Conway announces run for School Committee
LOWELL >> David Conway began his political career in the city on the School Committee, and this fall, he hopes the voters will send him back to the board.
Conway, a retired Lowell educator and former city councilor, announced Tuesday that he will run for the School Committee’s District 3 seat, which is comprised of Belvidere and South Lowell.
The seat is currently held by Susie Chhoun.
“I have had the privilege of working closely with hundreds of outstanding teachers, support staff, and parents, all of whom represent key ingredients in helping our students excel in school and in life,” Conway said in a written announcement. “My life-long commitment to the Lowell Schools has never ceased, and it will not stop today.”
The Belvidere resident was a Lowell High School fixture for decades beginning in the early 1970s, first as a teacher and then as a housemaster (now called a house dean) from 1994 to 2007. He also later served as principal of the Hellenic American Academy, a private school, from 2016 to 2018.
First elected in 2007, Conway would serve four terms on the School Committee, before losing re-election in 2015. In the following election cycle in 2017, Conway made the jump to the City Council under the former all at-large system. He served on the council until the end of 2021, having been eliminated in the preliminary election for the new Belvidere district seat that September.
Conway said his experience in all of these roles allowed him to be a witness to the changing demographics of the city’s students and their families, as well as the school system’s efforts to keep pace with their needs.
He said the schools need to provide a safe environment so that “our children can effectively learn without the threat of violence, bullying, or discrimination.” He also expressed a need to ensure taxpayer money is being spent effectively in a time of municipal fiscal constraints, and that resources are focused where they will have the biggest impact on students: in the classroom.
He said it is also important to provide teachers with the support and resources they need, as well as ensure that staff “come to work every day in a positive, respectful and supportive environment” and