Murphy Announces School Committee Candidacy

Two years ago, I had the honor and pleasure of running for the Medford School Committee. I campaigned around this great city, meeting its wonderful residents and giving a voice for a great cause of change. With the support of my family, friends and other citizens, I have continued to work for change in the Medford School System and I am pleased to announce my candidacy for the Medford School Committee.

Our school system will be faced with several important items over the next few years that should not be taken lightly such as major technology investment, the implementation a new kindergarten cutoff age, accreditation of Medford High School, capital improvements, and new state and federal standards. The Medford School Committee needs a member who understands millennial thinking and who will put the needs of students first.

I am the only candidate who has taken an MCAS. I am the only candidate to have had an individualized educational plan, and the only candidate to have attended school in this new century. With these experiences, I can tell you that I understand the high standards our students are mandated to reach. I understand the difficulties that a special education student can face. Furthermore, I understand what it is like to be a student in today’s tough economy.

Medford has been the only city my family has called home since 1955 when my grandparents moved here. Service to this city is something I was taught at a young age. Two generations of my family have given over seventy-five years of service, my grandfather Vinny, forty-four years and my late Uncle Wayne thirty-one years both with the DPW, to help make this city the place it is today for every resident. I am ready to take the torch not only for a new generation of my family, but also for a new generation of young leaders in the City of Medford.

I have called Medford home my entire life being raised on Sheridan Ave. I attended Medford Public Schools from kindergarten at the old Franklin School until my graduation at Medford High school in 2004. While at Medford High School I had the honor of putting on the blue and white as a member of the football, lacrosse and track & field teams. Also while at Medford High I had the honor of being elected to student government all fours years and in my senior year being elected as the schools rep to the Greater Boston Student Advisory Board for the Mass Board of Education. After High School I attended Bunker Hill Community College where I majored in History & Government studies.

I spent many years in the cub scouts and boy scouts at the Otis Street Church and at Saint Francis. I earned the rank of eagle scout, a rank only 2% of all scouts across the country achieve. During my time in Scouts, I spent countless hours working on public service projects that helped make Medford a better place to live. I also learned important principles that guide my life, like being trustworthy, thrifty, courteous, and the importance of service to my community – Medford. I also have learned the importance of team work and collaboration in accomplishing a mission.

I was just recently engaged to my long time girlfriend Caitlin Morgan who also grew up and was educated in Medford. We will be getting married in Medford next fall and as well as one day having children and raising them right here in Medford, so they can have the same great opportunities that we and our parents had growing up in Medford.

When I ran for School Committee in 2009 I ran on a platform of comprehensive change and the city voted overwhelmingly for that change. Though some change has come to the Medford School Committee in the last twenty months, in my opinion, we need to push even further and faster for more positive change in the Medford Public Schools. Perhaps some will call me impatient because they will say that important change sometimes come slowly, but I will not apologize for my sense of urgency on behalf of the education that our children deserve. I know first hand that a child only has one time through the school system and we need to guarantee that they have the best education possible as fast as possible because it is difficult to make up for a lost year in a child’s education. We need to work together as a school committee and a city as a whole for our students needs.

I ask for one of your six votes on Tuesday November 8th and let’s work together to make Medford Public Schools the model for education in Massachusetts.

For more information on my campaign please visit my website www.MurphyforMedford.com or e-mail me at chrisamurphy@gmail.com or call (781) 858-9296.

– Submitted by Chris Murphy