As we draw closer to the June town election I wanted to write an open letter to the community of Rockport, introducing myself to those whom I haven’t met and providing a bit of background on my decision to seek my third term as a school board representative from Rockport. 

My name is Brieanna Gutierrez. I was born and raised in Rockport, graduating from Camden Hills in 2004. I went on to study psychology at the University of Maine at Farmington before attending law school at Maine Law in Portland. After I graduated from Maine Law and passed the bar in 2011, I returned home to Rockport and practiced law for several years. In 2014 I married my husband, Diego and moved to Bath.

After having our first daughter in 2016 we recognized the importance both of being near family and raising our kids in a community deeply rooted in its commitment to supporting children and families. When our oldest was 18 months old, we moved back to Rockport. In the interceding years we built our forever home and welcomed our second child. I was first elected to the board in 2019 and have been honored to serve as vice chair of the SAD board twice.  

In my professional life I’ve spent over nine years working for the State of Maine. In this role I use my education everyday as I help to guide public policy development and support the operations of Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services. 

I am running for my third term on the school board because I care deeply about education and want my children and generations of children to grow up feeling the same kind of support, encouragement, and caring that I felt growing up in Rockport. As a child and teenager, I never doubted my community’s commitment to my success through my education.

As a mom, I have developed an even deeper appreciation for our schools. Our older daughter is in the 3rd grade at CRES and is thriving. The teachers and staff at CRES have helped her build a deep love of learning that will carry her far in life. They have also been instrumental in helping her to grow self-confidence and develop grit, supporting her as she learns to tackle and overcome challenges. Our younger daughter will start at CRES this fall. Her sister’s excitement over school is infectious and she cannot wait to join her big sister.   

I am also running again because I believe we are at a critical juncture in education, not just in our community or in our State, but as a nation. My professional background provides me with significant insight into government processes both at the state and federal level, experience that has been – and will be – invaluable to my work on the school board in these tumultuous times.  

There is also incredible power in consistency and steadiness. The future holds many unknowns around education funding and policy direction from the federal government, rising operations costs, and the possibility of declining enrollment. Facing these can be daunting, but as someone who served on the board through the pandemic, I have developed a strong base of knowledge and a drive to seek innovative solutions to ensure we are helping our children thrive while also remaining committed to fiscal responsibility. 

I am proud of all our Districts have accomplished over the past few years, including: 

• Maintaining schools that are welcoming and inclusive for all and providing a diverse, comprehensive, and engaging curriculum to meet the needs of our students; 

• Nimbly navigating an unprecedented global pandemic and minimizing the impact on the caliber of education we could provide to our students, while balancing the important public health perspective to ensure the safety of our community;  

• Continuing our longstanding commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship through the solar farm project, which also created cost savings for taxpayers;  

• Completing construction of a beautifully functional new middle school for the SAD that I know will serve many generations of children in our community; and 

• Expanding opportunities for our staff to engage students in outdoor learning, including our outdoor pre-k program and dedicated outdoor learning spaces at each of our three schools. 

I am also energized to run again because of this community’s commitment to and engagement in our school system. Evidence of the depth of our community’s commitment to our schools and children is always at the forefront, whether it’s parents pitching in with the Camden Rockport School Alliance or to raise money as sports boosters, businesses stepping up to offer internship experiences for high school students, or community members coming to board meetings to advocate for what they believe in. 

Over the last year our community has come together in multiple forums to discuss important and difficult issues. In those discussions I have never once felt intimidated or threatened (something I know other boards across the country and even in Maine have dealt with). Instead, what I have felt is informed and empowered to make the best possible decision after weighing all the information. I’ve been proud to see our community engage in the kind of democratic process and discussion that are at the foundation of our country. This engagement is critically important to my ability, as an elected representative of my town, to balance the best interests of all, and not just represent my own beliefs or what would be best for my children or family. 

I believe that our continued investments of time and energy to strengthen our education system benefits not just the students and families directly served by our schools but the entire community. From the way our schools and the array of opportunities they offer draw families to move to Rockport and Camden; to the way that our commitment to quality and innovation draws high quality educators to work in our schools; to the way our schools are able to engage our children and youth no matter their aspirations or goals; to the way that a strong school system contributes to our robust property values – the evidence is all around. If re-elected I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue engaging in community conversations. I know from the experience of growing up here that this community can and will show up and come together to make sure that we are doing all we can to foster a strong, challenging, diverse, and comprehensive education system for our children.   

I appreciate readers taking the time to learn about me and my passion for our school district. If you have questions or issues you’d like to discuss as we head into the election in June please don’t hesitate to reach out at BGutierrezforRockport@gmail.com and we can set up a time to talk by phone or in-person.   

 Brieanna Gutierrez lives in Rockport