Schools

School Committee Approves School Bus Contract, Working With College on Routes

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Monday night, the School Committee approved a five year school bus contract, which will only rise three percent over the term of the contract. Most times, the District signs a three year contract, but the winning bidder (and current contract holder), Local Motion, offered incentives for two additional years, said Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations. State law requires the contract to also get the approval of the Town Council, because it more than three years. The current contract ends on June 30, 2018. Local Motion and Eastern Bus Co.

Schools

Watertown Middle School Principal Leaving After 13 Years

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Watertown Middle School Principal Kimo Carter will be headed to Weston in July to take the position of Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. The Weston Public Schools announced the appointment on its website on Monday. Watertown Superintendent Dede Galdston told the School Committee that Carter would be leaving during Monday’s School Committee meeting. “We wish him the best for his future, and thank him for 13 years in the district,” Galdston said. School Committee Chairman John Portz congratulated Carter.

Schools

Don’t Miss Out on Tickets for the Dancing With the Watertown Stars Education Fundraiser

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It’s your last chance to get tickets for Dancing with the Watertown Stars, presented by the Rotary Club of Watertown! On May 11 you’ll get the chance to cheer on your favorite local stars as they strut their stuff on the dance floor! A portion of all proceeds will be used to support education in Watertown. Have a great time AND support an amazing cause! 2018 Watertown Stars: Tony Physic, Kelly Cronin, Andrew Allegro, Diego Ribeiro, Kevin Sanderson, Marilyn Pettito Devaney, Lauren Unsworth, Jan Taylor!

Entertainment

Perkins Teams with Revels Singing Group for A Celebration of Spring Concert

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Revels and Perkins School for the Blind’s 18th annual presentation “A Celebration of Spring.” Directed by Patrick Swanson; Music Direction by Megan Henderson

WHEN: Thursday, May 31, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Perkins School for the Blind, Dwight Hall – 175 No. Beacon Street, Watertown, MA

Admission is FREE

Join us for a joyful and inspirational concert of traditional music, dance and song as we celebrate spring with the talented students from Perkins School for the Blind. Revels directors Megan Henderson and Paddy Swanson lead this special one-hour program featuring Perkins’ talented singers with Revels’ adult and children’s choruses, a children’s morris team, and a great band of musicians. Enjoy music and songs from South Africa, Croatia, England and America, plus a wild visit from that ancient harbinger of spring, the Padstow ‘obby ‘oss, all the way from Cornwall, England!

Schools

Hosmer Students Help Plant a Tree on Campus for Arbor Day

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Rarely does a tree get so much attention, but this week a group of 80 fourth graders from Hosmer Elementary School crowded around a young tree, freshly planted outside the school in honor of Arbor Day. 

Watertown resident and landscape architect David Jay organized the event, and made sure each of the students left with a sapling to plant in their own yard. In past years, Watertown’s Tree Warden organized tree plantings at the town’s elementary schools, but there is no warden at the moment. Jay stepped in this year on behalf of Trees for Watertown, a citizens group which advocates for trees. The dwarf apple tree was in place by the time many students arrived, but a group of children helped Jay remove the grass around the tree, making sure to shake the dirt from the sod back onto the ground around the tree. Then the students shoveled mulch around it.

Fiscal Year 2019 Budget

Town Adding Several New Positions in Proposed Fiscal Year 2019 Budget

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Next year’s proposed Watertown Town Budget includes funding for a few new positions, including an environmental planner, a forestry supervisor, positions at the Senior Center, and an additional police officer. A new department, shared by the Town and Schools, will be formed, and money has been set aside to start the reconstruction of four Watertown Schools. Town Manager Michael Driscoll presented the budget, his 26th in Watertown, to the Town Council on Tuesday night. The Fiscal Year 2019 budget will be $139.55 million, a $6.997 million increase over the current Fiscal year, or 5.28 percent. It includes a 5 percent increase in the education budget, 2.5 percent more for Municipal Departments, and adds more than $1 million to the budget for Public Safety — Police and Fire.

Building for the Future

Costs for Elementary School Projects Much Higher Than Original Estimates

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The Watertown School Committee learned that the estimates for the elementary school building projects underestimated the costs by $50 million or more. 

The School Building Committee that oversees the Building for the Future school building projects heard a presentation from architects Ai3 earlier in April and part of the presentation focused on the cost. The estimate for rebuilding or renovating the three elementary schools would be $170 million to $180 million, School Committee Chairman John Portz said. The original cost range was $80 million to $120 million, Portz said, and Town Manager Michael Driscoll has committed the town to cover up to $120 million from the Town budget. That would mean residents would not be asked to pass an override, which would increase property taxes to pay for the project. Strategies for how to handle the increased costs have not yet been discussed, Portz said.

Around Town

Youth Coalition Discusses Study of Alcohol, Drug Use by Young People in Watertown

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On Wednesday evening, April 11, 2018, members of the Watertown Health Department, Town Council, School Committee, Police, and Recreation Departments, Wayside Multi­Service Center staff, Watertown Youth Coalition Peer Leaders, local clergy, youth, parents, and other interested community members joined together to hear a presentation and to discuss data from the most
recent Watertown Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). This survey was administered in the Spring of 2017. The YRBS is a health behavior survey usually given every other year to students in grades 7 through 12. The survey seeks to understand not only what risky behaviors the youth may be engaging in (use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, non­-medical use of prescription drugs, etc.), but also to better understand the perception of harm related to these activities. The survey also asks questions concerning stress levels, mental health (including thoughts of suicide), bullying, sexual activity, nutrition, and exercise.