Spec Ed in Milton: A talk with Jeffrey Rubin

Special Education is expensive education.

In the 2011 budget presented to the Warrant Committee, $9 million, approximately 26% of the overall budget , is allocated to special education. As Jeffrey Rubin, who as Administrator of Pupil Personnel Services for the Milton Public Schools is responsible for special education said, “That’s a lot of money.” He was not being glib, but rather, acknowledging a financial reality. It is a reality for school districts throughout the south shore as recently reported in the Boston Globe (please see Costly Schooling).

I sat down recently with Mr. Rubin to discuss special education in Milton.

Mr. Rubin has been working in Special Education since the 70’s. It was in the mid-seventies that Massachusetts led the nation with the passage of Chapter 766, which mandated all children were deserving of a public education independent of their abilities. There are now laws at both the state and federal levels requiring school districts to address the educational needs of all their children. Among these are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA),  MA General Law Ch. 71b, and MA Reg 603 CMR 28.

When Rubin arrived in Milton he thought, “I died and went to heaven.” In his opinion, “Milton is a great community. It is just the right size – not too small – not too large. It is hard to make headway in a large system such as Worcester.” (Rubin came from Worcester). “Everyone here works well together” . . .and Milton is “a supportive community for fixing problems.”

Read more

Patriot Ledger Opinion: Silence in wake of official’s plea would be wrong

from The Patriot Ledger

The chairwoman of the Milton School Committee says the board does not have an obligation to discuss a member’s drunken driving case.

That may be true, but it’s not necessarily right.

When board member Christopher Huban was arrested on New Year’s Day, his blood-alcohol level registered at more than three times the legal limit. (Read the full opinion here.)

Gratitude to Jazz

[Note: In the following essay MHS student Ben McCarthy talks about the impact of jazz on his life. MTM welcomes contributions from readers.If you have an event, passion, or interest you would like to share, please email editor@mytownmatters.com for more information.]

Guest Essay by Benjamin J. McCarthy, MHS class of 2010

It’s a cold Saturday morning.  Rain spills from the grey New England skies.  The wind cries like a saxophone, the rain its applause.  I am fourteen years old, soon to enter high school, and unbeknownst to me, soon to be the pianist in the jazz band.  I rub my eyes, tousle my hair, and prepare myself for another unexciting day.  As I lie down on the couch, my attention is drawn to my father’s record collection.  As I rummage through the cardboard covers and run my fingers through the dust, I stumble upon an old jazz piece, John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.”  Intrigued, I put the record on the turntable, lift the needle and place it gently onto the record’s edge.  As it spins hypnotically, I become more and more entranced. The sounds blend surrealistically.  These musical expressions of human sentiment flow mellifluously from the speakers through my ears and into my consciousness.  I have never heard anything so sublime.  So this is jazz…

Read more

Milton school board doesn’t have to talk about charges, chairwoman says

from Wicked Local Milton

The Milton School Committee has yet to officially discuss the drunken-driving charges against one of its members.

A meeting scheduled for Tuesday night was canceled Monday because the committee was going to lack a quorum, Chairwoman Lynda-Lee Sheridan said. (Read the full story here.)

Turner’s Pond path to open in the spring

from The Milton Park & Recreation Department

The contractor has halted his work on the [Turner’s Pond] pathway for the winter season.

The north side is complete in regards to contract work. The south side has been brought to sub grade and is ready for the stabilized stonedust which will be placed in early spring. No date has been set to resume work, it is weather dependent.

Both paths will remain closed until spring. The contractor does not want the south side opened due to liability issues with the changing grades.  On the north side, although the work is complete, there are areas along the path that still are unstable and should not be walked on until the turf is established.

Planning Board votes 3-2 to recommend Town Meeting approve Temple Shalom article

Capping an extraordinarily arduous process, the Planning Board took a vote on whether to recommend that town meeting approve an article defining a zoning overlay that will allow commercial development on the Temple Shalom property. At just before midnight, Mr. Whiteside, Mr. Jackson, and Ms. Innes voted in favor and Mr. Lynch and Mr. Duffy voted against.

The motion read something to the effect:

Based on consideration of all the factors discussed a majority of the Planning Board believes adoption of the zoning for institutional commercial development is in the best interests of the town. A written recommendation will follow.

Mr. Lynch stated that he could not support it because he felt he did not have the necessary information to make a decision. He cited the lack of data on traffic in particular. Mr. Duffy said, “If a project like this would fit here in the densest part of town, it would fit anywhere .  .  . such as Hillside Street.” (where Mr. Whiteside lives) Mr. Duffy also stated that he did not believe anything could be done to mitigate traffic due to the topography and geometry of the neighborhood streets.

Read more

Alleged hit and run driver released without bail

from Wicked Local Milton

The man who turned himself in to police days after a Milton father of five was hit by a truck and left to die was released without bail Tuesday morning.

Paul Daley, 61, of Quincy, a retired Quincy fire lieutenant, was released on personal recognizance after pleading innocent in Quincy District Court to charges he struck Paul Moore, 63, with his pickup truck and then drove away. (Read the full story here.)

January 2010 update from the Milton Animal League

Every month the Milton Animal League provides a video update of dogs available for adoption. Here are the four legged friends available now.

The folks at the shelter will also be quick to tell you that there are cats too! You can learn more about the Milton Animal League from their web site here.



Drunk-driving case against Milton official continued without a finding

from Wicked Local Milton

Milton School Committee member Christopher Huban admitted Monday in Quincy District Court to sufficient facts to be convicted of drunken driving on New Year’s Day.

Judge Marc Coven continued the case without a finding for one year and placed Huban on supervised probation. He will pay $65 a month. (Read the full story here.)

Look who’s not here

With attendance often anemic, is town meeting growing out of fashion?

from The Boston Globe

Some have hailed it as the purest form of democracy in action. But is the town meeting form of government – a quintessential fixture in New England for more than two centuries – finally showing its age?

In a number of communities south of Boston, many say yes. (Read the full story here.)

High-profile Quincy family at center of attempted murder case

from Wicked Local Milton

He is charged with shooting a man in the stomach with a .45-caliber handgun and then speeding off in his Porsche. Robert O’Connell, a preppy-looking 40-year-old, surrendered to police wearing a powder blue sweater over an oxford shirt and khakis. He is not a typical Quincy District Court defendant answering to a charge of attempted murder. (Read the full story here.)