Shelton Board of Training candidate: Joseph A. Pagliaro, Jr.
Current job: Head of the Funeral Home, Riverview Funeral Home, Shelton, and Adzima Funeral Home, Derby
Voluntary engagement: Boys and Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley; Center Stage Theater, Shelton; Recreation camp, derby; Valley-United Way; Valley Community Foundation; St. Catherine Academy, Fairfield (school for children with special needs); St. Lawrence Roman Catholic Church, Shelton
Education: New England Institute of Embalming, Massachusetts; Sacred Heart University, Fairfield (BS, Political Science)
Previous positions filled: Board of Education (eight years), Chair (four years)
If you are elected, what will you mainly focus on – budget, curriculum, other topic?
I would focus on the budget to ensure that as many courses as possible are provided for all students, especially gifted students and students with special needs.
How do you feel about the city bus company? A positive or negative result for the school district, and what would your attitude be when it comes time to bid / negotiate with the city again?
Shelton Student Transportation Service provided our school budget with a godsend. As a former BoE Chairman, I am very aware that transport companies with whom we have contracted in the past discriminated against us in terms of our ability to change routes and that their costs were always much higher than what the BoE commissioned.
SSTS records document that only 26 of the 6,413 runs scheduled were missed last year and during the pandemic; SSTS carried out 99.6 percent of the BoE’s scheduled bus trips. What’s even more impressive is that no runs were missed in May and June. Our city has once again proven that in-house services are very inexpensive and that we keep costs and expenses under control.
Your opinion on the school budget – how does it stand for what is needed in schools? How would you help to further improve the relationship between the BOE / Mayor / Aldermen?
The school budget is heavily dependent on the needs of the students – especially those of our special and gifted students. The school budget has and will always depend on the programs necessary to ensure quality education and meet all standards. I would examine academic requirements and issues to see how each impacted the budget requirements of the superintendent and department head.
I am very familiar with the budget process and have reviewed the BoE budget and the joint BoE / A & T / BoA / Mayor budget review. The spirit and actual collaboration between former School Treasurer Rick Belden and the current BoA and Shelton’s public school system administration has been the best in many years. I praise them all and if I am elected I will make it a priority to continue our successful collaboration and exchange of information. Since updated technology and teaching materials are needed for all grade levels, I would work with the school principal to source the necessary items. I would also tour the schools to make sure they are maintained, safe and hygienic in the COVID-19 world we live in.
