Dan Newman for Sharon School Committee

05/23/2024

I took the School Committee oath of office today. Sharon has an odd tradition of holding our first meeting less than 24 hours after the election. It was all very exhilarating although it may take a week to recover from whiplash.

My family tolerated a lot this election. Nobody moreso than my wife Adina, whom I didn't ask to be my campaign manager so much as she just kind of took charge of the role. And what a good thing she did. The result of the election was largely due to her efforts, and she deserves my greatest appreciation. The kids of course had to do without me many weekends when I was out speaking with voters. My great friends and neighbors in town exceeded all of my expectations with their support. I'll do my best to make it all worth it to everyone.

At the minimum, Sharon can rest assured their election wasn't rigged by anyone. They never would have let me win it!

05/21/2024

Every morning for six months. Adina and I consulted our Sharon map together. Who would canvass which streets each day? Where do we need more lawn signs? Blue lines are what we managed together: 2700 homes. We'll learn the result of it all tonight around 9pm. Adina was my campaign manager and I couldn't have asked for better.

Running for School Committee was one of my best experiences. I didn't know what response I was going to get. It turned out I needn't have worried. My friends, my family, my neighbors were overwhelming in their support. Volunteering. Emailing. Taking signs. Thank you so much everyone for all you've done. It means so much to me and my family. We are truly blessed. Make sure you vote today at the high school and stop by to say hello so I can thank you properly in person.

05/20/2024

Tomorrow (5/21) is election day! This is what all of it was for. You have 2 more hours today to absentee vote at the town clerk's office. Otherwise I'll see you in person tomorrow when you vote at Sharon High School. Stop by anytime tomorrow (Tuesday) between 7am-8pm, cast your vote, and say hello. I'll be picking up lawn signs today for use at the polls. If you have time, stand with us and greet the voters!

05/15/2024

Important: If you can't vote next Tuesday (5/21) in person at Sharon High School and you didn't request a mail-in ballot, you must now vote via *absentee ballot*. You can get an absentee ballot from the town clerk anytime between now and the town election. You only need to attest you will not be available to vote next Tuesday. Go today. Don't delay!

05/13/2024

Friends: The May 21 town election is approaching. Now is the perfect time to email friends or make a friends-only Facebook post. Mail-in ballots are sitting on people's counters right now, waiting to be filled out. Personal outreach decides these elections. The margin can be a few votes. The best outreach to friends is a short and simple message. No need to complicate it. One paragraph mentioning the May 21 election, your preferred candidate(s), and why. Thanks for all your help.

05/08/2024

My dear friend Hana will host a meet and greet event for me, Thursday, May 9, 6:30pm-8:00pm. All are welcome to stop by her yard, have some food, and say hello. Adina and I hope to see you there.

05/06/2024

Important! The deadline to request your mail-in ballot is coming up soon. If you will vote by mail for Sharon School Committee, request your mail-in ballot now. Don't put it off and risk missing the deadline.

If there is any question if you will vote in person at Sharon high school on May 21, request your mail-in ballot now.

You can request your mail-in ballot at Sharon town hall or online by clicking here:
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/MailInRequestWeb/MailInBallot.aspx

05/02/2024

Watch me talk environmentalism in our schools. Hosted by Sustainable Sharon Coalition. Now on SharonTV!

Sustainable Sharon Coalition Presents: Candidates Panel

04/19/2024

My interview on Sharon TV. Thanks, Colleen! It was fun.

FYI: Daniel Newman, School Committee Candidate: 3 Year Seat

04/12/2024

Don't miss my lively and wide-ranging conversation with Colleen Tuck! Air date next week on SharonTV.

04/04/2024

School Committee should eliminate a word from its vocabulary. That word is “purview”. You’ll always hear it in the context of how School Committee can’t help you.

School Committee is the oversight body for Sharon’s schools. If you’re having a problem with your child's schools, that’s our purview. I believe there is always a way we can help.

That’s not to say School Committee has limitless authority. State law grants School Committee certain direct authorities. These include policymaking, setting educational goals, negotiating contracts, hiring, evaluating, and if necessary firing the superintendent, and approving the school budget. We can vote on these topics directly.

If we don’t have direct authority, our responsibility to you doesn't end. We can refer the problem to our administrators. We can budget resources to fix it. Through our evaluation cycle, we can course correct if the schools are not being responsive to parent concerns.

The success of Sharon's schools is School Committee’s mission. Not every matter should arrive to us first. If it’s a classroom issue, begin with the classroom teacher. Escalate to the principal if necessary. Then to the Superintendent. When you’ve exhausted all other avenues, you should feel confident your representatives on School Committee are ready to help you. If not us, then who?

03/31/2024

Some Sharon history, courtesy of professional genealogist My Family Genie (my wife Adina).

Easter has always been a major celebration in Sharon, the subject of many performances and features in the local papers. Photo 1 is Easter morning from the Sharon Advocate (1933). Happy Easter to all in Sharon this morning in 2024.

Photo 2 describes Sharon's first School Committee election in 1827, an excerpt from The Development of the Sharon Public School System (1957). Did you know there used to be not just an East school, but North, West, Centre, and South schools as well? As you can see, school expenditures have increased slightly since 1830.