Name: Elin Katz

Party: Democrat

Candidate for: Board of Education 

Years in town: 13 

Occupation: Teacher and writing consultant

“My husband [Steven Katz] was born and raised in West Hartford, which is how we ended up here… What I like most about West Hartford is that it has the amenities of a small city but the community of a small town.”

Elin Katz was a practicing attorney for 13 years before attending Trinity College to get a master’s degree in English. For five years, she’s been teaching writing courses, currently at Trinity. Three years ago she also began working as a professional writing consultant, primarily working with younger attorneys to develop their writing skills.

She worked on Bill Clinton’s campaign, and, while living in Massachussets, on Sen. Edward Kennedy’s campaign. This is her first time running for public office.

Her twin sons attend King Philip Middle School. It was the size of their classes at Norfelt School that got her involved and speaking out before the board of education, advocating a reduction in class sizes.

“Last year, the board increased the allowable class sizes,” Katz said, and all three Grade 5 classes at Norfelt had 28 students. “That was way too big. The teacher were totally overworked.” Classrooms “were run like boot camp and the students felt it,” she said.

That is why her top priority if elected is to protect class sizes. She thinks a lot of parents agree that this is an important issue.

She was back before the board in the spring when it “proposed some pretty drastic cuts including getting rid of full-day kindergarten and cutting after-school programs, cutting guidance counselors, cutting the QUEST program [for gifted students].” However, the programs were preserved, along with smaller class sizes.

The experience proved to her that speaking up can get results.

“I really feel that citizens have a voice and they can use that voice and have an impact on the decisions that are made by the board of education,” Katz said.

“My second priority is preserving quality neighborhood schools,” she said. “There’s been a lot of talk about the state’s so-called racial balancing act and how it may impact the schools. We have two schools – Smith and Charter Oak – that, according to the state board of education, are out of racial balance.

“Both are excellent schools that are largely loved by the communities they serve and I would fight any attempt to redistrict or to bus. It’s easy to campaign on fear, but neither I nor other candidates on my slate would support redistricting or busing.

“While we have to work with the state, I think the state needs to recognize that both of those are magnet schools where parents can opt out of sending their child. They can choose to go to a different elementary school. I think it’s important for everyone to recognize that West Hartford provides choices to parents who might have a concern about the quality of education that their children are receiving.”

Her third priority is to increase communication among the board, parents, schools and taxpayers. “It’s important that all the members of the community feel like they understand what’s going on with the budget, how the money is being spent, how the board makes decisions about how the money is spent. and the programs and policies that it helped implement.

“When I’m out there campaigning, I’ve heard from many people that they feel they don’t know what’s going on. We’ve got a new administration under the leadership of Dr. Karen List and hopefully, some fresh faces on the board, and I hope to usher in a new age of transparency,” Katz said.

The greatest skill she said she will bring to the board is her ability to listen, communicate and bring together people “to find solutions to some very complex problems we’re going to be facing in the future, including dealing with the challenge of the economy.” These skills, she said, “are derived from my years of being an attorney and an educator.”