Murray and Diffenbach Win Close Election for School Committee
By Molly Borenstein
STAFF WRITER
In a closely contested election for the School Committee, Shauna Murry emerged victorious alongside candidate Lauren Diffenbach.
The election results showed Murray with 2,391 votes, her counterpart Diffenbach with 1,977, and McCready, a former school committee only around 100 votes below at 1,812.
A woman poses with a “Diffenbach & Murray” poster.
Murray and Diffenbach are both experienced educators. In an interview with ANDOVERVIEW, Murray specifically mentioned her two decades of service in public schools and believed her background set her apart from other candidates. “Residents recognized the value of having an educator’s perspective on the committee,” Murray said. Diffenbach, also highlighted similar ideas to Murray, believing that her background in education and help from the AEA pushed her toward victory.
Reflecting on her campaign strategy, Murray emphasized the importance of positivity and outreach. “We focused on highlighting my strengths as a candidate and addressing the concerns of our public education system,” she said.
Diffenbach, echoed Murray’s sentiments, expressing gratitude for unexpected community support during the campaign process. “Word of mouth goes a long way, and I will be forever grateful for the outpouring of support that led me here,” she said.
As she steps into her new role, Murray plans to prioritize listening to the community and reflecting on past initiatives. “I want to rebuild the bridge between the School Committee, teachers, and staff,” Murray states, emphasizing her commitment to representing all constituents.
Acknowledging the divides in the community, Murray and Diffenbach express a desire to collaborate with all voices. “As a district, there is a need for intentional work around repairing fractured relationships,” Diffenbach states. “I’m hopeful to increase collaboration and bridge the divides.”
Looking ahead, Murray sees healing as a primary challenge facing Andover’s education system. “We cannot move forward until we address recent tensions,” Murray emphasized. “In my experience working in education, the challenges seen by the public are often indicative of more complicated and deep-rooted challenges that exist within an education system. Up until now, I have only known the surface-level challenges as seen by the rest of the public. My first step is to learn more about those hidden systemic challenges in order to formulate a path to addressing them.”
