Updated – 01.28.10: 08.44 – The administration has released the following documents:

• Superintendent Gormely’s letter to the School Committee re: FY11 budget
• FY10 to FY11 Budget History
• FY11 Budget Reductions

While hopeful of receiving a service level budget, the school administration is operating on the assumption that they would likely receive level funding for FY11. Level funding will require cuts. In anticipation of that, Superintendent Gormley along with Matt Gilles, School Business Administrator, reviewed for the School Committee the staff cuts that would be required to meet that budget number, $32, 976,000.

To preserve service levels, the administration has requested an FY11 Budget proposal of $35,533,107. As Gormley notes in her letter:

The FY11 Budget reflects moving all of our current staff forward into the next school year and adding four classroom teachers based on the following priorities:

• NESDEC and in-house enrollment projections that reflect increased student enrollment
• 2009 Adequate Yearly Progress Status of Schools and Sub Groups:

o Milton High School – African American/Black Subgroup in English and Math
o Pierce Middle School – Special Education Subgroup in English and Math
o Tucker – Aggregate in Math and Low Income and African American/Black Subgroups in Math
o Glover – Aggregate in English and Special Education Subgroup in English and Math
o Collicot – Aggregate in English and Special Education Subgroup in English and Math
o Cunningham – Aggregate and Subgroups all Achieved AYP in English and Math

However, it is unlikely that this request will be granted. Assuming the more conservative figure, Ms. Gormley prefaced her review by stating that the goal was to keep teachers in the classroom. The cuts reflect this. The vast majority of positions eliminated are system wide positions and / or administrative.  The high school will lose a director of guidance and 1 teacher in the family and consumer studies department. Pierce will lose 1 classroom teacher and 1 assistant principal. The elementary schools will lose 1 language based teacher, 2 French immersion teachers, and 1 kindergarten teacher. Gormley noted that some of these cuts made due to projected enrollments decreasing.

System wide cuts include 1 custodian and 5 classroom aides, which they believe can be done without violating any IEPs. 4.5 lunch aides will be rolled over to revolving account. They will not be cut but financed differently.

Note, this is not a complete list of all reductions. The list will be posted on the school web site at some point later today (1/27) according to Superintendent Gormley. Gormley also emphasized that despite goal of keeping teachers in front of students, cutting a total of 24.4 FTE heads from the system would “have a profound negative impact.”

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from Wicked Local Walpole

“It was the single most stressful meet of my coaching career,” was the description Head Coach Conor Cashman gave of last Thursday’s track meet between the Rebels and the Wildcats of Milton.

Many events coming down to inches and seconds, the battle was hard-fought on both sides. The Wildcats managed to get wins over both the boys and girls teams in the end, however, with the final scores at 50-36 and 56-30 respectively. The capturing of key upset firsts for Milton allowed them to conquer a rolling Rebel team. (Read the full story here.)

The Massachusetts legislature is wrestling with two public safety issues relevant to municipalities across the Commonwealth: driving legislation that would address testing of elderly drivers and cell phone use and legislation to prevent bullying.

Several months ago the issue of testing elderly drivers was front and center in the news as a result of a spate of accidents involving senior drivers some fatal.

In a poll here the majority of respondents voted in favor of testing. (You can find the poll at the end of this post.)

The Massachusetts legislature seems gridlocked according to story that appeared last week in The Boston Globe:

from The Boston Globe

Despite promises of swift action from lawmakers in the new year, two high-profile driver safety bills are languishing on Beacon Hill, their fate very much in doubt.

The Legislature showed heavy interest last year in passing major legislation on testing elderly drivers and banning text messaging behind the wheel, only to back off amid deep divisions over the two measures. (Read the full story here.)

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Every month the Boston Globe runs a feature in their dining section called “Plonk of the Month” in which they showcase wines they believe to be a value for the money.

This month one of those wines can be found right down the street at Esprit de Vin, the local wine and cheese shop run by Keith and Linda Mills.

from The Boston Globe

Lageder “Riff’’ Vigneti Delle Dolomiti IGT Rosso 2007 Pale, pinot-esque hue and lightish body point to a cool climate source; some pleasing spicy-herbal aromas and flavors; brisk; lithe; balletic. Around $12. At Magnolia Wine Co., Watertown, 617-924-6040; Esprit du Vin, Milton, 617-296-9463; Foodie’s Urban Market, Duxbury, 781-934-5544.

You can read the full story here.

