Meet the Candidates for District 6’s Seat on the Framingham School Committee

FRAMINGHAM - This fall, Brent Lewis and Eddie Rodriguez will be on the ballot for the District 6 seat on the Framingham School Committee.

Both candidates are running to replace Valerie Ottaviani, who is not seeking reelection. This would be the first elected position for either candidate.

——

Brent Lewis—the Executive Assistant to the President at the Unitarian Universalist Association and a board member at Access Framingham, of which The Frame is an initiative of—has been living in Framingham for over a dozen years. He said the community has lived up to what he and his family had hoped for: one that is multicultural and nurturing.

“We wanted a place that, no matter what identities our kids had, they would find a welcoming community,” Lewis said in an interview with The Frame.

“So, we really settled down in Framingham and have been happy here ever since.”

As this is Lewis’ first dive into electoral politics, he says it’s been helpful to have a “seasoned campaign expert” in his husband—State Representative for the 7th Middlesex District Jack Patrick Lewis—to help him. Still, he mentioned that getting into public service has been something he’s wanted to do for a long time. He said his decision to run for the District 6 School Committee position came from the experiences he saw with his children as they have gone through the Framingham Public Schools (FPS) system; he wants to be “deeply invested” in ensuring that other families in the area get the resources they need as well.

Among Lewis’ top campaign priories include a focus on the school budget. He highlighted federal decisions and factors that could impact local schools, as he’s looking to ensure that educators and staff members can keep up with the school district’s mission. Lewis said it was difficult to eventually get $1.2 million in federal grants for Framingham schools freed up after they were frozen earlier this year.

“Ultimately those funds were released, but it highlights the precariousness that we find ourselves in as decisions made at the federal level are impacting our school level,” Lewis continued.

“And that includes things like inflation and tariffs, which are making repairing roofs and keeping schools in good working order more expensive.”

Compared to his opponent, Lewis said he has a “nuanced” difference in regard to monitoring classroom performance through test scores. He believes that the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is not the sole metric that should measure acumen and success.

“MCAS scores are part of it, but certainly attendance and also some of the positive things—like how many high schoolers are taking AP courses and what their scores are,” Lewis said.

Lewis mentioned that he wants to be a part of the School Committee’s process of establishing standards for local high schoolers following last year’s statewide vote to repeal sufficient MCAS scores as a a high school graduation requirement.

Lewis cited a desire to expand pre-K access and improved school bus transportation as values he shares with his opponent for the District 6 seat on the board. He also mentioned that the School Committee’s relationship with other elected officials is “essential,” adding that maintaining that relationship is paramount considering other key projects, such as school building upgrades, will be coming in the future. If elected, Lewis said he wants to work to find solutions with others within the Memorial Building while also maintaining constant communication with his constituents.

Lewis would like voters to see him as someone who is experienced within the FPS district and someone who has connections within the community.

“As someone who has had kids in the system for 12 years, I’ve experienced a lot of the strengths and also some of the bumps along the road…I think that gives me a leg up and would help me be an effective School Committee member,” Lewis said.

——

Eddie Rodriguez, a Framingham native and a Marian High School graduate, works professionally as a commercial finance advisor. He said that his upbringing in a household with two hard-working parents has informed his intentions to run for the District 6 School Committee spot. He thinks his experience, along with a “results-based focus” from his professional life, can suit him well in the role.

“I’m passionate about education, I’m passionate about how education can open doors for all families, but I’m really passionate about how—especially for families with backgrounds like it—(education) can open doors, it can help them move forward socioeconomically,” Rodriguez said in his conversation with The Frame.

Rodriguez said his idea to run within Framingham was initiated in the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, as he is looking to propel local student success back to pre-COVID levels. He added that with the emergence of the MBTA Communities Act zoning situation, he realized that Framingham could be primed for additional development—and more students within FPS as a result.

“After some reflection, meditation, prayer, and people really asking me to represent them on some key priorities that would move the school district forward, I decided I would pull papers,” Rodriguez explained.

Establishing reliable transportation for students is one of Rodriguez’s top priorities. He thinks the creation of an in-house bus transportation model, which was adopted in the city starting this school year, is a “huge step in the right direction,” though he recognizes that it could take some time to make the system run efficiently.

Additionally, if elected, Rodriguez would look to boost academic performance through targets that can be measured and quantified. He wants to establish sustainable benchmarks that Framingham schools can meet, potentially based off of similar municipalities within Framingham.

“We have to chart a new course, we have to have a collective vision…There’s a galvanizing energy, there’s a energization that happens when we have a target that we can move towards,” Rodriguez said.

Other priorities for Rodriguez in his campaign include reducing violence and dropout rates within Framingham’s schools, expanding pre-K offerings, as well as increasing transparency and communication with the constituents of District 6. He thinks that communications between school leaders and other local officials is improving, though he wants to continue to make strides on that front by engaging with all stakeholders.

Leading up to November’s election, Rodriguez hopes voters can get excited about the potential of FPS. He thinks he can provide the energy, work ethic, and engagement for the role—though he wants people to work together, regardless of whoever is eventually elected in District 6.

“Whether I’m on the School Committee or not, this is going to be a breakthrough year,” Rodriguez said.

“There’s a lot of energy and it’s all about refining it and focalizing it in a positive and encouraging way…I want us to all come together and really be a Manhattan Project; let’s commit to a higher level of excellence, and we will continue to figure it out.”

——

The citywide election will be held on Tuesday, November 4. The deadline to register to vote in Framingham is Saturday, October 25.

For more local voting information, visit the city’s official website by clicking here.