Liz Speakman

Liz Speakman is on the Citywide PTO Executive Board, as well as holding positions in the Merrymount School PTO and QPS district. She lives in Merrymount, and currently works for the City of Cambridge.

Website: https://votespeakman.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/VoteSpeakman

Green flags

Racial justice:

• Co-chair of the citywide parent council’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion subcommittee (2020-2021), parent representative on Merrymount Elementary School DEI Committee, and member of the QPS district DEI team
• Website and campaign materials translated into Quincy’s top languages (Chinese, Portuguese, Vietnamese, and Spanish)
• Advocates for creation of family outreach liaison positions to bridge language and cultural gaps
• Advocates for expanded language translation services and accessibility, hiring interpreters for community events
• Proposes creating a pipeline for recruitment and retention of diverse educators through partnerships with local colleges/universities and by providing incentives for QPS graduates to pursue teaching careers in Quincy
• Member of an advisory committee on anti-racism, equity, and inclusion for the City of Cambridge
• Participates in and leads trainings on how to be an active anti-racist and work against systems of oppression
• Supports increased diversity of representation in educators, school committee, and adminstration
• Supports transformative justice as well as restorative justice in schools
• Supported the “Day of Asian Community Solidarity and Support” event in 2021
• Speaks out on lifting up the voices of the most marginalized and vulnerable in Quincy’s community and addressing their needs, and on the impact of racism
• Lists “implementation of a more diverse, culturally responsive and inclusive curriculum” as a platform issue

Environmentalism:

• Supports composting, reducing waste from disposable tableware, increased energy efficiency in buildings, solar panel installation, meatless protein options for student meals
• Supports climate change education via real life discussions and projects on local impacts as well as expert guest lecturers

Health and disability:

• Supports mask mandate

Feminism:

• Coordinator of Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Prevention (2014-present)
• Was previously Director of HAVEN at Massachusetts General Hospital (2005-2014) which provides services for survivors of intimate partner abuse
• Endorsed by Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus

Labor:

• Supports teacher raises and bonuses in current contract negotiations
• Endorsed by Norfolk County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, National Association of Social Workers- MA

Miscellaneous

• Endorsed by the Quincy Education Association

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Tina Cahill

Tina Cahill was previously a teacher at St. Ann’s School in Wollaston. She lives west of Quincy Center, and currently works at Recovered Souls.

Website: https://www.tcahillquincy.com/

Green flags

Racial justice:

• Supports restorative justice programs in schools
• Supports more diverse representation in school curricula
• Supports creation of family liaison positions in schools
• Worked to support underperforming minority and first generation students as an administrator at Quincy College

Health and disability:

• Executive Director of Recovered Souls, “a charitable foundation established to support individuals in recovery from substance addiction and to remove barriers that interfere with maintaining sobriety and achieving personal and professional well-being.”

Miscellaneous

• Member and Chair of the Board of Trustees at Thomas Crane Public Library (2013-2020)

Red flags

• Does not support a mask mandate

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Liberty Schaaf

Liberty Schaaf has served on the PTO for 15 years. She lives in Hough’s Neck, and currently works at Blue Marble Group.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/liberty4quincyschoolcommittee/

Green flags

Racial justice:

• Supports adding diverse books to classrooms and libraries

Red flags

• Does not support a mask mandate and believes masking is about personal choice

• No demonstrable antiracist (as opposed to baseline minimum “not-racist”) actions, work, or statements

• Believes the solution to Quincy Public Schools’ poor Department of Education grade on discipline policy and its punitive effect on non-white students is “a general transparent handbook that has universal common language”.

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