Gallo announces run for Lynn school board

LYNN – Lynn attorney Charles Gallo on Tuesday announced his candidacy for the School Committee.Gallo, 27, who recently purchased a home on Boston Street, describes himself as an attorney, community college instructor and taxpayer who wants to work hard to improve the Lynn Public Schools.”I’m a fourth-generation Lynn resident,” he said Tuesday, noting his 2007 run for a School Committee seat fell short 35 votes behind candidate Maria Carrasco, winner of the sixth and final slot. “I went to school in Lynn and I know the system. My father went to Tech, my mother to Classical and my younger brother Justin to English.”Gallo attended Sacred Heart School, Sisson Elementary School, Pickering Middle School and St. Mary’s High School. “My going to St. Mary’s was partial academic, partial needs-based,” he said.Gallo’s father, Chuck, ran United Fuel, a local heating oil company. His mother, Gina, was employed in hospital administration.”My parents instilled a work ethic in me early on. When I was 12, I was an Item paperboy,” he said.Gallo received his bachelor’s degree in government from Suffolk University in 2005. He worked his way through Suffolk Law School as an evening student, earning a Juris Doctorate in 2009, the same year he passed the Massachusetts Bar Examination.”I was the first member of my family to graduate from college, so I know first-hand the importance of a quality education,” he said. “I want to work hard to make sure that opportunity is afforded to all students in Lynn.”In addition to practicing law, Gallo teaches a course in state and local government as an adjunct instructor at North Shore Community College. He also serves on the city’s Citizens Advisory Board for Community Development, which makes recommendations on funding youth programs, non-profit organizations and other community development initiatives in Lynn. He is an associate member of the Lynn Zoning Board of Appeals, where many land-use matters are decided.Gallo is employed as an attorney at Weston Patrick, PA (professional association), a small Boston law firm. “I primarily represent senior citizens and persons with disabilities, and I do estate planning and probate work,” he said.Gallo offered his views on education during a wide-ranging interview Tuesday. On the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) he said, “As a measure, well, it can’t be the only measure. But it’s not something the School Committee can deal with because it’s a state-set issue.”On curriculum change, he said, “We need to be creative. I teach civics. Right now, there aren’t enough civics or personal finance taught in our schools.”The candidate advocated schools team up with local businesses and non-profit organizations. “We need to ensure that the part of what is not covered by the state curriculum gets covered, so that our kids get a well-rounded education,” he said.Gallo said the strongest element in the Lynn schools is its students. “We see it whenever there’s a story about a student’s particular achievement, about the good things they are doing in the community, volunteering or otherwise how they are giving back,” he said.On the Lynn KIPP Academy, currently under construction, he said, “That’s another one that the School Committee can’t do much about. It’s a state-chartered school and they are trying to expand. All we can do is be more creative and that is especially true when it comes to funding. The traditional funding for schools comes from property taxes and state subsidies. I would advocate more grant writing. We need to hire an experienced grant writer.”Gallo emphasized environmental safety for students, teachers and workers must be maintained. “General safety has got to be one of our priorities,” he said.Although Classical High School was built on a landfill and has been plagued by structure problems as well as air quality issues, Gallo said, “I certainly don’t pretend to be an expert in building construction, but nobody is proposing we go back and do somethin