[CabotCommunity] Summary of Q&A with School Committee Members & Reminder to Vote on the 23rd

[Jo Doherty]

Summary of Q&A session with School Committee Members - January 18th, 2007

About 19 parents and Dr. Quarcoo met with Marc Laredo and Reenie Murphy,
School Committee Members to ask questions about short term space issues,
enrollment growth, special education services, long term plans to renovate
Cabot school and the Newton North project.  Our thanks go to Sue Covitzs for
providing a summary of some of the major points of the evening.

 

It was noted that overall there has been a demographic shift up in the
elementary school population. Cabot may be experiencing an even bigger
increase due to all of the multi-family dwellings that are now being built
in the neighborhood. With plans to place 2 modulars at Cabot next Fall and
an anticipated increase of 70 students over the coming years, Dr. Quarcoo
urged parents to get involved in the Political Issues Committee as well as
other efforts to help address short and long term space concerns at Cabot.

 

Short Term Issues Raised

*	The School Committee confirmed the new modulars are to address the
need for classroom space in the schools.
*	Modular classrooms are to be sited in the faculty parking lot
reducing some of the available parking.  A letter to abutters went out this
week by the City to let neighbors know of these. 
*	The Mayor has committed to funding the modulars, although funding
for staff and supplies for the modulars is still to be addressed under
upcoming School Department budget discussions.  The School Committee
certainly recognizes the need to fund the new teachers and/or supplies etc.
As parents we can advocate for specific funding needs during the School
Committee budget discussions. A parent also noted that although there may be
more funding for teaching staff, an additional workload will also be
required by the school support staff and the specialist teachers. 

 

Other Issues Raised about Short Term Space Problems at Cabot

*	Parents suggested that more children take the bus next year to
alleviate parking concerns.  One parent suggested that we create a "walking
bus" which would have groups of children walk together with the assistance
of parent volunteers. 
*	Since the school bus that services Cabot is underutilized, a parent
asked about adding more stops, or more flexibility, ie: bus students
attending different afterschool programs if they are on the current route.
Marc & Reenie said that the bus contract is up at the end of this year and
to contact Ken Tempkin. Watch future Jabber emails identifying initiatives
in this area.
*	Parents also asked about having students attend school at different
times or in shifts.  The School Committee explored this in the past and has
found that having kids come to school in different shifts is very difficult
for families, especially if the parents work.
*	One parent asked about the Learning Center which does not have
adequate "pull out" space for specialists who need to meet privately with
students.  Both Marc and Reenie suggested that the discussion about the
Learning Center should begin with the Principal, but they felt that all the
schools including Cabot have already been divided up extensively and there
is not much more space available to divide.  

 

 

Long Term Issues Raised/Other Concerns about Increases in Elementary School
Population

*	The School Committee has embarked on a long term facilities study
which will recommend 2 or 3 schools for renovation (by May, 2007).  State
money should be available in July, 2007 to help fund the renovations. School
Committee members are well aware of the current dilapidated state of Cabot &
we will work to ensure Cabot is one of the recommended schools. This study
will identify what facilities Newton's elementary schools should have and
compare current facilities against these requirements. If you are concerned
about facilities other than classroom space, such as for Literacy
specialist, Special Education or for after-school programs consider getting
involved in helping to monitor and affect these deliberations. 
*	The School Committee is planning to renovate the Carr School (in
Nonantum) so that the building can be used for swing space.  Reenie and Marc
stated that the Carr School will likely be one of three buildings that the
School Committee places on the initial list for renovation. 
*	Although unpopular, the School Committee will likely consider
re-districting schools at some point in the near future.  The Carr School
may be used for re-districting students or it can be used to house students
who are at a school that is being renovated.
*	A parent raised the issue of whether or not the School Committee
will re-consider splitting Cabot students between Bigelow and Day Middle
Schools.  Marc and Reenie suggested that parents raise the issue with Brenda
Keegan, Asst. Superintendent or Jeff Young, Superintendent before bringing
this to the attention of the School Committee. The next PTO meeting will
address this topic.

 

Newton North Project

*	The School Committee, the Alderman and the Mayor, fully support the
new site plan and urge people to vote "yes" on January 23rd.  
*	A lot of time and effort has gone into the plans for a new Newton
North which is urgently needed. The current building is completely
inadequate.
*	If the site plan is approved, there will still be time to make
changes to the plan. For example, there will still be consideration given to
the sunken field and the traffic flow around the neighborhood and streets
leading into Newton North.
*	The new building will have a capacity of 1850 kids but has adequate
space for an additional 300 students.   The classrooms are 780 sq. feet
which are the same as classrooms at Newton South and the Newton North
principal has expressed that the 780 sq. feet is more than adequate for
classrooms. Science labs will be slightly larger.
*	Plans for how the Newton North project will be funded will be
discussed in the near future.
*	It takes at least 4-5 years to build a new building, from planning
to completion of building.  The new Newton North should be ready by January
2010.

 

Other Important Information for Parents

*	All School Committee documents are available on line (e.g.
Enrollment Reports). Simply click on
http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/schoolcommittee
*	Marc Laredo reported that Newton teachers will be voting on the
proposed new contract at the end of January. He is hopeful that a settlement
is reached in the near future.
*	Parents should take the opportunity to lobby legislators for
increased state funding for public schools. In addition, the state is
supposed to reimburse cities and towns for special needs transportation but
this is usually not the case. Parents can help by advocating for this to
happen.
*	Reenie suggested that the School Councils, which each school is
required to have by law, consider gathering together and forming an umbrella
organization throughout the city, much like the PTO Council.  

 

 

Additional Item - Assessment of Newton North High School by New England of
Schools and Colleges Commission of Public Secondary Schools

Recently Newton North High School was visited by a Committee from the New
England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission of Public Secondary
Schools to assess the quality of the educational program at the school in
terms of the Commission's Standards for Accreditation. Although the
Committee approved Newton North's accreditation & praised it as a "vibrant
learning community pursuing excellence in a deplorable and discouraging
physical setting." 

 

Their report also had this to say:

"Sadly, the outstanding school culture, excellent professional staff, and
high quality programming have also served to mask the negative impact of the
school's deplorable building and deteriorated infrastructure on teaching and
learning at Newton North High School.

The leaders and citizens of the City of Newton have, for far too long,
created a condition of benign neglect of the legitimate needs of the
students and staff at Newton North. In many ways, Newton North has truly
become a victim of its own success. The neglect of Newton North includes an
unsafe, woefully inadequate building, an aged and obsolete infrastructure in
terms of HVAC systems and plumbing and electrical systems, inadequate
internal telecommunications, an obsolete technology infrastructure,
inadequate and unsafe labs, a variety of specific health and handicapped
issues, and on and on, ad infinitum. Ironically, and especially with such a
public commitment to career and technical education programming at Newton
North, one would hardly expect this to be the case. Moreover, the glaring
inequality that exists between the facilities and infrastructure provided
the students of Newton North High School and those provided the students of
Newton South High School constitutes a massive public embarassment for the
City of Newton."

 

 

This has been compiled for you by the Cabot PTO

 

Jo Doherty

Cabot PTO Co-President

11 Leonard Avenue,

West Newton, MA 02465

617-332-1530

jcdoherty11 at comcast.net

 

 

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