To the editor:

We are writing to express our enthusiastic support for Costas Panagopoulos for Wellesley School Committee.

As parents of two young sons in Wellesley Public Schools, Ezra and I trust in Costas’s investment in our district. We moved our family to Wellesley in large part because of its excellent public schools, which are the heart of our wonderful community. Costas will ensure our schools not only remain strong, but in fact improve for the betterment of every student. I am thrilled to serve as his campaign manager because I am confident that he brings exactly the combination of expertise, commitment, and collaborative spirit our schools need right now.

Costas’s qualifications are exceptional. As Distinguished Professor and former department chair at Northeastern University, he understands how to manage complex organizations, oversee substantial budgets, and foster excellence. His appointment by Governor Baker to the Massachusetts Education Financing Authority Board—where he oversees $18 million in annual operations and manages $12 billion in assets—demonstrates his financial acumen and commitment to making education accessible and affordable for Massachusetts families.

But what truly sets Costas apart is his personal investment in our schools. As the son of Greek immigrants who had only third-grade educations, he understands viscerally the transformative power of public education. He is a proud product of Massachusetts public schools himself, having graduated from Dracut High School before attending Harvard. Now, as the father of a first-grader at Hardy Elementary, he experiences our schools as a parent every single day.

Costas’s approach is data-driven, collaborative, and results-oriented—exactly what we need as we navigate budget constraints while maintaining excellence. He will fight for high standards, transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility. Most importantly, he will empower teachers, administrators, and families to work together with the trust and shared purpose that strong schools require.

We hope you’ll join us in supporting Costas on March 3.

Wendy Englebardt, Campaign Manager, electcostas.com
Ezra Englebardt, Town Meeting Member, Precinct H; Chair, Wellesley Trails Committee Wellesley

To the editor,

As my term on the Wellesley School Committee comes to a close, I want to thank the Wellesley community for the trust, partnership, and support you have shown throughout my service. It has been an honor to work on behalf of our students, families, and educators.

With two seats open in the March 3rd election, I am proud to endorse Costas Panagopoulos and Ayla Lari for School Committee.

Costas Panagopoulos brings a goal-oriented, data-driven approach that is essential to advancing both excellence and equity in our schools. As a distinguished professor, a graduate of Massachusetts public schools, and a Wellesley parent, he understands both the promise of public education and the responsibility we share to strengthen it. His commitment to evidence-based decision making, collaboration, and accountability reflects the kind of leadership our district needs at this pivotal time.

I am also proud to support Ayla Lari, whose candidacy is grounded in closing the gap between what we promise and what we deliver to students and families. Ayla understands that strong values must be matched by effective policy, thoughtful oversight, and honest evaluation of outcomes. Her policy expertise, deep belief in public education, and long-standing connection to Wellesley position her to ensure that our priorities translate into meaningful, day-to-day impact for all students.

Wellesley’s schools are strongest when leadership is thoughtful, transparent, and focused on results. Costas Panagopoulos and Ayla Lari embody those qualities, and I strongly encourage our community to support them in the upcoming election.

Thank you again to the Wellesley community for the opportunity to serve.

Sincerely,

To the editor

I am writing to introduce myself as Candidate for the Wellesley School Committee. I encourage you to visit my campaign website www.electcave.com to see how you can volunteer to help.

I am running for School Committee as I believe that I can be of service to the Wellesley Public Schools based on my 57 years of experience in public, private and parochial education K-16. I hold a B.A. and three advanced degrees—one from Harvard. I have
taught or served as an administrator in some of the top schools in the Boston area.

As a 52-year Wellesley resident, I am intimately familiar with this community, its unique nature and its current needs.

I am familiar with the history of our public school system over the past 50+ years. I can apply this knowledge to addressing our present-day challenges.

I have taught hundreds of Wellesley public school students and understand their unique capabilities and their educational needs

I have spent my entire adult working life preparing for this role. I have been both a teacher and an administrator during this 57-year period. I can view and analyze issues from both perspectives.

I now have the time and focus to devote my full energy to the vital work of the Wellesley School Committee.

I have been a negotiator of collective bargaining agreements in the Medfield and Needham school districts. I have been a public relations coordinator for Wellesley High School in the 1970’s, and an advisor to the sophomore class during the same period at
Wellesley High School. I have studied the budgeting process and have assisted with building and advocating for a school budget.

Since leaving Wellesley in 1980, I have experienced firsthand the many different approaches to teaching and learning, school governance, and budgeting that remain current throughout the Commonwealth. As a teacher in Wellesley in the 1970’s, as a teacher and administrator elsewhere between 1980 and 2023, and more recently as a substitute teacher once more in the Wellesley Public Schools K-12 between 2023-2025 I gained valuable insight into the strengths of our public school system, as well as areas which can be improved.

As a School Committee member, I will support the continued excellence of our schools. I will ensure that our teaching staff—the backbone of our excellent system—has the resources needed to serve the needs of all our students to the best of their abilities. I will
meet decisively the many challenges that will face us in the coming years. These are: declining enrollment, reduced funding, and increased state and federal mandates. We also face resurgence in private school options at all levels K-12. Religious affiliated and non-sectarian private schools are building attractive new campuses very close to our borders. All have the potential to draw enrollment from our very fine elementary and secondary schools. Contracts of all our teaching and administrative staff will be re-negotiated, and increased costs of medical benefits loom.

I will find an equitable balance between these fiscal demands, the legitimate needs of our teaching staff and the taxpayers of Wellesley. To this end, I will advocate for policies that stress the primacy of the teacher above all other considerations.

I will promote the robust dialogue between School Committee and management needed for better decision making.

If elected, I pledge to dedicate every waking moment to the cause of public education in Wellesley. I will have no other focus.

As a teacher in the many schools where I worked over the past 57 years, I often encouraged my students to take on a new challenge, to try things they didn’t believe they could handle.

I often helped my students in their time of need just by listening to their concerns.

I’m Mike Cave, Candidate for School Committee.

If elected, I’ll be there for your child.

I need your vote on March 3rd.

Respectfully submitted,
Michael Robert Cave, Ph.D., Candidate for School Committee
mcave10@gmail.com

To the editor:

My husband and I have been residents of Wellesley since 2006. Our four children attended Wellesley Public Schools from preschool through high school, and we remain very grateful for the education they received here. Prior to moving to Wellesley, our eldest children also attended public schools in Brookline, Massachusetts, and Burlingame, California.

While we value the current system, we recognize that every school district must evolve to address emerging challenges. We believe Ayla Lari’s vision will reinforce the strengths of our schools while offering practical solutions to current needs. Her approach effectively addresses the educational challenges families face in an ever-changing landscape.

We fully support Ayla Lari’s candidacy.

Regards,

Marguerite Chatelier
Henri Fouda