AMHERST — Two-term School Committee member Katherine Appy, who focused on ensuring equitable education for all students in public schools and moving Amherst toward universal preschool, will not seek re-election next month.
With less than a week before Tuesday’s 5 p.m. deadline to get nomination papers for the March 28 election ballot, Appy said she decided several months ago that, after serving since 2011, she would give another person an opportunity to participate in school matters.
Appy, who serves as chairwoman of the Amherst School Committee, said she was dismayed that Town Meeting, for a second time, rejected a plan to build two new elementary schools at the current Wildwood School site, to replace the aging Wildwood and Fort River schools. That plan would have also reconfigured the schools, ending a practice in which some low-income students are bused from their neighborhood schools, and also added 30 slots to a new early childhood education center at Crocker Farm School.
“I believe we have taken some valuable steps to improve our district’s educational equity and excellence, but the gratification I feel about those accomplishments is diminished by my profound regret that Town Meeting rejected the plan to bring new schools to our community,” Appy said.
Appy, who works professionally as a clinical psychologist, added that providing education to the town’s youngest and closing the achievement gap between people of all socioeconomic backgrounds remains important to her.
“This is a struggle that will continue and I will stay involved in working to bring real integration to Amherst public schools,” Appy said.
So far, only Jennifer Page, 291 Potwine Lane, has taken out nomination papers for the three-year seat, while incumbent Eric Nakajima, 586 West St., and Robert Greeney, 76 McClellan St., have obtained forms to run for the two-year position available.
