Tara Amatrudo

Candidate for Board of Finance | 2021

My name is Tara Amatrudo, and I am running for the Killingworth Board of Finance.  I am a lifelong Connecticut resident and have lived in Killingworth since 2013.  My partner and I were attracted to Killingworth’s small-town sensibility and environmental beauty, and we have only grown to love and appreciate the town more over our years of living here.  I now have 6-year-old twins entering first grade at KES, and it’s important to me to give back to this community that gives so much to us.  

I have been in education for my entire career – 10 years as a special education teacher and 9 years as a school administrator.  I have spent my last six years as a high school principal with a strong commitment to serving my school communities.  I am now going into my second year as Principal at Marine Science Magnet High School, in Groton.  

I earned both my BA and MA in Special Education from Southern CT State University.  I earned my 6th Year Professional Diploma in Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut in 2012.  

As a high school principal, I have experience planning and overseeing a large and complex school budget.  In the principal role, I am required to balance multiple long and short-term priorities within a sustainable and strategic budget model.  Above and beyond all else, I have demonstrated a commitment to listening and understanding all of community members’ needs and to ensuring the transparency of all budget decisions.  

In my personal time I enjoy going on backyard adventures with my children, reading in the sunshine, and tending to my chickens and other pets.  I also like exercise, cooking, and home improvement projects.  

Service has always been an important value to me, and the opportunity to work alongside my neighbors to ensure the fiscal sustainability of our beautiful town is a responsibility that I would be honored to hold.  

 

Candidate Q&A

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a lifelong Connecticut resident and have lived in Killingworth since 2013.  My partner and I have 6 year old twins in 1st grade at KES.  A teacher at heart, I have been in education for my entire career – 10 years as a special education teacher and 9 years as a school administrator.  I have spent my last six years as a high school principal with a strong commitment to serving my school communities.  I earned both my BA and MA in Special Education from Southern CT State University.  I earned my 6th Year Professional Diploma in Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut in 2012.  In my personal time I enjoy going on backyard adventures with my children, reading in the sunshine, and tending to my chickens and other pets.  I also like exercise, cooking, and home improvement projects. 

Why are you running for the position? 

While I have always appreciated the small-town essence of this community, I have grown to truly care about and rely on my neighbors and all the of the individuals who keep this town running.  It’s important to me to give back to this community that gives so much to me and my family.  Service has always been an important value to me, and the opportunity to work alongside my neighbors to ensure the fiscal sustainability of our beautiful town is a responsibility that I would be honored to hold.  Specific to this role, I believe I have a level of understanding of complex budget processes that will allow me jump right in to the work that needs to be done. 

What do you see as the important issues facing your town and how would you address them in your role?

As our community begins to recover from the COVID pandemic, I know many residents will be concerned about our economic recovery and how it will impact them.  We will need to work to ensure responsible use of our Economic Recovery Funds, which should be overseen by a bipartisan committee that is able to listen to and represent the needs of our townsfolk.  While I would seek to continue to fund our social service organizations such as HKYFS, HK Recreation, Parmelee Farm, and the Library that our town has grown to heavily rely upon, I would do so in a manner that would allow us to hold steady on the maintenance of roads and recreational facilities and address the critical repair needs at the Town Hall and Fire Stations.  As a taxpayer with the many financial pulls that come with having a young family, having a stable mill rate has been important to our financial wellbeing, and I would seek to maintain that rate into the future.

What are the key things you love about this town and its people?

My partner and I were attracted to Killingworth’s small-town sensibility and environmental beauty, and we continue to enjoy and appreciate the tranquility of the the land we are so lucky to inhabit.  Having accesses to undisturbed nature has brought wonder and joy to our lives daily since coming to town.  Even more importantly to us is the connections we have made with our neighbors – whether chatting in the coffee line, sharing some fresh eggs, or borrowing a needed tool, I love the sense of knowing the folks around me.  With my children now entering KES, I am excited for all of the new connections we are destined to make.

Additional thoughts to leave voters with? 

I feel that my experience as a high school principal gives me important expertise in managing a public budget that requires the highest degree of sustainability and fiscal responsibility as we manage multiple short and long-term priorities.  Above and beyond all else, I have demonstrated a commitment to listening and understanding all my community members’ needs and to ensuring the transparency of all budget decisions.  With your vote on November 2, I would be honored to do the same for you.