Meet Matthew S. Galligan, Republican Candidate For the Manchester Board of Education

Full Name:  Matthew S. Galligan

Education: Graduate, Manchester High School, Class of 2000; Bachelor of Arts (Political-Science and Economics) College of the Holy Cross, ‘04.

Professional Background: Financial Underwriter in the insurance industry.

Why do you want to be on the Manchester Board of Education? I cherish the valuable education I received while a student in Manchester Public Schools.  I hope to fulfill a dual purpose on the Board of Education that continues the drive for academic excellence of all students while acting in an economically responsible manner that keeps our funding requests in line with the ability of the public to pay. I look forward to working with the SMARTR Committee and their recommendations to address school infrastructure issues and strike the pivotal balance between the number of schools, class size, and improved achievement.  Any decisions that are made that address school repair, enlargement, or closings need to be completely transparent to the taxpayer.  I want all residents to feel confident that the funding provided to Manchester Public Schools is wisely spent and we can only achieve that by making direct correlations between the progress of our students and the money they invest through property taxes.  For example, if we make a request of millions for the addition of grade 5 to Bennet Academy, I want to be part of the BOE team that makes the case to Manchester residents that the spending will reap benefits.  I also will work tirelessly to ensure that capital improvement expenditure requests are researched thoroughly and vetted properly.  The public-at-large will only have comfort with the costs of education in our town if they have the facts and get the right story the first time.  

In the end, my aim as a BOE member is to help provide an environment that will enable every student to achieve more and find success after they leave MHS.  At the same time, I will make each and every decision with the economic realities of their parents, families, and community in mind.  The realization of a quality education that the public can afford is and should be the aim of every Board of Education member.

What experience do you bring to the table? The background of the Republican team for Board of Education is varied and ranges from concerned parents, to consummate academic professionals, to my area of expertise:  finance.  Throughout my professional career since graduation from college, I have worked with retirement investments, tax reporting, and in my field today, budgeting and underwriting.  I am responsible for crafting responses to requests for proposal that achieve necessary business goals through the most efficient economic means possible.  I work closely with our finance team to ensure that budget figures most closely align with reality and that the expenditures and outlays we make in furtherance of our goals make fiscal sense.  The tools of analysis I use on a daily basis will serve me well as I analyze and consider the budget requests from our Superintendent.  In addition, I am well-versed in inter-departmental cooperation and will put that skill to direct use in cooperation with my colleagues on the Board of Directors at budget time.  All the governing boards of Manchester must work well together to achieve the ultimate goal of improved progress for our students and families.  I look forward to bringing my skills to bear to ensure that we make the right requests for the proper funding in a responsible manner.  

What do you think is the town’s most pressing issue? From a town-wide perspective, the most pressing issue facing Manchester is that residents are finding it harder and harder to stay in our community while taxes continue to rise and outpace the increase in our incomes. From an educational perspective, we need to address an ever-aging infrastructure to ensure safe schools that provide quality education. Both concerns that I cite are intertwined, with one directly impacting the other.  While families are leaving town for affordability issues, I’ve also encountered many families who have either elected to send their kids to private schools, or are in the process of leaving for towns with a perceived higher quality education. By properly maintaining and managing our school facilities, we will keep the focus on Manchester Public Schools as a magnet for young families looking to settle down. Drawing folks back to settle in town will help broaden the taxpayer base and will lead to a more manageable burden for all. I advocate for an effective management of our school system to maintain high quality schools that families will seek out as opposed to spurning for other towns. In the end, a high-performing and well-supported school system will pay huge dividends that all Manchester residents will reap.

What do you love most about Manchester Public Schools? My confidence in and love for Manchester Public Schools is based squarely on the dedication and exemplary skill we see in our teaching staff. As a graduate of this district, I have no doubt that our teachers are driven by seeing students succeed, and not simply the act of putting in the work hours each day.  Routinely, our staff goes the extra mile to ensure that students are grasping the material through extended extra help hours, varied classroom instruction that makes learning innovative, and fostering an environment where every student can actively participate. As with many professions, individuals tend to get to a point where the job is simply about collecting the paycheck, but you will never witness that type of mediocrity in any of our schools. While we have a lot to be proud of throughout our educational system, the folks on the front lines who teach the classes, aid the students, and facilitate mental development are the true jewels of Manchester. We attract top flight instructors and for that I am most proud.

What do you like to do for fun? While this is certainly not the year for my baseball team with our nemesis neighbors to the north winning the World Series, I’m an avid Yankees fan and love taking trips to the Bronx to see as many games as I can during the season. I also love following college basketball and I try to keep up with my Alma Mater (and former NCAA Champion) Holy Cross Crusaders of Worcester as much as possible. I admit fully to being a bit of a bookworm and it’s pretty rare that I’m not in the middle of novel. My current tastes find me in the midst of the Game of Thrones book series by George R.R. Martin.   

How can residents keep up with you? As a Board member, I will make myself accessible to any and all questions and concerns of our residents and students.  I can be reached via email at MSGalligan@yahoo.com.  If elected, there will not be a question I’ll avoid or a comment I won’t take to heart.