To the editor:
Well, I thought I would dwell on my thoughts of the conversation with the School Committee on Thursday night before I wrote a letter to the editor. First of all, well done stakeholders for tuning in on Zoom, almost 300 from the community. The rules were explained at the beginning of the meeting. It will be in a question/answer format. You have 60 seconds and a 10-second warning. The time keeper was Brian Ota. My question was about selling either Coffin or Eveleth Schools to try to supplement the funds for the schools. I was more or less told that will not happen. With the possibility of mandated affordable dwellings being built in Marblehead, an influx of students would cast a burden on our schools. So, we MAY need Coffin. How about selling Eveleth when the library moves out? I used a million dollars for an example. Sarah Fox said that would be a one-and-done use of the money. She said we need a solution to sustain our schools. That, I assume, would be an override. She also said playing nice in the sandbox with the town didn’t guarantee the schools would get the money. Hmmm, I have enough faith in the town that a sit down with them and the SC could work out a deal in writing that those monies would go directly to capital improvements for the schools! Someone mentioned at one of the budget meetings we need a new roof, new boilers, HVAC system, repairs to Village and Veterans for starters. A gentleman mentioned possibly leasing the property. The SC mentioned the town owns the land so lets all work together. At one SC meeting it was mentioned that if the Coffin needed to be demolished it would cost upward of a million dollars, who pays for it? The flag policy was brought up by two high schoolers and we found out Thursday night there was a decision by the town about a policy. The SC stated they needed more time to investigate. The woman from the League of Women Voters asked the SC to please give themselves a grade. She didn’t need a dissertation. She just wanted an answer, A to F. Unfortunately, she did not understand that we do not use that grading system anymore. We should, but we don’t. Please look at the grading grid below: So, I think we can safely say when the SC stated that they graded themselves B- to a B, you were correct!! I agree with you by using the new grading system. You hit the nail on the head! B: means beginning to progress toward meeting the standard. Jenn gave herself a B-, which is closer to a N, which means not demonstrating progress toward meeting the standard.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: M = Meeting the standard consistently and independently, P= Progressing toward meeting the standard, B = Beginning to progress toward meeting the standard, N= Not yet demonstrating progress toward meeting the standard.
I thought the rules for speaking, you must state your name and address? Did I hear a woman say, “I don’t have an address?” I thought we were required to ask a question and not allowed to say, “I don’t have a question, I have a comment,“ which a few of the SC friends did. The union reps asked the SC point blank, “What are you going to do for the teachers, staff and students of Marblehead?” The SC just looked at each other. The question was repeated. During the weekend, individuals called me asking the questions, are we keeping the METCO Program and also the program that teachers employed by Marblehead could enroll their children in our schools and how much that costs the town. I said I have no idea, that is a question that should be addressed to the SC. I said the only thing I know for sure, the sports programs are not cut. Superintendent Theresa McGuinness stressed that at the budget meeting. LWV, please ask the town administrator and Select Board to join the SC in a joint open forum so there is no question of finger pointing. That way we, the stakeholders, can get our questions answered and get the full story. I will leave you with this: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! Let’s go in the direction of working together. The stakeholders, School Committee, town administrator, and the Select Board! Here WE go!!!
Mary McCarristan