Three Harwich Residents Seek Monomoy School Seat

Three residents are vying for a single Harwich seat on the Monomoy Regional School Committee after Tina Games decided not to seek re-election. The seat carries a three-year term.

Name: Ryan Edwards

Age: 40

Occupation: Lieutenant firefighter/EMT

Years as Harwich resident: 16 

Education: Associate degree in fire science; bachelor degree in building materials and wood technology

I am very interested in working with the Monomoy Regional School Committee and the towns of Chatham and Harwich to update the MRSD regional agreement in regard to the current funding formula. 

I would advocate for creating a cap on the foundational enrollment funding formula. The exact number for this cap would need to be negotiated in order for all parties involved to sign off on it. Creating a cap would make the school district budget assessment for each town more predictable year over year by not burdening one town with a larger percentage of the school district budget each year. I believe that the foundational enrollment funding formula cap would allow each town to continue to view the other town as a good community partner when it comes to the Monomoy Regional School District. 

Overall, I am not satisfied with the school district’s handling of the preschool program. My opinion is that Director of Student Services Melissa Maguire is more at fault than the school committee when it comes to what I believe was a poor handling of the configuration for the preschool program next year. Ultimately, the school committee voted to move forward with Melissa Maguire’s recommendation of keeping the integrated preschool program in Harwich with only three sessions. The school committee also voted to fund a new preschool program in Chatham that was first announced after the revised preschool recommendation presentation. Many Harwich parents, including myself, feel that Melissa Maguire underestimated the number of students with disabilities that will be in the preschool program next year based on the historical trends of the program, but at the end of the day, the school committee took a vote based on the data provided to them by their director of student services whose duty includes overseeing the integrated preschool program.Name: 

Bretten Fortin

Occupation: Public works employee, town of Chatham Parks and Grounds Department

Years as Harwich resident: 8 

Education: High school graduate; attended Gateway Community College in New Haven, Conn. 

I’ve been a full time employee since I was legally allowed to work. The resources to pursue higher education were not available to me. That experience is a driving force behind my decision to run for school committee. I want to ensure that quality education is never out of reach for any child in our community, regardless of their family’s income or background.

I am open to working on a change to the funding agreement. However, I believe this issue reflects deeper challenges in our community, particularly around accessibility. The high cost of housing, the scarcity of stable, livable wage jobs and limited access to childcare and healthcare all play a role in shaping this conversation. The school district cannot and should not bear the weight of these issues alone. If elected, I will be committed to collaborating across boards and committees to develop creative and sustainable solutions that make Harwich and Chatham more accessible and supportive for working families.

The Monomoy Integrated Preschool plays an important role in preparing students for success and fostering inclusion from an early age. That said, I would like to see the district work toward a more comprehensive and accessible early education program, one that better supports the needs of working families who choose to raise their children here. A stronger preschool program could not only serve our current residents more effectively but also help draw new families and students into the district. I believe we can do more to make early childhood education a cornerstone of Monomoy’s long term success.

Name: Ann Marie Varella

Age: 51

Occupation: Public School Educator/Program Director for Behavioral Health Innovators, Inc.

Years as Harwich resident: 21

Education: A Masters of education in mathematics, and a masters of education in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). 

Yes. Massachusetts currently has 58 academic regional school districts, enrolling approximately 107,000 students. The Commonwealth is actively exploring ways to streamline the budget adoption process for these districts and address inconsistencies in funding formulas. This includes reviewing the formulas used in regional school agreements to ensure that districts receive the promised levels of state aid. Due to the 4.5 percent inflation cap in the Chapter 70 funding formula, many districts have not received the full amount intended under the Student Opportunity Act. In addition, the state is considering increased reimbursement for regional transportation, which has historically been underfunded. As a result, the MRSD School Committee will need to respond to community concerns, collaborate on a revised funding formula and incorporate the state’s recommended changes. As a public school educator with over 25 years of experience, I believe that budget processes must reflect the current conditions and evolving needs of our schools. 

Yes. The fiscal 2026 Monomoy Regional School District (MRSD) draft budget allocates $85,563 for the Pre-K Pups at Chatham Elementary School, whereas the Early Childhood Center at Harwich Elementary School (HES) has an early childhood budget of $302,332. While the budget notes a potential savings of $125,949 due to reduced enrollment, I remain hopeful that growing demand will ultimately lead to an expansion of preschool programming. Notably, the MRSD website states, “There is currently a waitlist for Community Friends for the 3-year-old and 4-year-old sessions for the 2025–2026 school year.”

In response to growing community demand, Monomoy Regional School District (MRSD) is launching the Pre-K Pups program. This new option offers a full-day, five-day-a-week program that aligns with the elementary school calendar and daily schedule. As both a parent and an educator, I deeply value early childhood education. My two sons attended multiple years of preschool, and both have consistently earned honor roll recognition throughout their academic careers. From my 11 years of experience teaching junior kindergarten, I’ve seen firsthand how students with pre-kindergarten experience are less likely to struggle with number sense, foundational math skills, and early literacy. Research consistently shows that early oral language exposure strongly correlates with literacy success in later grades.

Supporting and expanding access to quality preschool programming is not only fiscally responsible — it’s an investment in student success and long-term outcomes.