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Ahead of Tuesday, Nov. 4, The Republican reached out to all candidates for the opposed City Council and School Committee seats to answer a short questionnaire. The Republican is publishing the candidates’ answers to the questions online and in print. Find more candidates and responses at masslive.com/topic/election. Name: Michele Pepe Age: 63 Address: 35 Feltham Road Profession: Owner of A Brighter Future Childcare and Michele Pepe Childcare/Childcare Professional services children 3 months old to 13 years old. Working with IEP and Early Intervention. Position Running for: School Committee at-large I am a childcare professional and entrepreneur with more than 45 years of experience in early childhood education. As the owner and director of A Brighter Future Childcare, a licensed family childcare program, I have devoted my career to creating safe, nurturing, and enriching environments for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children. I work closely with families and community partners to ensure that every child has the support and resources they need to succeed. Being bilingual in English and Spanish allows me to build meaningful connections with diverse families. In December, I will proudly earn my master’s degree in education, continuing my lifelong mission to build brighter futures for all children. I am running for School Committee to make a meaningful difference — to help students and teachers achieve their goals and ensure that every child in Springfield receives the best education possible. What letter grade would you give the school system? Why? With a large district like Springfield, it is difficult to assign the school system a single letter grade. Each school is unique, with its own strengths, challenges, and levels of performance. Many principals and teachers are working tirelessly in understaffed schools, often relying on paraprofessionals who lack the proper qualifications yet are expected to perform the duties of certified teachers for half the pay. For their dedication and persistence, I would give Springfield’s teachers and school leaders an A for effort. The district would likely face fewer staffing shortages if educators were provided with better pay and stronger benefits. What is the biggest challenge the schools face? Accountability is one of the biggest challenges within our school system. Principals, teachers, School Committee members, central office and even parents need to be held accountable. Policies such as those regarding uniforms, attendance, and cell phone use must be consistently enforced. School Committee members should actively visit schools to ensure the policies they have established are being followed. When accountability is lacking, chaos takes hold — leading to a breakdown in learning, increased behavioral issues, and a disruptive environment. The school budget is roughly two-thirds of the city budget and there are concerns about federal and state assistance dropping. How should the School Committee address any loss of funding? When addressing funding losses, we need to ask: what are we funding — and why? For example, custodial operations in 2026 are funded at $3,958,33, which is more than double the payroll amount, yet many schools are still not being properly cleaned. When funding declines, we must treat it as a chance to scrutinize what we’re funding and why. Every dollar should be transparent: principals’ budgets, custodial contracts, fringe benefit breakdowns must be visible and accountable. We should prioritize core student services and defer nonessential line items. The committee should be accountable With the MCAS no longer a condition of graduation what should the diploma requirements be? Graduation should demand more than earned credits, it should require consistent attendance as a foundation. Students must demonstrate daily engagement, not be offered credit recovery, Saturday school and summer school for absenteeism. True accountability comes when presence and participation are at its core. Along with rigorous coursework and meaningful assessments (portfolios, capstones), attendance should remain a non-negotiable standard for earning a diploma.
