>> School Committee: Paul Grasso

Town Service:

T-Ball Coach, 2008

Professional Career:

Genzyme Corporation, 1996 – Present (Financial Site Controller, Manufacturing Operations; Financial Controller, R&D Program Management)
Black & Decker Corporation, 1989 – 1991 (Senior Manufacturing Cost Analyst)

Educational Background:

University of Bridgeport, BS, Accounting 1987
University of Colorado at Boulder, MBA 1995

Website: www.paulgrasso.com

Email Paul Grasso

Candidate Statement:

My name is Paul Grasso and I am writing to announce my candidacy for the Wayland School Committee. My wife Kamala and I have two children, the oldest of whom will be entering the Wayland public schools as a first grader next year. For the 14 years we have lived in Wayland we have strongly supported the schools even though we did not have children in the system. We were aware of the high quality educational experience offered by the town and were content in the assumption that our investment in the town would be repaid with a well-managed, top-quality education for our children. Through my observations over the past year — at public hearings, School Committee meetings, and parent orientations — of the decisions made by the School Committee and the process used to reach them, I’ve concluded that while the schools are still strong in many respects, there are improvements we can and should make to better manage the substantial investments in the schools and ensure the continued excellence of the educational experience in the coming years.

My work experience is financially-focused. I have undergraduate and graduate degrees in Accounting and Finance. I currently work in the biotech industry and am responsible for the budgeting and strategic investment of the manufacturing process for several product lines and plants, both domestic and international. Budgeting itself is easy, but effective budgeting — which is a product of a robust, open, and consistent planning strategy — is not. It is this strategy for the Wayland schools that I feel is lacking and that I can use my experience to improve. While the private and public sectors are different, many of the same principles apply; poor planning (and poor budgeting) will have the same negative effects.

After working hard to request and then review summaries of school budgets and actual spending for prior years in dissimilar formats and with non-comparable line items, I found myself increasingly frustrated at how hard it was for me to have, as a member of the public, the ability to question and understand the basis for decisions already made, much less impact those still unmade. What has not been proven to me as a parent and taxpayer is whether budget decisions are being made on a clear and consistent basis. Acute budget issues that arise should, in most cases, be foreseen and planned for. Decisions made this past year were based on tight financial constraints and, as we know, these constraints will not ease in the near future. The public needs to be assured that future decisions of significant impact to the schools will be made objectively, openly, and as the result of a robust planning process. Further, it cannot be overstated that a good decision poorly executed is equal to a bad decision. The effects of and plans for implementing structural or strategic decisions are as important as the decisions themselves.

Every citizen should know the priorities of the school system. If the schools are viewed as a product, what characteristics are “must haves” as opposed to “nice to haves”? The budget should accurately, and consistently, reflect this prioritization. Additionally, the budget process should not be an incremental yearly exercise where the basis for determining specific line items is their proposed amount as compared to the prior year’s. Current-year budgeting should be the quantifiable product of a constant near-term (3 or even 5-year) planning process where line items are analyzed not only on the amount of expense incurred but also on whether they are furthering an identified goal. A good budget should answer two questions: 1) are we spending our money on the correct things?; and 2) are we spending the proper amount?

In sum, I do not campaign for election to the School Committee as a candidate who “has all the answers.” Instead, I will endeavor to be a School Committee member and a parent who has a lot of questions. Questions about priorities, consistency, foresight, planning, discipline, transparency, and yes, budgets. If the right questions are asked, the best answers will follow. The public should feel a part of the decision-making process rather than simply an audience to it. Although not everyone will agree with all the decisions, it is vital that the public trust the process and their significant investment into it. I believe I can help make that happen and respectfully ask for your vote on April 7.