102913i-Richard-HardingHarding is a lifelong Cantabrigian and Cambridge Rindge & Latin School graduate with a degree from Fitchburg State College. In addition to his work on the School Committee, he runs the Men of Color Health Initiative, is a program consultant to the job training program CambridgeWorks and is president of the Port Life Foundation.

He began his public service as an intern at Joe Kennedyโ€™s Citizenโ€™s Energy, then served as director of constituent services for state Sen. Steven Tolman and as chairman of the Ward 2 Democratic Committee. He has served on the board of the Young Peopleโ€™s Project and of the Community Arts Center. As a founder of the Port Action Group, a neighborhood group focused on violence prevention, he led the effort to secure funding and institute a streetworker in Area IV to help connect felons with services and resources. He has co-chaired the Kids Council and brought his leadership to the Neighborhood Safety Task Forceโ€™s Employment Sub-Committee.

He is a recipient of the NAACP Education Excellence Award and the Cambridge Peace and Justice Award. He is a member of the Cambridge Police Commissionerโ€™s Community Advisory Board and has organized and facilitated two communitywide conversations in the area of justice: โ€œCivil Rights: Policing, Discretion and Raceโ€ and โ€œNot Guilty,โ€ a forum that examined police conduct in the Eurie Stamps and D.J. Henry incidents.

As a School Committee member, he has served as vice chairman and co-chaired the Budget and Contract Negotiations committees. His daughter is now at CRLS.

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Hardingโ€™s top three priorities:

bullet-gray-smallClosing the achievement gap and stablishing high academic standards beyond MCAS.

bullet-gray-smallIncreasing parental involvement.

bullet-gray-smallSupporting students with special needs and ensuring excellent instruction in every classroom.

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