Get To Know Your Candidates: Matt

I am pursuing the role of Treasurer of the Cranston Teachers’ Alliance.  I’ve chosen this path after hearing union members express a need for stronger union leadership.  Members work hard at their jobs and often do not receive the praise they deserve.  Cranston teachers need to feel supported, acknowledged and recognized for excellence in their craft.  We need to do a better job at underlining the urgency of fair compensation for our members.  I’d like our members to feel an umbrella of comfort and protection from their union as it should be a major contributor to our success in our profession.

I began working towards my teaching degree at Rhode Island College.   There I attained three teaching degrees: Elementary Education, Elementary-Middle Speccial Education and Middle-Secondary Special Education.  During my time at Rhode Island College I was a member of the RIC wrestling team and debate teams.  Shortly after graduation I was hired at Woonsocket High School as a secondary special educator.  Although I really enjoyed being at Woonsocket, I was already the head wrestling coach at Cranston West and it was much closer to my home, so I came to Cranston High School West in that same role. After resettling in Cranston I began to pursue my Masters Degree in Special Education Administration at Providence College.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my role in Cranston.  The community support I receive for teaching and coaching has been incredible, and the students I work with on a daily basis have truly been a blessing.  I am very grateful to be part of this community.

My family is my most treasured asset.  I have a wonderful wife, Michele and three children.  My wife is a successful VP of sales, and I have two daughters, Emilie (HS Junior), Madeline (HS Freshman), and a son, Mathew (8th grader).  They are all very active, competing in multiple sports and other extracurricular activities. I am extremely proud of each one of them as they work very hard to maintain good grades and balance their schoolwork and outside activities.

My hobbies include boating, traveling, working outside and playing poker.  If you are on Block Island in the summer, there is a good chance I will be there as well, so feel free to stop by and say hi. I enjoy the game of poker and have read many books on the strategies behind the skill.  I make time to get together with good friends as much as possible.  I live a very full life, but want to give back to the community that has given so much to me and support my fellow union members in this leadership role.