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Doreen Deshler (3rd Middlesex District Chelmsford, Massachusetts, candidate 2025)
Doreen Deshler (Republican Party) ran for election to 3rd Middlesex District Chelmsford in Massachusetts on April 1, 2025.[1]
Elections
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Doreen Deshler completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Deshler's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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My name is Doreen Deshler, and I am running to represent your family on the Chelmsford School Committee. As a 36-year resident of Chelmsford and a mother of four children who attended our local schools, I have a deep connection to this community and a personal stake in our education system’s success. My Experience I bring extensive qualifications to this role:
• Behavioral Interventionist at Cortica Care, working with autistic and developmentally disabled children. • Board Certified Autism Technician (BCAT) with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychological Science. • Past roles include reading tutor and after-school program director at Lowell Community Charter School, substitute teacher in Chelmsford and Billerica, Inclusion Support Aide at Murdock Chelmsford Public Charter School for students with IEPs and 504 plans, and long-term Paraprofessional in a Special Education classroom at Dutile Elementary School in Billerica.
If elected, I’ll work to lift Chelmsford’s rankings from Niche's 45th and US New's 88th in the state by getting Back to Basics: Focus on reading, writing (including cursive), math, science, social studies, technology, and civics. Supporting Parental Rights: Ensure transparency and answers about curriculum. Hold students back if unprepared rather than pushing them ahead to struggle; teach resilience—how to win and lose. Together, we can build a stronger future for Chelmsford's students.
- Opposition to Divisive Ideologies: Reject Critical Race Theory which is racist, divisive and harmful. I do not believe that labeling our students as oppressor or oppressed is very harmful to our students' self-esteem, and causes children to feel bad about themselves. Gender ideology (transgenderism) is a very personal subject and should be kept out of our schools and put back in the hands of the parents and/or doctors.
- Fiscal Responsibility - Protect $5.969 million in federal financial aide by abiding to federal laws about DEI, Critical Race theory, and transgender policies. I want our students and teachers to have the resources they need to compete and excel at the highest level locally, nationally, and globally.
- Chelmsford's schools are getting old and are in dire need of repairs and upgrades. We are in need of the new Parker School in order to reduce teacher-student ratio's and to move our students into the next century.
An important characteristic for any elected official is the desire to serve. As an elected official it is our job to serve our constituents. They also need strong principles in following the law and the US Constitution.
The core responsibility for a school board member is to work with the Superintendent to balance the budget, allocate funds, and find the best curriculum available for our schools.
My first passion is to Education. Having served the classroom and working with Autistic and developmentally disabled children it's what I do. I am passionate about children. I have raised 7 children and I have 15 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren children are my life!
Another passion I have is to the Planning Board because the more they approve housing the more our schools get challenged and overcrowded. We are in the process of getting a new elementary school in the Parker School project but if the planning board keeps approving housing the school will be obsolete before it's even built.
Financial transparency is essential as residents deserve to know where their tax dollars are going. Transparency in government accountability is a no brainer. The government should always be for the people by the people and of the people as stated in our Constitution.
I believe in getting back to basics. Students need to learn how to read and write in cursive, count back change, tell time on an analog clock, and of course learn reading, writing, math, science, social studies, civics, technology, and get back to teaching home economics, and shop.
My constituents are the residents who gave me the privilege of being on the school board and their children we are entrusted to educate.
My preferred strategy for recruiting future employees would be to visit the local colleges when they have their career days and talking with perspective students.
First off by treating everyone as equals and combining their individual cultures to enhance the community. Blending all together so we can work as one.
Send out letters inviting all to communicate with me about any concerns or issues they have. Being accessible to all. I will also go to school events where parents are likely to be.
The ideal learning environment for students is a well-organized classroom equipped with all the necessary tools needed for learning. A safe inclusive environment for all to make and have lasting relationships with.
Good teaching results in students who are learning and engaging in their classrooms. Measuring this will be how they perform on test and how they communicate ngewith teachers and peers.
Our student's and faculties safety is the most important policy of our schools. Working with our local police, fire and ambulance to help us, as well as maintaining locked schools. I would like police presence in our schools.
I would hire trained school phycologist so that our students have a resource to help them deal with mental health issues. Schools should also have some brochures to help faculty and staff to recognize issues and how to find help.
I believe they handled it as best they could. They had to follow state statutes. However, I do feel that the way Covid was handled was wrong. Shutting down our schools was very harmful to our children. If it were to happen in the future I would not shut down schools or mandate wearing masks.
The assassination of JFK was the first and most horrific event up until 911. I was 6 years old and at school when the announcement came that we were being sent home. Upon getting home I was told that President Kennedy had been shot and sat in front of our television from that time until his funeral ended. While visiting Boston with my parents when I was younger I saw a parade with President Kennedy in it and as he went by me he looked down at me smiled and waved, I never forgot that and was very much his fan, I was deeply affected by his assassination.
The primary job of a school board member is to work with the Superintendent on Policies and finances. also to evaluate the performance of the superintendent and his/her contract.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
External links
[1] ↑ Submitted to Ballotpedia's candidate survey in 2025.
