Letters

LETTER: Parents Group Explains Positions on Taxes, CPA’s Issues & School Construction

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Since Watertown Strong Schools (WSS) released our “Fund Schools First” position statement on the CPA tax, the conversation on both sides of the issue has ramped up. We want to take this opportunity to clarify our position and clear up some misinformation that is circulating. We have also released a video of similar content for those that may prefer that media. Is it true that “Yes on 5 Doesn’t Harm Watertown Schools”? Watertown Strong Schools believes that passing the CPA now will be harmful to the future school renovation effort while CPA proponents believe that Watertown voters will pass BOTH the CPA and the future debt exclusion override in the next two years.

Business Services Director

UPDATED: Watertown Schools Looking for Interims to Replace 2 Top Administrators

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Last Friday was the final day for two of the highest school administrators in Watertown – Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald and Business Services Director Charles Kellner – and now the School Committee must figure out what to do in the short and long terms. 

Fitzgerald announced her retirement in September following calls for the School Committee to have a vote of no confidence, and despite many speaking out in support of her. Kellner is officially retiring in December, but he is using vacation time so he will not be back before his official final day. He will also help with the transition to the interim business manager. For both positions, the School Committee has decided to appoint an interim for the post, and then search for a permanent replacement. A group of parents, teachers, administrators, a high school student and a School Committee member make up the Interim Superintendent Screening Committee, said Assistant Superintendent Theresa McGuinness, who will serve as acting superintendent until an interim is chosen.

Some applications have been received, said Human Resources Director Craig Hardimon, and the screening committee met Thursday, Oct.

Schools

Underage Drinking, Stress and Bullying Concern in Youth Risk Behavior Study

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The biggest concern for Watertown youth is their access to alcohol, said members of the Watertown Youth Coalition, but other drugs, including prescription opiates, as well as depression and suicide also rank high in the latest Watertown Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The Watertown Youth Coalition received surveys from 73 percent of Watertown High School students and 87 percent of Watertown Middle Schoolers in the 2014 survey, Stephanie Sunderland-Ramsey, Prevention Program coordinator for the Wayside Multi-Service Center, told the School Committee last week. The survey (click here to see) covers tobacco use, drinking, marijuana, cocaine, prescription drugs and opioids, as well as bullying, depression and suicide attempts. Surveys stretch back 16 years, and are given every two or three years. Sunderland-Ramsey said she hopes to survey students in the spring of 2017.

Schools

LETTER: Parent Group Comments on Superintendent Search, Updates on School Issues

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The Watertown Strong Schools parent group provided the highlights of the most recent School Committee meeting and provided thoughts on the Superintendent Search. Unofficial Minutes: School Committee Meeting 10/5/16 – Key Points and Commentary

Note: These are NOT official minutes. Commentary can be found at the end of the minutes. Written by: Diego Hammerschlag

Committee members: John Portz, Chair; Kendra Foley, Vice-Chair; Guido Guidotti, Secretary; Eileen Hsu-Balzer; Candace Miller; Mark Sideris; Dr. Theresa McGuinness, Assistant Superintendent; Craig Hardimon, Human Resources Director. Recognition: Benjamin S. Lowry, National Merit Recipient for 2015 PSAT

Postponed

High School Student Advisors

Several clubs have started their 2016-2017 activities.

Schools

BC Study Looks for Ways Watertown Schools Can Connect with Non-English Speakers

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Students from a wide variety of cultures and nations fill the classrooms of the Watertown Public Schools, and a study by Boston College researchers seeks to make sure all families are included in what is going on at school. Wednesday night, Rebecca Lowenhaupt, an assistant professor at BC’s Lynch School of Education, told the School Committee that Watertown parents, in general, have a high participation rate in school activities, but the story is different for recent immigrants. “You have a high attendance of parents at back to school night of PreK through eighth grade – 95 percent were in attendance or reached out at that time,” Lowenhaupt said. “While there is a high attendance rate for PreK-8, there is a lower rate for those who first language is not English.” About 11 percent of the students in the Watertown schools are in the English Language Learner (also known as ESL) program, and they speak 28 different languages, with the most common being Portuguese, Spanish, Armenian, Arabic and Pashto.

Around Town

High School Students Spend Summer as Watertown Community Foundation Interns

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What did you do this summer? For eight Watertown high schoolers, the dreaded first assignment is a little easier this fall. Together they completed over a thousand hours of work as interns for which each received a $1,000 stipend under the Watertown Community Foundation’s high school internship program, WCF announced. The program, open to Watertown residents in grades 9-12 attending any school, required at least 20 hours of voluntary work per week for at least six weeks. This was the second year WCF has offered the program, which grew from five students in 2015 to eight in 2016.

Elections

LETTER: Watertown Schools Parent Group Says Fund Schools, Not CPA

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Fund Schools First, Vote No On The CPA

Watertown Strong Schools (WSS) is urging Watertown voters to vote no on ballot question #5 regarding the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Here’s why:

The funding needs of our schools should be Watertown’s highest priority at this time. • All 5 of our schools are in urgent need of renovations and physical upgrades so that our buildings can support the overcrowding issues facing our Elementary schools and the high-quality 21 st Century education that all our children deserve. • The Watertown Public Schools (WPS) Facilities Master Plan study is almost complete, and initial cost estimates are that we will need at least $200 million to upgrade our school buildings. • We believe that the passage of the CPA in November could jeopardize the willingness of Watertown residents to vote in favor of a debt exclusion override that will be necessary in the next 1-2 years to fund these essential school renovations.

Schools

See the Qualities the School Committee Wants the Interim Superintendent to Have

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Experience, good communicator and someone who learns fast are some of the qualities the School Committee is looking for in an interim superintendent. Monday night, the School Committee discussed finding a temporary head of schools until a permanent replacement can be found for retiring Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald. School Committee Vice Chair Kendra Foley said she would like to find someone with experience and is a good leader. “I do not just want the person to play a role of superintendent, but guide the community through the process of finding a new superintendent,” Foley said. School Committee Chairman John Portz agreed with the need for experience, because there is always a learning curve when a superintendent comes to a new community.