Lynne Burroughs, a graduate of Sharon High School in Sharon, Mass., said she is running for the School Committee to provide accountability, transparency, and accessibility.

Burroughs said she sees finances as the biggest challenge facing the committee. "It's a challenge being in a community, serving in a community, where the median income level is so low, because the people don't have more to give," she said.

Burroughs said she wants to make the budget more transparent. "It's just time for all departments, including the schools, to show the people the monies that are coming in and the monies that are going out."

Burroughs wants to put money "back into the pockets of the children" by reducing administrative costs, she said. Encouraging more school volunteers would also help with budget challenges, she said. She wants to explore using the Senior Tax Work-off Program to get more volunteers in schools.

Burroughs said she plans to "open the doors, once again, between the School Committee, town government, and the people in town, to get us all working together and communicating together because that's the secret to everyone's success in our schools." She said she will attend Board of Selectmen meetings whenever possible.

Burroughs said she will represent special-education students on the board. "Our current School Committee, in my opinion, does not address our special education deficits and I believe that I will strengthen all of our students, that I will strengthen our schools, that I will strengthen our administrators and our School Committee with the knowledge that I have about that," Burroughs said.

Burroughs said that classroom instruction should accommodate different styles of learning. "By restructuring our classrooms and teaching the kids in the way that they learn, not the way that the average [student] might learn, but teaching kids in the way that they learn, that's how they're going to be successful when it comes to MCAS and other areas of school."

Burroughs said she would like to implement an anti-bullying program to help teachers and staff recognize and handle bullying. She said grant money might be available to do so. She said she would also like to address transportation issues and put volunteers on school buses to help drivers.

Burroughs received a certificate in accounting from the Burdett School of Accounting, took classes at Massasoit Community College, and trained to be an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). She has taken classes in music, voice, and theater, and has several sports coaching certifications.

Burroughs is a singer/songwriter and volunteers with People Helping People. She previously worked as an EMT, restaurant and business manager, assistant bookkeeper, and in direct sales.

Burroughs has lived in Wareham for five years and is married with three children. She is the president of the Wareham Special Education Parent Advisory Committee and a school volunteer. She is a neighborhood crimewatch volunteer, attends the Church in the Pines, and has coached Wareham JBA, girls softball, and Tigers Cheerleading. She worked on the Boys and Girls Club's Swan Festival performance, and writes, directs, and choreographs children's theater for churches.

If elected, Burroughs said: "I would like to open educational doors for every child that goes through our system and [be remembered] as someone who repaired the relationship between the school administration and townspeople."