Aarati Martino (pronounced “Arthy”) is the endorsed Republican candidate for Central Bucks School Director in Region 6, which encompasses most of Doylestown Township. In an interview with Bucks Bulletin this week, she presented as measured, personable, and motivated to improve the district she cares so much about. She describes herself as a “big nerd” that loves digging into data.
When it comes to running for school board, Martino’s motivation stems in part from the fact that she has “skin in the game,” as both of her children are students in Central Bucks schools. Martino and her husband left Silicon Valley several years ago, specifically choosing Central Bucks as their landing spot because of its great schools. She decided to run for the open seat in Region 6, which is being vacated by incumbent Republican Sharon Collopy, after observing the aftermath of the COVID school closures. She has seen many great improvements in the district since that time, but has noticed that the learning loss caused by school closures is still impacting students. Her campaign platform focuses in part on solving this issue.
Martino is inspired by the opportunity to renew the district’s focus on instilling basic values, like grit and personal responsibility, through education. “We want kids to be well rounded, understand the world, have confidence in themselves, and the ability to analyze something and understand it, and use it to make decisions in their lives,” she explained. She noted that students will also benefit from a focus on soft skills, like communication, teamwork, and time management. She discussed some of the fascinating offerings of the district that she has learned about through attending curriculum meetings, such as programs for students that are new to this country, and still learning to speak English, such as Ukrainian refugees and students coming from harsh conditions in parts of South America. She hopes to help bring in additional programs or courses to help enhance the education of CBSD students.
This positive outlook on where the school district can move towards success fits well with Martino’s unwillingness to say anything negative about her detractors. She believes that everyone has common goals when it comes to doing what is best for students, they just may differ on how they want to achieve those goals. As the child of Indian immigrants growing up in Alabama, she is “all for inclusion,” and believes those pushing for inclusive education have only the best intentions, but noted, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” She wants to examine the way the district implements these philosophies and their methods of achieving those goals, while still ensuring that educational spaces are about education first and foremost.
Her background as an engineer is something she sees as a valuable asset she can bring to this school board. In her work, she often has to bring people together with differing ideas and work together to find solutions to complex problems, to end up with a positive result. Her educational background, which includes four degrees from notable institutions such as MIT and Stanford, has served her well in her own life and success, and she wants to see Central Bucks students have similar opportunities and experiences.
When asked about how she deals with critical comments online, Martino said that social media has had negative effects on both children and adults, and it “shows a two-dimensional version of people.” This has bled into the district as well, but she feels that more can be achieved by shifting the focus from politics to real solutions. “Politics doesn’t look at the problem – it makes a caricature of [the problem] and then talks about that caricature.” Martino stressed the importance of having an open dialogue, and being willing to engage in conversation with people of all different viewpoints, regardless of differences. “The biggest lesson I ever learned in life is that no matter who somebody is, don’t be too shy to go talk to them,” she continued.
Asked how she would approach a difference of opinion among board members, she stated, “It’s good for people to pound an idea and push it to be made better. You have these concerns, let’s make a list, prioritize, and find solutions.” Martino admits that she does not have all the answers. “That’s the biggest trap people fall into, thinking they know all the answers. Some of the most brilliant people I knew were the humblest,” she explained. In her view, a collaborative nature in which all ideas are heard with an open mind is necessary to help the district move forward.
When it comes to making schools physically safer, Martino is a supporter of having School Resource Officers to protect students, but also mentioned that the district needs more “early intervention,” for students who are struggling. She mentioned that GoGuardian, a tool the school district discussed at a recent committee meeting, could be an additional tool used to make a difference. She cautioned that all forms of AI are just tools, and it’s how we use them that matters. Agreeing with the concerns about privacy from a current board member, she noted, “it’s likely that school issued devices already have other types of monitoring on them.” She proposed examining the specific privacy concerns “very carefully with all stakeholders before making any decisions.”
She speaks from decades of experience on the subject of STEM education, and stated that “technology isn’t going away.” She noted an example of the Willy Wonka movie, in which a character at the end of the movie ends up with a better job fixing the robots that replaced him in his previous role. She hopes that mentorships and a focus on skills for careers in a technologically advanced world can help students thrive past graduation from Central Bucks. She also believes this applies to jobs that are creative and are unlikely to be automated, such as chefs, woodworkers, and artists. Some white-collar jobs may go away, she posited, but “automation is just a tool, someone needs to understand how to use it and fix it.” There is a sense of hope Martino holds that the schools can be an avenue for students to learn all of these necessary skills.
Martino is working hard for a win in Region 6. She plans to bring her drive and focus on helping students excel to the district’s board of directors. Martino is cross-filed on both sides of the May 16th primary ticket, as is her opponent, Rick Haring (D). If she is successful in her primary contest, she will be on the ballot for the November 7th general election.