•   Improve the student handbook
  
  
•   Serve as an advisor to the principal
  
  
•   Develop an improvement plan for the school that is presented to the Ashland School Committee for approval

Vote for Your 2023 Site Council Representative Candidates

For the 2023–2024 school year, parents and caregivers may vote for two additional parent/caregiver representatives to serve on the site council. There are three candidates to choose from:

Jenn Ryan

My name is Jenn Ryan and for the past 8 years my daughter attended Saint Bridget School, where I served as PTO President for 4 of those 8 years. I was very active and successful in fundraising and, most importantly, building a strong community. Professionally, I work for Ricoh USA, Inc. and have worked there for 25 years. I have held different roles throughout the years, but I'm currently a Customer Success Manager and focus on onboarding our largest customers. I would love the opportunity to become involved and assist at Juliana's new school —Ashland Middle School.

Milka Kostic

I am an immigrant to the US, and a non-native English speaker who was, for the most part, educated outside the US.

In my professional capacity, I am working to advance cancer drug discovery. I support more than 125 scientists, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. I assist them with their scientific and research efforts, as well as their professional development and wellbeing. Thus, I see where Ashland Middle School students will be in 8–10 years after AMS, as young adults working on advanced degrees or beginning their careers. I have extensive experience developing and executing training curriculum, and am currently working on developing a new Masters Degree program. I would be excited to be given an opportunity to serve on the site council and contribute to our local AMS community. I am a mom of a 7th grader and a 4th grader, both currently in the APS system. As a parent, I've been teaching my kids the value of curiosity, creativity, knowledge, critical thinking, and respect for oneself, others, and nature. Ultimately, when they grow up, I would like my kids to be adults that solve problems that are worth solving. So, that's the point of view I'd bring to the site council.

Karin Broadhurst

Hello! I’m Karin Broadhurst, and I am a parent of a new middle schooler. I moved to Ashland two years ago from Jamaica Plain, Boston, and my 11-year-old joined Ashland Public Schools last fall. In my professional life, I have worked in nonprofit management, most recently for the MA Assisted Living Association and the Boston Society of Architects. Before that, I worked as a domestic violence advocate, and community educator, training social workers, law enforcement officers, etc. about the dynamics of domestic violence and how to help. I am also a former public high school Spanish teacher, and I come from a family of educators. My sister teaches at the Meadowbrook School of Weston. My father (retired) started out as a teacher. We moved to Boston in the mid-80’s when he went to work for NAIS, the National Association of Independent Schools. He went on to help found United Educators Insurance. Education has always been a priority in my home, and a topic of so many dinner conversations! 

I’m a graduate of Brookline High, with a BA in Intercultural Studies/ Spanish from Warren Wilson College: a funky liberal arts school with a triad of learning that includes work and service as well as academics. I became a solo parent to a 4-yr-old through foster-adoption in 2016. I am white, and my son is Black and Latino. I didn’t grow up this way, but we are a low-income family. A few months after becoming a mom, I realized my child’s special needs were much higher than I had expected. I left my job and have been his full-time advocate ever since. I spend a lot of time learning about my child, his birth cultures, his diagnoses, and I’ve learned so much about mental health  and special education thanks to being his mom!  I think I bring a lot of relevant experience to the table, and I’d like to volunteer for the Ashland Middle School Site Council.

Please cast your vote for two (2) representatives here.