July 14, 2025

Northampton, MA

Daily Hampshire Gazette - https://gazettenet.com/Guest-Column-62360651

Guest columnist Anat Weisenfreund:

Why I’m running for Northampton’s Ward 2 School Committee seat

All of us are formed by our contexts, and by countless experiences and relationships — for me, my grandparents, who raised me as a young child in Vienna, had a profound and lifelong impact on me. They were resistance fighters in the Austrian anti-fascist battles of 1934, escaped to the Soviet Union during the war, and returned in 1946. I like to think that their intelligence, kindness, humor, curiosity, and courage make me who I am, and nourish my work to do right by the most vulnerable among us.

I have a deep commitment to Northampton where my family and I have made our home, and I bring a lifetime of professional experience of service to children, families and communities. For the last 16 years I have led Community Action Pioneer Valley’s Head Start and Early Learning Programs, serving 400 children and their families annually, and overseeing 130 staff and a $12 million budget. Head Start is a federal program that provides early education and wrap around supports for the most vulnerable children, many of whom live in Northampton and then go on to our public schools. I understand the lifelong impact of early experiences, and the disproportionate risks faced by those who are poor, disabled, facing racial discrimination, and who have experienced adverse childhood experiences. To this end I work to strengthen the early childhood field through advocacy, systems building and community engagement. For an overview of my career and professional contributions, please visit my website www.electanatweisenfreund.com.

In December 2024 our local school committee member stepped down from her position, and the city sought someone for an interim appointment. In light of our national democratic defeat, I felt compelled to expand my work into my local community. My Ward 2 city councilor reached out to me and generously facilitated some introductions. Before submitting my application, I connected with several elected city officials, educators and constituents, seeking diverse perspectives, and became aware of the powerful feelings and the huge chasm in our city around school funding. At every step, including that evening in January 2025 when the City Council and School Committee selected me for the job in a decisive 14-2 vote, I promised that I would listen and learn, work hard on behalf of children, value relationships, and be always independent in my actions. As a member of the School Committee and budget and properties subcommittee over the last months, I believe I have done just that.

I have immersed myself in my role, and it has become clear to me that a vacuum of leadership and insufficient funding have created an educational crisis in our schools, and passionate rifts in our community. Our constituents (including children!) come to School Committee and City Council meetings month after month, speaking out clearly about their unmet needs. From where I sit, their courage and passion embody the strong heart of our community, a gift to our city. Many have mischaracterized this advocacy as “negativity” or “divisiveness.” This framing is an empathic failure and prevents the development of robust and collaborative educational and budgetary solutions.

While it is true that state and federal partners are not contributing enough, Northampton is a wealthy city with regular large budget surpluses and significant savings that can be used to meet our children’s needs. The mayor’s current budget goes against the superintendent’s recommendation, against the majority vote of the School Committee and against the votes of the City Council. Nonetheless, as per the city’s charter, on July 1, it went into effect by default. As a result, our crisis has been exacerbated and will continue to disproportionately impact the most vulnerable students. Unless enough of us can work and lead together to make change.

It is irrefutable that consistent and caring relationships are essential, and the main predictor of healthy development. Schools are the “container” for development and relationships, and serve as a critical protective factor, especially for our most vulnerable children. When we lead with intention, support the expert knowledge of all who work in our schools, and back up our care with sufficient funding, we have a formula for success. When we cut positions, we sever the relationships that are at the heart of it all.

If elected in November, I will continue my work to ensure that all our children receive an excellent education; that we recruit and retain the very best staff; that parents are engaged in partnership, and that our schools are places of joy and innovation. I am a proven leader, and I can help us forge a better path forward for our schools and our community.

May 5, 2025

Northampton, MA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE by the Committee to Elect Anat Weisenfreund

ANAT WEISENFREUND ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE, WARD 2

Anat Weisenfreund, who currently serves as the appointed School Committee member for Ward 2, today declared her intention to run for this seat in the upcoming elections. 

Weisenfreund first moved to the Pioneer Valley in 1981 to attend college, and left in the 1990’s to attend graduate school and work in New York City. She returned to Northampton with her family in 2008, and they have lived in Ward 2 for the past eight years.

Weisenfreund has devoted her professional life to supporting children and families, and she has done so in various leadership roles in hospitals, city government and not for profit settings.  For the past 16 years Weisenfreund has directed Community Action Pioneer Valley’s Head Start and Early Learning Programs, serving about 400 of the Valley’s most vulnerable children and families every year. She oversees 130 staff and manages a $12M budget. 

During her tenure she fundamentally restructured and improved services, and Community Action’s Head Start program is recognized broadly for its innovative, trauma informed practices. Using a data driven and deeply collaborative approach, Weisenfreund significantly raised wages, implemented evidence-based approaches, and prioritized wellness for staff. These changes resulted in high quality services and educational outcomes, drastically reduced turnover, and ensured the stability of relationships throughout the program. In 2020 the National Head Start Association recognized her with the BOLD Leadership Award for her steadfast and effective leadership.

Prior to her work in Massachusetts, Weisenfreund served in clinical and leadership roles in New York City. She developed and implemented a one of its kind NICU-based intervention program for substance-exposed infants and their mothers; She worked for almost a decade for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, leading the NYC Early Intervention Program for the Borough of Brooklyn, and later served as the Assistant Commissioner for Child Care Contracts for the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, overseeing a $400 million budget.

Weisenfreund’s deep commitment to the well-being of children and families are reflected in her extensive experience serving on not-for-profit Boards –  6 years as Chair of the Massachusetts Head Start Association, and for the past 4 years, as the President of the Massachusetts Association of Infant Mental Health. Weisenfreund is an effective advocate, with strong relationships at the State and Federal levels. In 2023 she was invited by Senator Elizabeth Warren to testify in front of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy, addressing “The Federal Debt Limit and its Economic and Financial Consequences.”

Weisenfreund holds a Bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College, and a Master’s degree in Infant Development and Early Intervention from Bank Street College of Education. She has earned Endorsement® from the Alliance for Infant Mental Health as an Infant Mental Health Mentor and as a Reflective Supervisor, and is a National Facilitator of the Brazelton Touchpoints approach.

Weisenfreund says: “In January 2025 I had the honor of being appointed to the School Committee for Ward 2. As a member of the budget and properties subcommittee I have worked hard to understand the complex school and city budget issues. As we head into Northampton’s next election, it is urgent that we vote for leaders who are collaborative, trustworthy, and bold. Leaders who listen with curiosity, mine diverse points of view, and find solutions that are visionary as well as pragmatic. Leaders who are just a bit impatient to resolve our city’s most pressing challenges. I have demonstrated these qualities in all I have done, and I humbly ask for your vote.”