I’m Stephen Acosta, and I’m running for School Committee in this spring’s town election. I attended Dedham Public Schools from grades K-12 and I’m a proud graduate of Avery School and Dedham High’s class of 2016. As a fifth-generation Dedhamite and also the son of a union nurse, a veteran, and an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, I’ve had unique opportunities that have helped me connect with and understand the perspectives of others with different backgrounds, situations, and ages. I believe that with my own experiences and background, my passion for Dedham and public service, as well as a deep appreciation of the impact public education has had on my life, I will be able to serve our schools and students to improve the public school experience for all in Dedham.

I’m from a generation that faces enormous challenges establishing a career, coupled with the cost of higher education, and it’s important that our schools deliver strong experiential learning to expose students to a variety of pathways, starting at the youngest ages with hands-on education. With our proximity to Boston, we can leverage companies in our area and provide co-op and internship opportunities so that high schoolers are as competitive as possible in whatever their next step may be. Schools have always been a place where we’re taught to dream big and we need to grow our focus on teaching kids how to make those dreams a reality, from the ECEC all the way through high school.

I will work to grow student engagement in the community, while also promoting increased community support and involvement in the school system. There are so many remarkable students in our district that often go unknown or unheralded by those in town. By expanding communications to better serve community outreach and engagement, kids will feel supported in their academics and extracurriculars of sports, music, and the arts, and also be excited to engage in impactful community service opportunities that will benefit their development and our society, and promote intergenerational and service learning in Dedham.

We need to continue delivering high-quality education to all students, meeting them where they are in their educational journeys, growing access to cultural learning, and providing engaging programming and experiences that foster a child’s passion to learn as early as possible. With budget crunches and new school construction projects on the horizon, we need innovative thinking to support our educators and grow our programming but minimize the impact on the town budget and taxpayers. Working in the state legislature, I’ve seen the benefits that earmarked funding can have on a town, and also have extensive knowledge of the statewide, non-profit, and private grants to pursue to improve the student experience. I’ll bring my problem-solving skills to put our district in the best position possible to receive diverse revenue streams to support sustainable budgets.

Dedham Public Schools gave me opportunities that I am forever grateful for. My fiancee Sophie (also a DHS grad!) and I plan to start a family in Dedham, and I want to ensure that all students in Dedham have even better experiences than we did. We’ll soon have a new Superintendent who will need to learn quickly about our schools, families, and residents. As a young alumni, I offer a unique perspective of what the schools have been and what they can become, and I’m excited to bring my energy, passion and experience to the School Committee to create a new era of excellence in Dedham Public Schools!