We reached out to both the Haddam Republican Town Committee and the Haddam Democratic Town Committee and asked candidates to respond to a set of questions. Updates from all candidates are welcome, and are being published as Letters to the Editor. Shawna Goldfarb is a Haddam candidate for Regional School District #17 Board of Education. The answers from the other candidates can be found HERE.
The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper
My name is Shawna Goldfarb. In 2003, I moved to Connecticut from Colorado to join my now husband, David, and settled in Middlefield. In 2015, my family and I moved to beautiful Higganum. I have two boys, one in 6th grade and one in 8th grade.
In elementary school, my oldest was diagnosed with Aspergers, then my youngest was diagnosed with ADHD/Anxiety. Both were integrated into the special education program. I love the relationships I have with our RSD17 teachers and specialists that work with my boys.
In 2012, I began working for King Arthur Flour. I am the Northeast Regional Sales Manager, selling ingredients, working with bakeries and restaurants. To be successful in a multi-million dollar region, I run my territory as a business. I direct hundreds of distributor sales representatives, creating and managing budgets, sales and marketing. In addition, I work with bakers troubleshooting and teaching how to bake products. The best part, I create educational classes with top bakers and culinary schools in the industry and connect professional bakers with students to teach and mentor.
I volunteered for the PTO in Middlefield as VP and in Higganum as chair for both Cultural Events and fundraising events. In 2019, I joined the HKY&FS Coalition and soon after the HKYFS as a board member. When RSD17 BOE announced the restructure, a group of us had many questions. We founded “SaveHES.” We attended BOE and town meetings. I studied RSD17 budgets to better understand our tax dollars spending. I spoke to Haddam residents, wanting to understand how our townspeople felt. Many were unhappy and felt unheard, having lost trust in the BOE over many years of decisions. I decided to run for the BOE. To help communication between our town boards and residents, and be a true liaison between our residents and our district.
Our town is now positioned for growth. Our residents are aware of the happenings in our town/district more than ever. If elected to the BOE, I feel I can help manage this growth. I’ll use my marketing and communication skills to open better lines of communication. I’ll help our district to become more fiscally responsible, while keeping our programs and teachers that have made RSD17 the amazing.
I grew up in a small rural town in Colorado. As a child, I loved living in a small town. When we moved here, I knew Haddam had that same warmheartedness. The feeling, if needed, someone would be there to help. I wanted my children to grow up the way I did; I have found that in Haddam.
If elected, I will work hard to listen to our residents while using my skills to help manage and grow RSD17. I will try hard to make sure our town is heard. Our boards need to be open and flexible with their resources and way of thinking. I hope to bring that way of thinking to our BOE.
Shawna Goldfarb
Higganum, CT
