Westwood MA
Public Notices and Press Releases
Wednesday April 15 2026 9:27am

Question for Westwood Candidates

This post expresses the views and opinions of the author(s) and not necessarily that of Westwood Minute management or staff.

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Update:

I have modified this post because some people considered it offensive to express my opinion that it may be relevant whether a candidate has chosen to send their children to private schools or Westwood Public Schools. This is the third in a series of Posts I have made suggesting things that people should consider when deciding who to vote for and hoping to inspire productive discussions. This is the first that was met with hostility. I think it has initiated a discussion; you will note that 11 people gave it a thumbs up and four people objected to its premise (their comments also received a similar number of thumbs up).

Perhaps the term “litmus test” was a little too strong. I have read the criticism and agree with one of the comments that it is difficult to get people to serve on boards that involve a lot of work for little or no pay.  However, I don’t think it is offensive for me to express my opinion.

If you read what I wrote, I am not criticizing parents that have chosen to send their child to private schools; I said: if someone can afford private school, it is a great use of their money. I also noted, there are a variety of reasons someone may make that choice.

I made the same post in Facebook; one of the people commenting (see below) captured my sentiment: It is up to the voters to decide whether this issue is relevant and ask the question if they do. Similarly, it is up to the candidates to decide if they view this as a valid question or an invasion of their privacy (not deserving to be answered).

As a friend of mine always said, reasonable people may differ. Let’s all calmly discuss the issues we consider important.

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Question for Westwood Candidates

“Welcome to Westwood! You’ll love the schools!”

That was the greeting I received from a neighbor when I first moved into my house. You can imagine my surprise when I learned that neighbor had chosen to send his children to a private high school. I am not criticizing him for making that decision. For those that have the wealth to afford private school tuition and believe that their children will receive a superior education, it is a great use of their money.

If a candidate’s children did not graduate from Westwood schools (or are not attending Westwood schools), maybe they should consider explaining why they chose to take their children out of the public school system. I am sure there are a variety of reasons.

However, I personally don’t want people that don’t have the experience of their children attending Westwood Public Schools and graduating from them, making decisions concerning the schools that my children and grandchildren attend.

With the obvious need for a new Middle School and potential renovation or replacement of the Sheehan School, I believe that this should be a litmus test for anyone running for the School Committee, Planning Board or Select Board.

In my opinion, all the candidates for those positions should consider disclosing where their children are attending school (including where they attended high school). If their children did not graduate from Westwood schools, they should consider explaining that decision.

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4-15-2026 5:46pm

I think this is unnecessary when it comes to the Select Board. My kids go to Westwood public schools and will graduate from them. I would probably prefer someone who shared that experience to be on the School Committee but don't see that as a requirement. The Select Board needs someone who can look at the big picture needs of the town. I want a candidate that will reduce wasted spending and be transparent about communicating with town residents. I frankly don't care where their kids go to school, which is also a highly personal decision, as long as they have the best interests of the town at heart. 

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4-18-2026 7:53am

All residents are paying for the schools and should have an right to serve on the School Committee without having to have children in the Westwood School System; the same as any other board in Town.  

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4-16-2026 9:05am

I think asking about whether a candidate chose to use the Town’s public school system is a fair question. It’s an issue of transparency. I’m sure most candidates have great reasons for not using the public school system that they are seeking to represent – but in the spirit of transparency, disclosure may be the best route. It may help voters who consider it relevant to better understand the candidate, and to make a more informed choice. It’s less about private versus public school and more about the voters’ ability to evaluate the candidate’s capacity to understand the challenges public school parents are facing. No one is questioning what choice parents make for their kids. That is their decision. But voters deserve as much information as possible to know if a candidate’s priorities match their own. We are facing tough financial decisions in Westwood – including some related to serious, necessary investments in our schools. Some of these decisions may require tough cuts in overall projected budgets. Parents may want to know if a candidate is truly able to view those decisions from their perspective. That said, it’s up to each candidate to decide whether to make this information public. And it’s up to each voter to decide if that information is important in the final decision.

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4-16-2026 10:17pm

If a resident of Westwood does not have children, or their children are out of school system  should they not be considred a viable candidate,  be disaqualified or not be considered.  As a taxpaying resident do they not have an interest in the schools system.  Are they not qualified, or able to have a concern or an interest in how the school are being being managed and served?  

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4-17-2026 9:06pm

I love this post because it raises great, thought-provoking questions! And my take of Mr. Moore’s post is that all candidates are welcome!! He’s not excluding anyone from being a viable candidate; he’s saying candidates should consider voters’ views, and voters’ should educate themselves to best understand candidates’ views. Of course a person who doesn’t have children or whose children did not go through the Westwood Public School system should be considered. All candidates should be considered and evaluated against various criteria. One criteria is their experience with the Westwood school system. Experience is measured in various ways, including having “skin in the game”. But it is not the only criteria, and all candidates should have the option to share theirs! (And all voters should have the option to evaluate the merits!)

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4-17-2026 4:42pm

In my opinion, your repeated attempts to “educate” Westwood residents about the issues and about the candidates’ imperfections are actually very biased attempts to convince people to vote the way you plan to vote.

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4-17-2026 9:12pm

Hi Mrs. Shinopoulos. I welcome Mr. Moore’s viewpoints. I see it as an effort to inspire genuine dialogue. He doesn’t hide his opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. His is his, yours is yours, mine is mine. People can certainly disagree, but we shouldn’t censor. Can you tell me, where are his biases?

Mr. Moore has written on the importance of:

  • being able to compromise
  • having job qualifications
  • raising the question of whether a candidate’s experience with Westwood Public Schools is relevant

I don't see bias in his essays; for example, are you saying it's biased to suggest that people should have qualifications for the job?

Perhaps most important, Mr. Moore isn’t trying to censor anyone’s opinions – everyone is entitled to have one. People can write their own ideas of what they believe is important. All ideas are welcome!

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