Meet School Committee candidate Jordan Johnson

Newcomer Jordan Johnson, the youngest candidate in the Wareham School Committee race at just 18-years-old, is campaigning with messages of increased support for students and staff, as well as more community involvement in local schools.

A Wareham native, Johnson attended schools in town through eighth grade before enrolling at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School, where he studied carpentry. He is now completing dual enrollment coursework through Bristol Community College.

Johnson said his decision to run was influenced in part by his younger brother’s diagnosis with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare progressive neurological disorder. He said the district has struggled to meet the needs of students requiring additional support.

“The school has a very hard time dealing with those needs,” Johnson said.

One solution, and a big part of his running, has been the decrease in paraprofessional support. He said that paraprofessionals are essential to addressing those challenges, but said there isn't enough support staffing and income-wise to keep them on staff. 

Amid a significant budget shortfall, which he highlighted as a constant issue, he said cuts should not come at the expense of educators and support staff.

“They’re not paid enough, and paraprofessionals haven’t had their contracts signed,” Johnson said. “It should not be on the teachers and paraprofessionals.”

As an alternative, he proposed pursuing additional funding through grants and reassessing certain expenses like Upper Cape Tech does. Johnson also called for more individualized instruction and stronger connections between teachers and students.

He said schools should also expand opportunities for civic engagement so students gain a better understanding of their community. Focusing on "real-world" problems before students graduate is something he thinks would be beneficial. 

Addressing concerns about his age, Johnson said he has spent months researching school committee operations and budgeting. He said he understands that being young might be an issue for community members, but that his recent experience in the schools will bring a better understanding to the committee. 

"Seeing the immense problems in the school committee gave me the push to start learning about budgeting and to start learning about inner workings of school committees,” he said.

Johnson also pointed to strengths within the district, including athletics, school conditions and staff professionalism. He highlighted the many sports teams and the "very clean" appearance throughout the district but said there needs to be change internally. 

“That starts with putting students and staff first," he said.