Needham Times: Question the Week, National Education Standards

Q:What do you think of the decision by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to adopt national education standards in place of established state standards?

A: Denise Garlick

I am deeply committed to providing our students a strong academic foundation that prepares them for college and the workplace in a global economy. I support the adoption of the National Education Standards as a means in this process but emphasize that it is just a start. There are national, state and local ramifications.

My goals as Representative for Needham, Dover and Medfield, three towns that value academic achievement are threefold. First, the Common Core Standards we adopt should meet or exceed our current standards. We must also pursue the opportunity for the significant financial support ($250 million) available that is so critical to Massachusetts schools. Finally, we need unwavering commitment to the belief that our children’s future success is linked to academic achievement and the development of their individual talents, creativity and commitment to their community. We must support our teachers, parents and school committees in this pursuit.

Read the entire article here. 

Needham Times: Candidate Profile - Denise Garlick

By Steven Ryan

As health-care reform looms as a major issue on Beacon Hill, Selectman Denise Garlick, a registered nurse, feels her experience on the medical frontlines makes her best suited to tackle the issue as a state representative.

“There’s going to be a lot of stakeholders at the table,” Garlick said. “People want to make sure their representative at the table has direct health-care experience.” ...

A registered nurse, she was a past chairwoman of the Needham Board of Health. She was also past president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and Needham Opportunities Inc. She was also heavily involved with the Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention.

When talking about health care, Garlick said she feels the industry needs greater efficiency and needs to have a “greater consistency” between the cost and quality of health care. Curbing the “chronic understaffing” of nurses and making sure there’s a direct tie between premium rates and direct care are some of the ways Garlick feels the state can improve the health-care system.

“We have to talk about ways of spending these dollars and the value for these dollars,” Garlick said. “Communities, families and individuals are becoming sicker before going to the hospital and sicker when leaving the hospital.”

Garlick talked about the need to create jobs. She said ways to create jobs include tapping into the state’s “educated workforce,” targeting specific industries with growth potential, and providing incentives to businesses for them to “feel comfortable” in Massachusetts.

“I have been out canvassing, and jobs is the issue people are concerned about,” Garlick said. “What we need in Massachusetts is a strong climate to get things going again.”

Garlick also stressed education as an important issue for voters. She said that no aspect of the state budget, including education aid, is nonnegotiable. But she did feel the best way to assure adequate state aid for education is making sure the state is able to generate revenue. She doesn’t feel raising taxes is prudent right now, but feels economic development and increasing efficiency could provide the extra revenue if done correctly. She doesn’t feel casinos are the answer for generating revenue and jobs.

“I have great concern that the cost of casinos will outweigh the benefits,” Garlick said.

Garlick was guarded about her views on social issues and didn’t feel they would have a great impact on the election.

“I value and respect all individuals and families,” Garlick said. “Most of the issues are settled. The immigration issue is unsettled. It’s an issue the federal government needs to deal with.”

When asked about medical marijuana, she said she would be interested in hearing what doctors who would prescribe it, if it were made legal for medicinal purposes, have to say about the matter.

As for her position on the Senior Center Exploratory Committee, Garlick promised she would continue her work on the committee even if she is promoted to Beacon Hill. When asked about it, she said the Senior Center timeline is not connected to her campaign.

“The whole issue on the insistence of a timeline is before I contemplated running for state representative,” Garlick said. “My insistence on the timeline is to continue to move forward. It would be 2013 before seniors can get out of the basement. We have to keep moving forward.”

On the campaign trail, Garlick also feels she’s gained perspective on some of the anti-establishment sentiment out there, as represented in Sen. Scott Brown’s U.S. Senate victory earlier this year.

“People aren’t angry; they’re scared,” Garlick said. “I believe people are looking for solutions wherever they can find them.”

Click here for the full story on the Needham times website. 

Needham Times OP-ED: Needham Senior Center update

By Denise Garlick and Jim Healy, Co-Chairs of the Needham Senior Center Exploratory Committee.

The Senior Center Exploratory Committee would like to take the opportunity to update the community on the progress of the evaluation of sites for the construction of a new senior center. The SCEC was created by the Board of Selectmen to make recommendations to the selectmen on the appropriate location, size and design, projected cost and other matters related to the construction of a new facility to house our existing senior center.

The committee actively explored the types of senior centers that are provided in communities across the commonwealth, and members have toured numerous centers. The committee has also evaluated the pros/cons of all available town-owned land, and explored opportunities for purchase of private property, issuing two requests for proposals for property acquisition. The committee distributed and analyzed a community survey document, held three public hearings and testified at a public hearing conducted by the Board of Selectmen.

Last fall, the SCEC determined that it had progressed to a point in its evaluation of potential sites where funding for professional-level analysis and recommendation was required. At the Nov. 2 Special Town Meeting, the town appropriated approximately $49,091 for the purpose of conducting a feasibility study under the jurisdiction of the Permanent Public Building Committee.  

At its meeting on Dec. 22, the Board of Selectmen voted to accept and approve the recommendations of the Senior Center Exploratory Committee for focused feasibility studies by the Permanent Public Building Committee with respect to Rosemary Hill; Greene’s Field, with or without inclusion of the Stephen Palmer site, provided that it be a consideration that utilization of the Stephen Palmer site would have no material negative impact on the timeline; and Ridge Hill. The Board of Selectmen also voted to consider any further recommendations by the SCEC for other sites that may be identified through an Request for Proposals process, although neither of the solicitations resulted in a response. 

The board voted to designate SCEC Co-Chairwoman Denise Garlick and Council on Aging Board member Colleen Schaller to serve as the “User Agency Representatives” on the Permanent Public Building Committee for the feasibility study. The Building Committee selected the services of a design firm — Bargman, Hendrie + Archetype, to conduct the study. BH+A is in the process of researching legal and zoning restrictions; topographical and environmental challenges; traffic, congestion and site access concerns; availability of utilities; adjacencies; and other site data criteria. 

The SCEC has continued to meet to follow the progress of the designer and the Building Committee, and to offer feedback during the process.

The SCEC remains committed to achieving community consensus on the preferred option for construction of the new senior center in time for an appropriation for design funds at the November Special Town Meeting. BH+A will make a presentation to the Building Committee at a special meeting for that purpose in late April., at the Needham Public Library in the Community Room. 

Read the whole article here.