Election 2023: Meet the Candidate — Sara Sclafani (U), Unaffiliated Petition Candidate for Bd. of Education/2 Yr. Seat

Candidate Submitted Bio

Sara is a lawyer, human resources professional, and Wilton volunteer who has just completed two years as co-president of the Miller-Driscoll PTA. In her professional career and in her many years of volunteer work, both with Wilton schools and as co-leader of two local Girl Scout troops, Sara has fostered a spirit of cooperation and collaboration, two qualities she believes are essential to the effective functioning of the Board of Education. 

Sara earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and Juris Doctor degree from Notre Dame Law School. She and her husband, Anthony, have two young children in the Wilton schools.

Video Interview

Candidate Submitted Op-Ed

My name is Sara Sclafani and I’m running as an unaffiliated candidate on Row C for the two-year seat on Wilton’s Board of Education. I made a deliberate choice to run independently because I’m dedicated solely to doing what’s best for our children, our schools, and our town. 

I moved to Wilton 10 years ago with my husband, Anthony, to raise our family. Wilton is an obvious choice for anyone seeking outstanding public schools, but what truly makes this community exceptional is its shared commitment to the education and well-being of our children. We have two children attending Wilton Public Schools, one in Miller-Driscoll and one at Cider Mill, and we’re proud to be part of a town that values education and invests in the future. 

My motives for seeking a seat on the Board of Education are simple and transparent: I’m passionate about the quality of our public education and I want to work hard to make our schools as strong as they can be. I want to support our students and families. I want to support our teachers. I want to work together to ensure we stay focused on delivering the highest quality education for all of our children. And I want our schools to reflect our values as a town.

I am qualified to contribute meaningfully to the Board of Education for several reasons:

First, my experience volunteering in our schools over the past six years, most recently as co-president of the Miller-Driscoll PTA, has given me a firsthand understanding of how our schools work, and the opportunities and challenges they face. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside teachers, administrators, and families to enrich student classroom experience through programs such as visiting authors, outdoor learning, and free play. I’ve seen firsthand the positive impact on teachers when we listen, provide support, and celebrate their hard-earned accomplishments.  

Second, my professional background as a lawyer equips me with the necessary analytical, conflict-resolution, and advocacy skills to navigate the work of the Board of Education successfully. I will approach every decision, from the BOE budget to programs such as Open Choice or teacher coaching, with an open mind and a fact-based analysis. I will actively listen to the concerns of families, students, teachers, and the community, and work collaboratively to find solutions. I’m committed to making sure all stakeholder voices are heard.  

Third, I’m committed to keeping politics out of education. Serving on the Board of Education is a responsibility that should transcend partisan and personal interests. My decision to run on Row C is a choice for independence, transparency, and accountability. I will listen to and consider all voices, regardless of political affiliation, and seek common ground to achieve results that benefit the entire community. This independence allows me greater flexibility in decision-making, a necessary attribute if the Board is to work collaboratively and consider new and innovative approaches to the challenges facing us.

The school budget is one such challenge. To produce a budget that is both fiscally responsible and true to our mission to provide the best education in the state, will take energy, creativity, and diligence. The process must be both careful, scrutinizing every expenditure, while transparent, so you know that your money is spent as productively as possible.  

While on the PTA, I worked hard to increase community engagement in the budget process; and I myself spoke publicly in support of our school budget on several occasions. I believe the budget is not just a financial document; it is a statement of our values as a community and our commitment to providing the best education possible. All stakeholders — parents, teachers, and the community — deserve a say.  

Finally, as a conflict-free candidate, I will be able to participate meaningfully in every decision that comes before the Board of Education. The Wilton Ethics Council has issued an advisory opinion which makes very clear that my opponent, Heather Priest, would be unable to participate in the majority of significant Board of Education actions due to conflicts of interest she faces as the spouse of a teacher employed by Wilton Public Schools. As a passionate volunteer, I have the utmost appreciation for members of our community who step forward to run for public office, but we must not jeopardize the integrity of the Board of Education and its ability to conduct business swiftly, efficiently, and without legal exposure.

Thank you for considering me as an independent candidate for this important work. I ask for your vote to give our children, and our town, what they deserve — a fully-functioning Board of Education that is free from political and ethical distractions, with no agenda other than putting education and the welfare of our children first.

Video Clips

What motivated you to decide to run for the Board of Education?

You are not running with either the major parties or town committees political town committees in Wilton, why have you decided to run as an unaffiliated candidate?

Would you also be on the BOE to represent people who don’t have vested interests in the schools — non-parents?

Democratic candidates have supported you, either in their materials, ads or in emails. Are you working with the Democratic candidates or DTC? Have you spoken to any of the Republican candidates? How did that worked out for you?

When you started the campaign, you were running against one Republican candidate. About a month later, suddenly, you were running against a different candidate. Can you talk about that at all?

Your direct opponent in the two year seat race, is one of the candidates that has disclosed a potential conflict of interest being married to a teacher in the district. What do you think about the conflict of interest issue? You may be seated on a board with someone who has a conflict, how would that factor in and what do you think about this race so far involving that issue?

The counterpoint people have raised is that well, doesn’t everybody have some sort of conflict with decisions being made? Parents with a student in the district? Or was a taxpayer? How is it different? Why is just the teacher marriage issue a conflict?

Hypothetically, if you had to work with one or both of the conflicted candidates on the board, do you foresee any issue?

The relationship between the Board of Ed and Board of Finance, and the budget process is one of the most important and one of the largest responsibilities of the BOE. What do you think about last year’s process, the budget reduction, the Town Meeting, the behavior at the meeting, etc?

Are you going to be intimidated dealing with the BOF? How will you make sure you are representing not just young parents, but people without children in the schools? How are you going to be able to push back on the board of finance and have those harder discussions? How about pushing back on the superintendent? Are there areas where the superintendent needs to look for savings, consider more cuts in different areas of the budget and the assumptions that are made? Where as a board member can you encourage the administrators and the superintendent to do that?

The recent $100 million-plus, that’s going to have to go towards school infrastructure, and major costs that are probably going to come from the operating budget, do you think changing the policy increase class size and possibly make staffing cuts should be considered?

Do you see areas in the current budget where some fat could be trimmed?

What were your thoughts on the BOF survey? Are there different questions they should be asking, do you think it accurately captured what all residents’ sentiment were? Are there other ways that you might get information from residents?

What are some of the other big issues that the next board is going to have to deal with? (Instructional coaching)

Some members of the current board, and some other candidates have questioned the need for so much testing in the schools. What do you think about testing?

Let’s talk about parent involvement and parent voice in the classroom, on curriculum on other major issues. Should parents be involved in curriculum decision making? Should parents be involved in what kind of books and resources are in the classroom or are not allowed in a classroom?

What do you think about the district’s approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion? What about Open Choice?

One BOF member questioned the number of counselors, and social and emotional learning and mental health responsibilities that the school district has either by mandate or by need. Do you think the school is providing too many? adequate numbers? needs more? How is the school handling the approach to mental health?

What is your message to voters about why they should give you their vote?