Four Candidates Debate Budget Deficit, Arts Cuts Ahead of April School Committee Election

ARLINGTON -- March 11, 2010, Four Arlington School Committee candidates debated a $3.6 million school budget deficit, arts program cuts, and a pending superintendent search at a March 11 forum hosted by the Arlington Advocate and ACMI. Candidates Kiersey Allison Ampey, Theresa Bottoni, Curtis Vissaris, and Judson Pierce are competing for two open seats in an April 10, 2010 election. Vissaris, a former Arlington public school teacher and speech and language pathologist, called for shared sacrifice on Group Insurance Commission health costs, which he said were "cratering our budget." Pierce, an attorney and Arlington Human Rights Commission member, said he would "absolutely" lobby for a future override but insisted structural deficits in special education and health care must be addressed first. All three of Bottoni's fellow candidates vowed not to cut arts programs, with Vissaris stating flatly, "I will not vote for that budget," while Pierce flagged a $50,000 kindergarten arts line item he said he would restore. Bottoni was alone in opposing new spending, questioning whether an override was necessary at all.