Former Preston school board member Thomas Turner returns
Preston — Former Board of Education member Thomas Turner will return to the board starting Monday to complete the remaining year of a vacant position.
Unaffiliated Turner, 64, a retired Comcast technician, received the unanimous endorsement of the six board members from among the three applicants for the seat made vacant when former board member Edward Gauthier moved out of town.
Turner had been appointed in 2017 to fill another vacant position but lost an election bid in 2019 as a Republican candidate. He said Friday he plans to run again next fall, remaining unaffiliated but perhaps seeking endorsement from one of the major political party town committees.
Turner’s first board meeting will be at 7 p. m. Monday, by remote access, but he attended the board’s Finance Committee meeting Thursday. He served on that committee during his previous tenure.
“I’m assuming I was the pick, because there’s a year left on Ed’s four- year term,” Turner said Friday. “I was on the Finance Committee before. There’s less of a transition. The numbers are different, but the process hasn’t changed.”
Board Chairman Sean Nugent said the three applicants were given the same questionnaire by the board — with questions about their interest in the position, what roles they see the board and the superintendent and experience. Nugent said the board voted unanimously to appoint Turner.
“What I like about Tom as a person is, he does his homework,” Nugent said. “He thinks through things. He’s a good listener, and he brings a passion to it. He’s both a parent and a grandparent. We’re glad to have him back on the board.”
Nugent added that Gauthier also served well during his three years and thanked him for his contributions.
Turner and his wife, Tracey, a registered nurse at Backus Hospital in Norwich, have six children and nine grandchildren. They have two children at Norwich Free Academy, one in eighth grade at Preston Plains Middle School and two grandchildren at Preston Veterans’ Memorial School.
Thomas Turner also became chairman of the town Parks and Recreation Commission in spring, just as the COVID- 19 pandemic hit, forcing the town to cancel summer camp, curtail most sports and adjust plans. The town schools started the year in the hybrid learning model and recently started four- day in- person learning for preschool through second grade.
“This is awful,” Turner said. “The worse part of it is not missing any part of schoolwork, it’s missing the socialization. You’ve heard that almost everything you’ve learned in life you learned in kindergarten. Well, that was socialization.”
Turner supports Superintendent Roy Seitsinger’s move to bring lower grades, soon to include third grade, back to in- person learning as much as possible.
“They have a hard time of getting it on their own on a keyboard,” Turner said. “Teachers are very important at that age group. Most of them learn more at a younger age by doing and seeing it done than ‘ here’s the assignment, get on the keyboard and do it.’”