MATV is the name (and acronym) of Milton Access Television. It broadcasts on Comcast channels 8, 10, and 22 and RCN channels 3, 13, and 15.

If you have ever watched MATV you know that it can be a at times frustrating experience. If you have watched for any length of time you will also know that they are constantly getting better.

Why does MATV matter? They matter because their mission matters. They provide two critical services::

• support for any resident of Milton who wishes to broadcast a program. Currently there are three: a cooking show with Connie Spiros and two current affairs programs, Milton Speaks and Talk of the Town.
• they air important town meetings live. These include the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee, and at times The Planning Board. Think of it as our local C-Span. These are frequently rebroadcast later in the week.

Some would say watching those meetings is about as entertaining as watching paint dry. That may be true but it is extremely important as our primary source for the unvarnished truth.

Tonight the School Committee will be on live. They will be hearing a presentation from Dr. Drottar, Principal of Milton High, on his improvement plan for the high school. The committee will also be discussing the school budget for FY11.  When Special Town Meeting convenes on February 22nd, arguably the most important article will be the budget and the lion’s share of that budget will be the schools. You might want to tune in.

You can learn more about MATV here. And here is a link to their current program guide.

Visit their web site for complete information!

The Blue Hill Observatory will celebrate its 125th anniversary with a three-day series of fun and informative events from Saturday, January 30th to Monday, February 1st.

The festivities begin on Saturday the 30th at Fuller Village in Milton, MA with a lunch featuring guest speakers Dr. Louis Uccellini and Paul Kocin followed by an evening reception and fireworks at the Observatory. On Sunday the celebration will continue with an Open House at the Observatory with special presentations on Blue Hill history and the weather of the last 125 years.

On Monday the 1st, the Observatory will also be open to the public for tours much of the day with presentations on weather observing. You must register to attend the events on the 30th, but the events on Sunday and Monday are free to the public. The invitation and reply form can be found by using the ‘More Info’ link above or by going to our event calendar. Register today to join the celebration!

Time: 11:30 AM – 4 PM
Date: Saturday, January 30, 2010
Location: Fuller Village, 1372 Brush Hill Road, Milton, MA

Time: 5 PM – 7 PM
Date: Saturday, January 30, 2010
Location: Blue Hill Observatory

But wait there is more! Visit their web site for complete information!

from The Patriot Ledger

judge has altered the bail conditions of a Quincy man charged with shooting a Milton firefighter last month.

Robert O’Connell, 40, a member of a prominent and wealthy Quincy family, is free on $500,000 bail, charged with shooting Joseph Fasano, 30, Dec. 12 in Quincy in what police are calling a road-rage incident. (Read the full story here.)

In his state of the state address Governor Patrick said that funding to schools would not be cut further. The Globe ran a follow up story:

Patrick to oppose cuts in municipal aid

Cross your fingers.

On January 22nd Governor Patrick sent an email regarding key local aid numbers (e.g. Chapter 70 and unrestricted general government aid). In his email the Governor states:

“Despite the fiscal challenges the Commonwealth continues to face, I will propose taking another step forward in our commitment to education by funding Chapter 70 at the highest level in the history of the Commonwealth at $4.048 billion. Every district will be fully funded at foundation, all districts will be held harmless to ensure funding is not less than fiscal year 2010 levels, and all Chapter 70 amounts will be funded by the State, not with deferral stimulus funds.”

The good news in this is that there may not be additional cuts in state aid going forward. However, level funding does not ensure level service.  As the school committee in particular has stated in recent meetings, the FY11 budget will be a challenge. The School Committee is meeting this Tuesday (1/26) and may discuss the issue then.

from NECN

Sushi spot here in Milton features one entree named in honor of the Wildcats!

[ NOTE: If you are as old as I am you probably don’t know who Johnny Cupcakes is either. One of the refreshing things about kids is that if you listen, they can keep you young. You can learn more about Johnny Cupcakes and his line of clothing here. This is the second in a series of articles by Milton High School Journalism students.]

by Pilar Tucker / Milton High School

On December 4th Johnny Cupcakes spoke at an assembly during 3rd and 4th periods at Milton High School. During the presentation, Johnny Cupcakes spoke about his life and how he transformed himself into the successful entrepreneur he is today.

Johnny Cupcakes, like many, started off as an “average Joe.” As a student in school, he always sold things such as candy, whoopee cushions, and things that were appealing to his peers. Selling these products got Johnny into some trouble in school, so he had to stop selling goodies on school grounds.

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