Members of the Milton School Committee again made a point of cautioning the public with regard to the upcoming school budget. Mr. Pavlicek was blunt saying that “scenario will be as gruesome as we have ever seen it.  . . .We [may need] to squeeze out $2 million once again – we could get less than zero (i.e. less than level funding for FY2011). It is  not at all clear what revenue picture will be. . . It is not going to be pleasant. It’s going to make it a very difficult year once again.”

Other highlights from the meeting include but were not limited to:

• Tucker Principal – Marcia Uretsky, Principal of the Tucker School, and Jenny Yoon, Tucker site council member and teacher, presented the Tucker School Improvement Plan. Tucker met their AYP in English Language Arts both in aggregate and all subgroups but did not in math. Math instruction is being increased by 15 minutes which did not impact any other classes as Yoon explained. There are also going to be a “Morning Math Masters’ program and a Saturday program for additional enrichment and instruction. Reader’s Workshop, a program in place at al elementary schools , will be extended aos all grade levels. Ms. Uretsky, who is new to Tucker this year, also outlined steps to improve communication within the school (the faculty) and outreach to parents and community. Read more »

from The Boston Globe

Milton’s treasurer-collector, James McAuliffe, said he has found that applying pressure to the biggest tax offenders works well.

“I published the names in the newspaper of the seven property owners with the largest amounts owed,’’ he said. “We collected the amounts from four, and the other three set up payment plans.’’ The effort lowered the amount outstanding in back taxes from $2.5 million down to $1.6 million, McAuliffe said. (Read the full story here.)

from WBUR

With our attention turned to Haiti, here are some resources to allow you to help out:

• American Red Cross International Relief Fund
• International Medical Corps
• Medical Teams International
• AmeriCares Help For Haiti
• Catholic Charities (Archdiocese of Boston)
• Doctors Without Borders
• UNICEF
• Partners In Health (Boston)
• Partners In Development (Ipswich, Mass.)
• Beyond Borders
• Haitian Health Foundation
• Direct Relief International
• Oxfam America (Boston)
• United Nations World Food Program
• The Salvation Army

Additionally, for those looking for information about relatives in Haiti, the U.S. State Department’s telephone hotline is 1-888-407-4747.

From American Red Cross:  How to Get Help

from Wicked Local Hanover

The Hanover Mite B2 team played Milton who is one of the top teams in the league and pulled off a dramatic 5-4 win in a huge game for the team.

Patrick McDonald was absolutely phenomenal in goal for Hanover. Patrick’s performance in goal and Owen Porter’s Hat-Trick highlighted the amazing Hanover win. (Read the full story here.)