Nicole A. Nordquist

Seeking re-election to a third term is 29-year-old Nicole Nordquist, who said her main message is that, "I'm here for the kids of Pawtucket.I fought for the kids for the last four years and I will continue to fight.The children are our city's future."Nordquist, of Mt. Vernon Boulevard, is a former administrative assistant for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island, who has recently returned to Rhode Island College to pursue an education degree.She, too, said she supports a performance audit of the school budget, because it would show the city officials as well as the taxpayers just where the money is being spent and how many of the dollars go toward programs and services that are mandated by either the federal or state government."It's easy to say ,cut the budget,' but 85 percent of our budget is controlled," she said.Nordquist maintains that the city needs to provide the schools with more funding to make up for the reduction in state aid, and said her biggest concern is in trying to keep existing programs in place for the students without having to keep cutting from other areas.Nordquist, who lobbied strongly for full-day kindergarten, said she is pleased that eight out of the 10 schools are able to have the program thanks to federal Title I funding.She said, however, that she would like to see the program expanded to include the two elementary schools that weren't eligible for Title I, and will make this one of her goals.She also noted that she pushed for School Resource Officers at the two high schools, something also put in place this year.

Others, in particular Nicole A. Nordquist and Amy Breault Zolt, counter that Dellith provides School Committee members with all the information they need to discharge their responsibilities.
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Besides Coughlin, Nordquist and Zolt, the 10 candidates include incumbents Joanne M. Bonollo and James T. Chellel Jr.; as well as Joseph C. Knight, a retired corrections officer; Raymond W. Noonan, a lawyer and former track star; Matthew F. Gunnip, a social worker; Joseph M. Lima, a former state representative; and real-estate investor Carlos E. Tobon.
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Nordquist, 29, of 155 Mount Vernon Blvd., a former administrative assistant at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island, recently left that job to enroll in Rhode Island College, where she plans to obtain a degree in special education.

As deputy chairperson, Nordquist got the School Committee to vote to expand full-day kindergarten from the Cunningham and Baldwin schools to all 10 elementary schools in the school district.

The move provoked a storm of criticism.Instituting district-wide full-day kindergarten would have added $612,962 to the already deficit-ridden school budget.City Council members denounced the School Committee as "fiscally irresponsible."Nordquist moved to rescind the vote.

Over the summer, however, school officials identified half a million dollars in federal money that could be used for full-day kindergarten.Because the money is earmarked for schools with large numbers of children living below the poverty level, it cannot be a used for full-day kindergarten in 2 of the 10 elementary schools -- Potter Burns and Curtis, Nordquist said."It bothers me that people say it's financially irresponsible," Nordquist said.

The nine candidates include incumbents Nicole A. Nordquist, Gordon M. Gould, James T. Chellel Jr. and John S. Baxter Jr.; newcomers Julio "Skip" Sequeira Jr., David A. Coughlin Jr., David T. Berube and Joanne M. Bonollo, and Amy L. Breault, a former School Committee member who is running again after taking two years off to spend time with her children.
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Nicole A. Nordquist , 27, of 155 Mount Vernon Blvd., was first elected to the School Committee with Baxter two years ago.
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In an interview, Nordquist said she would again oppose taking the city to court for more money."I would not vote for Caruolo because that would wind up costing the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney's fees," she said."I would not vote for that because there's always room to negotiate."

Like Baxter, Nordquist promised to renegotiate the teachers' contract so that members of the Pawtucket Teachers Alliance kick in a portion of their health insurance premiums."Unfortunately, we're no longer in a situation where we could afford to pay for the full benefits.Eighty-five percent of our budget goes for benefits and salaries," she said.

Nordquist defended the School Committee's decision to enter into an agreement to lease and eventually purchase the Registry of Motor Vehicles building.The deal made it possible for school programs scattered throughout the city to be housed there and administrative offices to move.

"I will defend the Registry forever because of what it will do for the city," Nordquist said."Unlike some other things, where I know the School Committee was famous for pushing things through, this was well thought out and planned."

Nordquist is an administrative assistant for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, and head coach of the Darlington Braves cheerleaders.Trained as a paralegal, she is pursuing a bachelor's degree in secondary education and history at the University of Rhode Island, and hopes someday to teach.
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Like Baxter and Nordquist, Gould defended the Registry deal, saying it was necessary to get the school system's alternative learning program out of Goff Junior High School, and school administrators out of the Edward J. Creamer building on Park Place.