Brockton School Committee Candidates Spar Over Safety, Budget, and Vocational Grants

BROCKTON -- August 8, 2025, Brockton School Committee candidates clashed over school safety structure, budget accountability, and a $6.4 million vocational grant at a youth-led forum hosted by Brockton Workers Alliance on August 8. Six candidates for Wards 1 through 5, including Ward 1 incumbent Jorge Vega, fielded questions developed by Brockton High School students, with the sharpest exchange coming over whether the district's school police department should be folded into the Brockton Police Department. Vega, who said he has been "the only school committee member to publicly say" the district should not be in the police business, clashed with the candidate identified as Mr. Pina, who called for raising school police staffing to 22 officers and stricter enforcement of phone and suspension policies. On the budget, Vega credited a new superintendent he identified as Dr. Tehigliani and a newly hired CFO with turning the corner on a deficit that once required city intervention, while candidate David Napier called for mandatory quarterly reconciliations, saying "numbers don't lie." A $3.4 million ROPES grant for immigrant educator credentialing and a $1 million preschool initiative for homeless families were among the specific programs candidates cited.