To the Watertown Community,
For the past almost 8 years now, I have had the privilege of serving as a School Committee member here in Watertown, most recently as the vice chair. Those past years have seen the start of perhaps the best superintendent in the state, Dr. Deanne Galdston, the turnover of all 5 principalships with amazing new leaders, and the rebuilding/full renovation of 4 out of 5 of Watertown’s school buildings. To put it lightly — we got a lot done. To this day, I remain incredibly proud of how hard the Watertown community pulled together during the pandemic, making our schools and our city a leader in safe, effective education through a perilous time. We leaned on and learned from each other, and so many people across the entire community pitched in their expertise and time to help guide us.
To that end, I hope the Watertown community will vote to continue the work of both Amy Donohue and Jessica Middlebrook, who are committee members running for reelection and have been intrinsic to all that progress that has been made. I cannot speak highly enough of both of their commitments to our community, and to our students and schools. Watertown simply would not be where it is, and our schools would not have improved nearly as much as they have without these two incredible School Committee members. Both Jessica and Amy work tirelessly for our community, doing so much more than attending meetings.
Amy Donohue is instrumental in creating connections across all parts of the Watertown community. There is no one who is more willing to take on a task to benefit students than Amy Donohue. If she finds out there is a barrier to students getting what they need, especially when it comes to financial support, Amy is the fiercest advocate to ensure all our students get what they need, and she has built a wide network of community partners she can connect with to help on that front. Her ability to bring resources into Watertown Public Schools, and her long term institutional knowledge both as a School Committee member, and as a former OTA at the Cunniff and other schools means she has the trust of our staff members, and is able to support strong communication throughout the district. This is one of the many reasons she was endorsed by the Watertown Educators Association
Jessica Middlebrook is a school adjustment counselor in Cambridge, meaning she has daily insight into the workings of school. Along with Amy, Jessica was endorsed by the Watertown Educators Association due to her strong record of working collaboratively and positively with the union. Jessica was a lead on bargaining negotiations this year, which went smoothly and ended without acrimony — a rare feat across the state. Jessica’s strength is her ability to listen and help bring all ideas to the table- she regularly seeks out the voices of not only staff members and caregivers, she regularly interjects to make sure the voice of our students is not only included, but amplified. Jessica has been a champion of ensuring that every single student matters in our district, and that every family is able to have a say in their child’s progress.
I hope you will consider giving two of your votes to Amy Donohue and Jessica Middlebrook on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. They have done the work, they have done it excellently, and their continued leadership is needed to continue the progress our schools have made in the past 8 years.
With so much thanks to this amazing community,
Lily Rayman-Read
School Committee Vice Chair