Mary E. Blessington

Mary E. Blessington, an Independent candidate and the former master of the Fletcher School resents the notion that more senior teachers are neccesarily less qualified.

"Eight-to-ten year teachers have been the prime targets in the cuts so far," she says. Many more recently hired teachers are kept on because they are specially qualified--for alternative programs or because of affirmative action, Blessington says.

Blessington terms herself a believer in alternative education--"parents should have that kind of choice," she said. But she adds, "We might not be able to continue all alternative programs with 2 1/2 and the federal budget cuts expected."

She also believes that affirmative action cannot be justified with 2 1/2. "The priority must be providing good quality education--and this can be accomplished more effectively by encouraging leadership at the administrative middle-level," she said.

Blessington says Superintendent William Lannon must meet with the masters to make many decisions--most importantly on curriculum changes and hiring and firing policy. "The masters of the individual schools will know best who to fire or to keep on," Blessington added.

Frances M. Cooper

Frances Cooper, a CCA candidate, says her goal is simple: "To see that each child gets a good quality education in whichever program is best for that child." As a school board member, Cooper says she would try to preserve the choice of programs that the city's schools now offer.

Qualified teaching determines the success or failure of a program according to Cooper. "A qualified teacher is more than just a certified one," she adds. Cooper believes that in the hiring and firing of teachers the needs of the whole system must be considered. Because of the varied needs of the schools, cutting teachers on "strictly a seniority basis doesn't work."

The Cambridge school system should also be committed to minority teachers, Cooper adds. "Minority teachers are not important only for the 37 per cent minority students; the non-minority students benefit just as much--it should be considered part of their education," Cooper says.

Alfred B. Fantini

Alfred Fantini says there is a change in the school committee's position these days. No longer can the committee determine a budget and submit it to the city manager for automatic acceptance--with Proposition 2 1/2 the size of the committee's budget is dictated to them. The loss of that autonomy, he adds, means the committee must run a much tighter ship.

"It seems to me that people at the administrative level should be cut first, and the teachers who provide a direct service should be the last to go" Fantini, the brother of current school board member Donald Fantini, says.

Fantini says Cambridge should follow the contract that was negotiated with the Cambridge Teachers Association, including the straight seniority clause. "We should stand by that which we agreed to--and not fall into believing that the more senior a teacher the more incompetent," he added.

Teachers should be encouraged by providing them with new opportunities and upward mobility. "Starting a new program doesn't mean always bringing in new people," he says.