School Committee Joined By New Member Shai Fuxman

When a vacancy on the Natick School Committee occurs during a member’s term, the remaining members of the Committee along with the town’s Board of Selectmen are charged with appointing a new committee member. This is how Shai Fuxman came to be preparing for the first day of school as the newest member of School Committee.
Shai Fuxman, one of eight candidates interviewed by the joint session on June 24th, replaces School Committee member Lisa Tabenkin, who resigned from her term expiring in March of 2020. An immigrant to the United States arriving in Massachusetts twenty years ago and becoming a citizen two years ago, Shai has lived in Natick with his wife since 2010. He is the father of two Natick Public School students, in middle school and elementary school.
Fuxman brings both personal passion and professional experience to his role. As the parent of a student with special needs, he got involved with Natick’s SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) a few years back and has been serving as the group’s chair, a position he is transitioning out of as he ramps up his work with School Committee. Holding a doctorate in education, Fuxman is an education and public health researcher working for Waltham-based Education Development Center (EDC).
“Obviously I have a lot of reasons to want to join School Committee and many interests that bring me to it,” Shai told me. “First and foremost as a parent, I am invested in our schools for my son who is typically developing and for my daughter who has special needs. I am wearing my parent hat, but education is also what I do. I am very interested in bringing my expertise in education to the Committee. Also being a new citizen, I am excited to fully participate in local government.”
It was by way of Fuxman’s role as Chair for SEPAC that he became known to the School Committee, through regular presentations to the group. At EDC, he works at the intersection of public health and education, spearheading projects on social emotional learning and substance abuse prevention, issues of pressing concern to Natick parents. As someone who learned English as a second language, Fuxman is also looking forward to working with Natick’s community of English learners.
School Committee Chair Julie McDonough is pleased to welcome Fuxman to the Committee, saying “I believe Shai is a great addition because he has direct experience with the special education program in the Natick Public Schools. And, he has shown commitment to leadership and service through his role as the chair of SEPAC. In addition, his professional experience in social emotional learning will be an invaluable asset to the Committee.”
The new formation of School Committee will meet every other week on Mondays during the school year, with additional work done through subcommittees. McDonough shares “The number one issue for us will be the budget and advocating for funding for the public schools that keeps our district moving forward. We have made tremendous progress in the past five years and we need to continue that forward momentum. We know that providing kids with a high quality education is a priority for the Natick community. It is our goal to communicate with the community what is necessary to meet their expectations.” 
Shai Fuxman is ready to get started, adding, “I am impressed by the School Committee and how they have positioned our schools in important conversations. What I have found as a parent is that local government really makes an impact on all of our lives. It is exciting to be part of that and as a member of the community I want to contribute what I have learned in my professional role as well.”