Come September, David Osborne will have four children in four different East Greenwich public schools. That’s one reason why he’s decided to run for School Committee. But his experience with the EG school system is only part of his story.

Osborne’s job (with Criterion Education, a subsidiary of NCEE) is to study schools all over the world and bring back what works well and adapt those practices to U.S. schools.

For Osborne, now is the time to get involved locally.

“The world of education is in great flux right now and we need leaders who understand those changes and have a sense of where they need to be going,” Osborne said Monday. “Our kids are no longer competing against just North Kingstown, Coventry and Warwick. They’re competing against kids from India and kids from China. All the data out there suggests that American students are falling farther and farther behind in the world.”

He added, “I have a very good sense of what leading education systems around the world are doing to educate their students and I have some ideas of how to apply those things in East Greenwich.”

Osborne outlined some things he would support, if elected:

• Push school administrators and teachers to provide a more rigorous education for all students, one that improves the reputation of East Greenwich schools and students statewide and nationwide.
• Encourage much more inclusive and thoughtful communication between school leaders, the school committee, and parents.
• Champion initiatives that will improve the quality of education in our schools, including full-day kindergarten, smarter school start times, and data-driven instruction to identify and support struggling students and push high-achieving students even higher.

Osborne and his wife, Cheryl, moved to East Greenwich in 2005. Cheryl is from Potowomut; David is from New Jersey. Both have been active volunteers in the schools. Cheryl has worked with the Meadowbrook, Hanaford, and Cole Parent-Teacher Groups and serves as the co-president of the Meadowbrook PTG. David has served on the East Greenwich Building Committee, the Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Committee, and the Meadowbrook Indoor Air Quality team.

He will run as a Democrat.

So far, only one of the four School Committee members up for reelection – Chairman David Green – has said he will run again. The filing deadline is Wednesday at 4 p.m. sharp.

Read about other School Committee candidates here:

Lehoullier Declares School Committee Run

Fain to Run for School Committee

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