Stamford teachers union endorses Pioli, Lee, Esses for school board
STAMFORD — Stamford’s teachers union recently endorsed three candidates running for Board of Education, citing facilities concerns, as well as a knowledge of ongoing issues between teachers and central office administrators as two of the top reasons they were selected.
The Stamford Education Association chose to support incumbent Jackie Pioli, who is running as an unaffiliated candidate, Democrat Ben Lee, who currently serves on the Board of Representatives, and Republican Josh Esses, an attorney.
Pioli, who originally was voted onto the board as a Democrat, is running as an unaffiliated candidate after the Democratic City Committee did not vote to nominate her as one of three candidates this year.
Diane Phanos, president of the SEA, said all seven candidates for the Board of Education met with a committee of teachers. The rest of the candidates include Republican Becky Hamman, an incumbent, Republican Joe Gonzalez, and Democrats Michael Hyman and Versha Munshi-South.
Phanos said only one Democrat was chosen from the slate because only one will be able to get onto the board, due to the minority representation rule. The rule stipulates no more than six of the nine members may belong to the same party. Five Democrats are not up for re-election this year, meaning only one Democrat can join the board through the upcoming election if they finish among the top three overall votegetters.
The rule does not stipulate that the minority representation on the board be all Republican. A candidate running as unaffiliated, or any minority party, would also qualify — such as Pioli.
“The ones that we chose we felt would work well together to help unify the Board of Education and make it a more effective body,” Phanos said.
On Pioli, she said teachers respect her for coming to meetings prepared.
“It’s quite obvious at meetings that she’s done her homework,” Phanos said.
She added that Pioli “asks important questions at the meetings and is very assertive in the way she asks questions.”
For Ben Lee, Phanos said teachers liked that he served on the Board of Representatives, and is a current member of the school district’s Long Term Facilities Committee that is working on improving school buildings.
Teachers have long complained about working conditions in some schools, particularly Toquam Magnet Elementary School, Westover Magnet Elementary School, and Westhill High School.
Both Toquam and Westover have had extensive issues with water infiltration and mold.
“He is very informed as to our concerns about our buildings and we’re hopeful he will bring that knowledge to the Board of Education,” Phanos said.
She said Esses seemed knowledgeable about the SEA’s concerns related to central office administration, something that appealed to the teachers union.
In recent years, teachers have clashed with administrators over COVID-19 related changes to instruction, and safety in classrooms.
“That’s why we chose Josh Esses as our third endorsement,” she said, adding: “Josh seems like he studies everything.”
The teachers union also threw their support behind Bobby Valentine, a Stamford businessman and former baseball player and manager. They chose to endorse Valentine, who is running unaffiliated, over state Rep. Caroline Simmons, D-Stamford, in the city’s mayoral race.
Both the mayoral and Board of Education elections, as well as other municipal elections, are set for Nov. 2.