KIERNAN MAJERUS-COLLINS
Occupation: Consultant
Kiernan Majerus-Collins Submitted
Education: Bates College, Class of 2018
Family: Single
Political experience: Member of the Androscoggin County Budget Committee, member of the Lewiston Voter Registration Appeals Board, and chairman of the Lewiston Democratic Party.
Why are you running for school board? If elected, what will be your priorities?
I’m running for the Lewiston School Committee because kids in our city deserve a better future. They deserve smaller class sizes, because teachers are more effective when they can focus on the needs of each student individually. They deserve more support in pursuing their passions through extracurriculars like athletics and the arts. And they deserve to know that we are doing everything possible to protect the planet they will inherit by making our schools carbon neutral by 2030. These changes won’t come easy, but as a School Committee member, I’ll fight hard for our students and their future.
What do you like and what don’t you like about the school budget that passed in the spring?
For the first time in years, Lewiston allocated more than the state-mandated minimum local share for education, and that alone is worth celebrating. However, we still have a lot of work to do to provide our educators and students with the resources they need to be successful. Education is one of the best investments a community can make, and if we want a vibrant and thriving local economy in the future, we have to support our public schools today.
Lewiston has one of the lowest graduation rates in the state. What can be done to address that problem?
We need to create schools students are excited to attend. That means supporting their passions, including athletics, music, and the arts. It also means empowering teachers in the classroom, and providing support services for students who are struggling with issues in their home life. Our graduation rate is unacceptable, and I’m excited to work with Superintendent Todd Finn to meet his ambitious but achievable goal of having 90 percent of our students graduate by 2022.
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