Edward Costar
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Edward Costar was the Fall River School Committee in Massachusetts. He was elected to the board in the general election on November 3, 2015, and he serve until January 2018 as he did not file to run for re-election in 2017.[1]
Biography
Costar earned a master's degree and Ph.D. in educational psychology and counseling. He worked for three decades in district schools as a student counselor, psychologist, and student services coordinator. Costar also worked as a psychology instructor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.[2]
Elections
2015
Six seats on the Fall River School Committee were up for election on November 3, 2015. Incumbents Joseph Martins, Melissa Karam Panchley, Mark Costa, and Gabriel Andrade won re-election, while newcomers Paul Coogan and Edward Costar joined the board. All of the six incumbents on the board — Andrade, Costa, Martins, Panchley, Paul Hart, and Robert Maynard — sought re-election. Hart, Maynard, and challenger Sean Connell were defeated in the election.[3]
Results
| Fall River School Committee, At-large, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Paul Coogan |
14.0% | 7,474 |
| Joseph Martins Incumbent |
12.7% | 6,770 |
| Melissa Karam Panchley Incumbent |
12.4% | 6,618 |
| Mark Costa Incumbent |
12.3% | 6,556 |
| Edward Costar |
12.0% | 6,442 |
| Gabriel Andrade Incumbent |
10.7% | 5,727 |
| Paul Hart Incumbent | 10.4% | 5,558 |
| Robert Maynard Incumbent | 8.4% | 4,477 |
| Sean Connell | 7.1% | 3,815 |
| Write-in votes | 0.07% | 35 |
| Total Votes | 53,472 | |
| Source: Nick Katers, "Email exchange with Fall River Board of Elections Chair Elizabeth Camara," January 5, 2016 | ||
Funding
The Fall River City Clerk does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify any official endorsements for Costar in the election.
Campaign themes
2015
Costar explained his campaign themes for the 2015 election in a letter to The Herald News:
| “ |
I am passionate about our schools because I know we can do better. There are pockets of excellence, but progress is stagnant. I’ve been there, seen what works and what doesn’t. My beliefs, as expressed here, were forged through experience, education and common sense. 1. Empower teachers. Classrooms are critical. Teachers must hold high expectations for their pupils, and also be free to discover the unique key that opens the door to each child’s learning. Good teachers understand there is no universal “master key” for everyone. Encouraging creativity means teaching more to children and less to a test. We lose teachers at twice the rate of other communities. We can retain teachers and maximize learning by combining high standards with a more child centered approach. 2. Safety. I’ve seen the harm that bullying or harassment can cause. Having written our schools’ first policies for safety, harassment and bullying, I know that policies are only good when followed. I will be dedicated to ensuring we provide a safe supportive atmosphere for learning. 3. Parental respect. Parents deserve world class customer service. They must understand what their children are learning. When parents become involved, students learn. Telephone calls or forwarded emails must be returned within 24 hours. 4. Embrace change. All school positions must be thoroughly examined with direct student contact receiving priority. Leadership must be held to the same standards of accountability as subordinates. Manageable class size and exemplary performance should be the rule, not the exception. If you believe we can do better, that change is not to be feared and that teachers, working together with parents, will allow children to thrive, I would be honored to receive your vote.[4] |
” |
| —Edward Costar (2015)[2] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Edward Costar' 'Fall River Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Fall River Public Schools, Massachusetts
- Fall River Public Schools elections (2015)
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Herald News, "Tuesday is final day for Fall River candidates to file certified nomination papers," August 17, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Herald News, "Campaign 2015 Letters: Bring experience and change to Fall River School Committee," June 29, 2015
- ↑ The Herald News, "Tuesday is final day for Fall River candidates to file certified nomination papers," August 17, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2015 Fall River Public Schools Elections | |
| Bristol County, Massachusetts | |
| Election date: | November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Gabriel Andrade • Incumbent, Mark Costa • Incumbent, Paul Hart • Incumbent, Joseph Martins • Incumbent, Robert Maynard • Incumbent, Melissa Karam Panchley • Sean Connell • Paul Coogan • Edward Costar |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
