Jon DiPietro

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DiPietro graduated from the University of Lowell with a bachelor's degree. He has worked as a software engineer and a digital marketing consultant. He has been affiliated with the Executive Board for International Society of Automation and the Board of Directors for Automation.com. The 2017 election was his first time running for office.[1]

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Jon DiPietro did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

Jon DiPietro participated in [the profile publisher]'s 2017 survey of school board candidates.[5] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on August 28, 2017:

I want to get the gears moving again in MSD by supporting curriculum excellence, smaller class sizes, and reduce bureaucracy.[6][7]

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.

Education policy

Click here to learn more about education policy in New Hampshire.

Education on the ballot

Issue importance ranking

Candidate's ranking

Issue

1

Balancing or maintaining the district's budget

2

Improving relations with teachers

3

Improving post-secondary readiness

4

Expanding school choice options

5

Improving education for special needs students

6

Expanding arts education

7

Closing the achievement gap

In Manchester, the single most important issue right now is properly allocating resources. We have too few at the elementary level and too many at the high school level (due to sending towns leaving the district).[7]

—Jon DiPietro (August 28, 2017)

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from [the profile publisher] regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.

Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.)

Yes.

Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement.

The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement.

Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?

Yes. Although standardized tests are important, they are currently over-used in MSD and include non-academic questions that are irrelevant and a violation of privacy.

How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district?

Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. Every effort should be made to allow the teacher to improve their performance. When those options are exhausted, they should be terminated.

Should teachers receive merit pay?

Yes. I support merit pay as long as only a fixed percentage can receive it. When everyone is exceptional, nobody is.

Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program?

Yes. This should only be the case if no strings are attached. Too often, vouchers are simply a vehicle for imposing state and federal control.

How should expulsion be used in the district?

The exercising of every right in this country ends when it infringes on someone else's right. That should include education. If a student endangers the safety of others or habitually disrupts the learning environment, they should be expelled.

What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration?

Teachers. The system is currently not designed to reward teaching excellence. Exceptional teachers need to be rewarded and poor teachers need to be disincentivized.

In a [the profile publisher] questionnaire, DiPietro said of his political philosophy, "I'm a liberty candidate who believes in freedom and individualism."[1]