10 Questions with School Committee Candidate Cotey Collins

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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

Cotey Collins is a senior at Worcester Technical High School. He announced his candidacy for Worcester School Committee on March 5 at a school committee meeting. Collins spoke of his displeasure with Dr. Boone's contract renewal. 

"This vote shocked the community. Many of the plans Dr. Boone has provided in the past have proved to be ineffective. Five members of the school committee are not listening, and have been out of school way too long. I’ve decided to run for school committee this year,” said Collins.

GoLocal caught up with Cotey and asked him these ten questions:

What do you think is the most important issue for Worcester's School Committee today? 

The most important issue for the Worcester School Committee is school safety.  The safety of our students and educators should be a number one priority. No parent should be afraid to send their child off to school.  

Why did you decide to run for school committee? 

I've decided to run for school committee because for the many years I've been in the Worcester public school system we've been going towards the wrong direction. Today we have witnessed one of the largest populated high schools implode with violence. Some of us question, "Is our school safety policies even working?" We see drug issues in our schools and when a student gets caught high some of us question, "will that child get the help they need to recover from their drug addiction?" We also see 1st graders being physically assaulted at Midland St School and when the parents demand justice for their child the school administration works hard to cover-up the incidents. I question the safety of our children. Are they really safe in school? We need to elect people who can hold school administrators accountable for allowing these incidents to implode. If elected, I pledge to hold school administrators accountable for attempting to cover-up the incidents at North High School and Midland St School, but I will also hold administrators accountable if they don't provide a source of help to a child with a drug addiction. I promise to bring accountability back to our public schools and to our local government. 

What challenges do you expect to face in your first campaign? 

I'm not sure at this time, I haven't yet faced a major challenge. I have a lot of people supporting me.  

What part of Worcester are you from and what do you remember most about going to school in Worcester? 

I live in the Quinsigamond Village area and what I remember about my time in the Worcester public schools is that some of my experiences were negative when I was a victim of bullying and when there was a gun incident in elementary school, but there were also positive moments too. I was an anti-bullying activist in our community and in high school; teachers always provided me the best learning experience and I have amazing friends who stick by me thick and thin.   

If elected, what is the one thing you hope to accomplish in your first term? 

If elected, the number one thing I hope to accomplish in my first term is to implement my comprehensive school safety plan which will address the issues we face today. Also for budgetary issues I want to work with the state delegation to allow local government to put money away to prepare for future budget shortfalls. Last year 44 teaching jobs were lost, and I want to prevent that in the future.  

What role has Worcester played in your life and what has the city provided you?

Growing up in Worcester with a single-mother and a grandfather who took my brother and I to many different places throughout Worcester from Salisbury Mansion to the many museum's and historical sites we have here in Worcester. Worcester provided me a happy childhood with a lot of memories like the fireworks on Fourth of July, the Green Hill Park petting Zoo and always going to the park to play on the swings and even enjoying baseball games.

You're currently a Senior at Worcester Tech. What, as a student, would you like to relay right now as the biggest issue concerning Worcester students? 

The biggest issue concerning Worcester students is the lack of nutrition in our school lunches. Students who lives in low income home currently stands at 73% which means they're qualified to have free and reduced lunch. The students who live under the poverty line at times depends on school lunches as the only source of food for the day. The problem with the school lunches is that it's not enough to be considered a full meal.

What is your opinion of Superintendent Melinda Boone's tenure thus far in Worcester? 

I strongly disapprove Dr. Boone's tenure as Superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools. Back in December of 2012, that's when the first riot at North High occurred, Dr. Boone had two years to draft a real safety plan for North High School. Dr. Boone has not acted responsibly and quickly to any major issues that have arisen. The same thing goes with some of the members on the School Committee as well. Under the leadership of Dr. Boone there's no such thing as accountability, only excuses.  

What is your take on the situation at North High? 

The situation at North High is awful. The students and educators at North shouldn't live in fear in a learning environment. It's sad how the Worcester School Administration and School Committee plays politics over providing a safe learning environment for our children. Where's a real safety plan for North High?

How will you handle the challenge of people telling you that you're too young and inexperienced to be on the Worcester School Committee? 

No one really told me that I'm too young and inexperienced to be on the Worcester School Committee. Keep this in mind, I have been in the Worcester public schools for 12 years and 1 year in a charter school; I know what goes on in the public schools and I've been reading statutory law and budgets for seven years. I'm not too young or inexperienced to be on the Worcester School Committee. 

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