School Building Program

Final Community Forum on Future of School Buildings on Wednesday

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The Watertown Public Schools and the Town of Watertown announced the final community forum in the School Facilities Master Plan process. They sent out the following announcement:

This summer the Watertown Public Schools and the Watertown community are working with the Cambridge architectural firm SMMA (Symmes Maini & McKee Associates) to develop a School Facilities Master Plan. This is the first important step to review and assess the capacity of our school buildings to support the teaching and learning needs of the district. The limitations of the school district’s current buildings have become increasingly apparent with the need for special program spaces, pressure from increasing enrollments, and a goal of maintaining appropriate class sizes. Watertown’s current school buildings are at least sixty years old and were designed for a time with very different educational needs than the present.

Schools

District Opens New Central Registration Office & New Enrollment Procedure

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The new centralized registration office for the Watertown Public Schools opened this week, and already had dozens of new students enrolling. 

In the past students and parents would go to the school to register, but the Central Registration Office was created in part to make sure that classes in Watertown’s elementary schools do not become overcrowded. Along with the new office, located in the Phillips Building, 30 Common St., the School Committee heard about the flow chart to decide where students will be placed. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the goal is to keep classes between 18-20 students for Pre-K through first grade, 20-22 for grades 2 and 3 and 22-24 for fourth and fifth grades. The placements will be made by the Central Office Team and elementary school principals based on location, siblings and class size, said the District’s Data Manager Lauren Harwood. “The goal is to keep children in their neighborhood schools,” Harwood said.

Jean Fitzgerald

Supporters Come Out to Praise Superintendent, But Some Parents Still Dissatisfied

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Two messages came through loud and clear at Wednesday’s School Committee meeting: there is a lot of love in Watertown and its schools for Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald, and that there is a sizable group of parents frustrated by the state of the schools – and they aren’t going away. Dozens of people came out to express their trust, admiration and love for Fitzgerald, who has been the target of a petition organized by a group of Watertown parents asking for the School Committee to take a vote of no-confidence for the superintendent. Many who work in the Watertown Public Schools praised Fitzgerald’s work, her commitment to the schools and her character. Watertown High School English teacher Vivienne Mulhall said she has been the best superintendent in her time. “It wold be disingenuous of me to say I always agree with Dr. Fitzgerald, I haven’t.

Schools

UPDATED: Parents Bringing Petition Calling for Vote on Superintendent to Wednesday’s Meeting

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The beginning of school is around the corner, but the Superintendent is facing an uprising of parents upset with the way she has handled some major decisions over the past year. 

Wednesday night, a group of parents will deliver a petition signed by parents asking for the School Committee to take a vote of confidence for Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald. School Committee Chairman John Portz said there will not be a vote on the Superintendent at Wednesday’s meeting. That would have to be put on the agenda. That can be done by Portz, as chairman, or by other members of the School Committee, he said. Fitzgerald responded to the petition with a letter on the Watertown Public Schools website, saying “I take the concerns of my community very seriously and work hard to ensure their voices are heard.”

Schools

Watertown Parents Start a Petition Asking for Vote of No Confidence for Superintendent

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A group of Watertown parents have started a petition asking for the School Committee to take a vote of no confidence for Watertown Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald. The petition, which would also be sent to the Town Council, was started on Change.org, and as of 5:45 p.m. had 20 supporters. The first paragraph of the lengthy petition reads:

“We, the undersigned Parents of children who are attending or have attended Watertown Public Schools, and community members who share similar concerns, have composed this letter to express our dissatisfaction with the current superintendent, Jean Fitzgerald.” The organizers, who were not named in the petition, wrote that “it is the petitioner’s’ position that the Superintendent has acted inefficiently, incompetently, and with conduct unbecoming of a Superintendent.” This, the petition says, is enough to terminate and dismiss Fitzgerald under her contract.

Letters

LETTER: Parents Dismayed at Late Cancellation of Extended Day on School Half Days

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Letter to the Editor (8/8/16)
This morning [Monday], many Watertown parents woke up to some incredibly dismaying news. According to an email sent out by the Director of Community Education Beth Sahakian, there are some major changes being made to the after school programs for elementary school students here in Watertown. These changes are as follows (from an email received this morning):
“THIS IS A CHANGE:  Extended Day will NOT BE OPEN on Early Release Days (March 1st and May 24th)  from 12:15- 2:35PM. You may bring your children to Extended Day at 2:35PM. Extended Day will NOT BE OPEN on conference days (dates TBD) from 12:15- 2:35PM.

Letters

LETTER: Elimination of Half Day Transition by Schools Hurts Working Families

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This letter was originally sent to School Administrators and the School Committee:

I am sure by now you have received considerable feedback from your decision to eliminate coverage on half day transitions to extended day. While your reasoning might have been sound and based on contractual and financial considerations, the impact your decision has on working families in Watertown is far greater than you might have considered. We have enjoyed the advantages of the Extended Day Program at the Hosmer for the past three years. Your staff is accommodating, the program is engaging and the convenience is exactly what we need. By eliminating the bridge period between scheduled half days and the extended day program, you have effectively caused us and most of the families that pay for your program a great deal of hardship and confusion.

School Facilities Master Plan

See Options for Modernizing Watertown High and Middle Schools

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With some major changes inside the buildings, Watertown High School and Watertown Middle School could be remodeled to handle all the students coming through the town schools, an architectural consultant told the School Facilities Master Plan Steering Committee. The outsides of the buildings would look much the same, but architect Michael van Hamel of SMMA said the schools could be brought up to modern standards without building brand new schools. He went over options during Wednesday night’s Steering Committee meeting which is planning for the master plan, due to come out in September. He plans to reinvigorate space at the schools that are seldom used or not being used to their potential. At the middle school, van Hamel said, the lower gym could be turned into a library and maker space.