a system that produces students who compete with our children for college admission and future  success. I’ve spent 21 years delivering quality instruction and looking for ways to innovate administratively.

Stacey Zahn
110 Valley View Place
BMZMOM@aol.com

  • Ten year incumbent on the Board of Education
  • Serves on the High School Scholarship Foundation
  • former two term member of the RTM
  • former PTA president, Osborn Hill School
  • former member executive board, Jennings Elementary School
  • former member, Board of Directors, Bridgeport JCC
  • Fairfield resident since 1992
  • Two sons, Brian and Michael, graduates of Fairfield Public Schools