School Committee Candidate Collins Releases Proposed Safety Plan

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Patrick Sargent, GoLocal Worcester Contributor

Prior to Tuesday night's Worcester City Council meeting, School Committee candidate Cotey Collins held a press conference on the second floor of City Hall to present his "Comprehensive Safety Plan."

"School safety and a students education should be the most important issues throughout the entire Worcester school system as well as school systems around the nation. Recently at North High School, we've witnessed the high school implode with violence and I believe the response time for a solution to these incidents is unacceptable," said Collins.

Collins, an 18-year-old senior at Worcester Technical High School put together a 33-page report that not only metal detectors, but also metal detector wands and trained security guards.

"My plan will go over the need to install walkthrough metal detectors, an increase of properly trained security guards, ways to reduce gang involvement and drug or alcohol use within our schools and keep all parents and teachers updated weekly of all incidents that may occur in our schools," Collins said. "This plan will allow the school administration to become proactive instead of reactive."

Here are some other highlights of Collins' plan:

Enforced Dress Code
Involvement in the schools of the Worcester Gang Unit
Replacing Adminstrators Who Cannot Enforce the Rules

One notable portion of Collins' plan is for cuts in the salaries of Worcester Public School adminstrators, principals and assisant principals by 25% to fund his Safety Plan.

Related Slideshow: 10 Worcester School Committee Candidates

Here are the 10 Worcester School Committee Candidates that have pulled nomination papers.

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Dianna L. Biancheria

Incumbent

Biancheria was first elected to the committee in 2009. She is a graduate of North High School in Worcester and was the Chief of Staff for former Mayor Ray Mariano. Biancheria recieved the third-most votes in the 2013 election.

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John L. Foley

Incumbent

Foley has the second-longest tenure on the committee being elected in 1999. Foley serves on Clark University's Board of Trustees and is the school's Vice President of Government and Community Affairs.

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John F. Monfredo

Incumbent

Monfredo spent 20 years as principal of Belmont Community School before being elected to the School Committee.

Monfredo has been on the Committee since 2005.

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Tracy A. O'Connell Novick

Incumbent

Novick has been on the Worcester School Committee since 2010. In 2012, she served as Vice-Chair of the Committee.

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Brian A. O'Connell

Incumbent

In 2013, O'Connell received the highest amount of votes (8,146 or 15.7%) of the current six school committee members.

A graduate of Holy Cross College and Harvard Law, O'Connell was first elected to the committee in 1983.

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Hilda Ramirez

Incumbent

Ramirez made an unsuccessful bid for school committee in 2011, but was elected in 2013 as the only newcomer on the committee. Ramirez served as the Executive Director of the Worcester Youth Center from 2008-2012.