As a born and raised Newtonian, Schlesinger is confident that he understands the needs of his community. (Photo Courtesy of Ben Schlesigner)
As a corporate executive, Ward 5 Newton School Committee candidate Ben Schlesinger said his experience will lend itself well to dealing with the school committee’s budgeting responsibilities.
“The school committee is charged with operating a $300 million budget here,” Schlesinger said. “I think people who have an MBA financial background understand money, money decisions, and how to make them, and how to think about prioritization—I think that those are all skills that are important.”
Schlesinger has experience in management consulting, marketing, and sales with various firms, tech startups, and companies such as Samsung, McKinsey, Brightstar, LoopPay. He holds an MBA in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He just recently sold his own company, ImprezzAI, and has now been able to free up space for some “dad time,” while he still consults and advises two tech startups in the AI space.
“I have a lot of experience in taking complex problems and working with a variety of stakeholders to find and build solutions, and then deliver and execute those solutions,” Schlesinger said. “And I think that that’s a lot of what we’re looking at in the school committee.”
Schlesinger said that the best way to find solutions in his industry is through an honest, collaborative communication approach, which he plans to apply to the school committee.
“A lot of being an executive is about communicating—communicating within your organization and outside your organization, with your team, people you agree with, people you disagree with,” Schlesinger said. “And I think that I had a lot of experience finding an effective collaborative communication style that will work well for me in this position.”
As a born and raised Newtonian, Schlesinger is confident that he understands the needs of his community.
“I think I know my community really well,” Schlesinger said. “I’m hoping we can restore some of the things we lost that might have been good about the schools before, but I know what the people of Newton expect their schools to be. I know what they value culturally, and I feel like I have a pretty good finger on the pulse of the community.”
Schlesinger believes that the effects of COVID-19 and an increase in class sizes are representative of the school committee’s issues with the budget, since students’ needs cannot be fully addressed without the necessary resources. The NIH found that anxiety manifested in around 18.9 to 23.87 percent of children during COVID-19 and 15.4 to 39.9 percent in adolescents. And according to an update from Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller in 2023, class sizes began to increase around that time due to budget restrictions.
“The kids have a lot of needs these days coming out of COVID, and with the anxious generation, the impact of devices, and the increase in class sizes at that moment in time is an indicator that we’re not where we want to be with the budget,” said Schlesinger.
Schlesinger is certain that his experience in management consulting will help navigate these new and important issues and thinks voters will value his demeanor and problem-solving skills.
“I always lead by listening and understanding where people are coming from, trying to connect with them—with their stories and their situations—and then respond to that with both empathy and candor,” Schlesinger said. “I find that people are refreshed by me just being honest.”
Schlesinger said he engages with the Newton community through coaching around 10 teams a year across baseball, soccer, and basketball. He feels that through his almost 20 years of Newton volunteering and endorsements from school committee members and city councilors, Newtonians should understand his commitment to the community.
“I’m very honored that I’ve been endorsed by 18 city councilors and six school committee members, and I think that that’s a reflection of my connections in the city and my understanding of what Newton is about and what folks are looking for in their electoral leaders,” Schlesinger said.
At the end of the day, Schlesinger is glad to be part of the buzzing and productive Newton community.
“I knock on doors, and I’m finding people who are changing the world behind so many doors,” Schlesinger said. “We have phenomenal people living in this city.”