Milton will not pursue “Race to the Top” funding

At lat week’s School Committee meeting Ms. Gormley and Mr. Huban updated the committee on a session the Secretary of Education had with representatives of school districts to apply for funding from a federal program. Race to the Top. The amount of funding available to a district is determined by a formula that factors in a district’s Title 1 status. Milton would have been eligible for approximately $84,000 over four years.

The funding is contingent on signatures from a district’s school committee, administration, and union. The unions are reluctant to agree because of issue related to compensation and tying compensation to student test scores. Milton will not be pursuing the funding. Ms. Kelly of the School Committee voiced her disappointment on this. Milton is not alone. As Mr. Pavlicek pointed out, few schools are signing on and most of those that have are charter schools. Mr. Huban said that the session was lacking in details and that he had overheard on school official characterize the pitch as being similar to time share, “Just sign on the dotted line.”

Following is an article from the Patriot Ledger reporting on south shore districts and the Race to the Top initiative.

from The Patriot Ledger

Many South Shore school districts take themselves out of the running for federal grants

Blue Hill Observatory marks 125th anniversary

from Wicked Local Milton

Blue Hill Observatory, the country’s oldest weather and climate station, is having a celebration to mark its 125th anniversary.

The festivities begin Jan. 30 at Fuller Village on Brush Hill Road with a lunch featuring guest speakers Louis Uccellini and Paul Kocin, authors of the book ‘‘Northeast Snowstorms.’’ An evening reception and fireworks at the observatory will follow. (read the full story here.)

Tea Talk with Lisa Tavakoli

Celebrate National Tea Month with Tea Specialist Lisa Tavakoli, owner of Quincy’s Hallowed Herbs Tea House.  Learn about the health benefits of drinking tea and enjoy a “proper” cup of tea and Lisa’s famous scones. Space is limited, so PLEASE confirm at cdspiros@comcast.net or 617-698-8003.

WHEN:  Tuesday, January 19th at 7pm

WHERE: Keys Community Room, Milton Public Library

Dedham 61, Milton 52: Marauders finish off state champs

from Wicked Local Dedham

If the Dedham High boys basketball team is to entertain ideas of snaring a piece of the Herget Division title, Friday night’s contest in Milton was a must-have contest.

Coming off a frustrating loss Tuesday in Natick in which the Marauders mustered one field goal over the final 3:50 left Dedham just a game over .500 overall and a game below in the Bay State Conference. (Read the full story here.)

Congressman Lynch announces community meeting on Haitian earthquake

Congressman Stephen F. Lynch along with Brockton Mayor Linda Balzotti will be hosting a community meeting and information session on rescue and relief operations underway following the earthquake in Haiti.  Representatives from the United States Coast Guard, the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services and other federal agencies will be available to give updates on the current situation and offer information to those who have been impacted by the earthquake and have family or loved ones living or travelling in Haiti.

WHEN:         Sunday, January 17, 2010 from 3:00-5:00 p.m.

WHERE:        Christ the King Parish / 42 Wendell Avenue / Brockton, Massachusetts

Drunken driving arrest doesn’t keep Milton school official off road

from The Patriot Ledger

A school committee member was back behind the wheel days after admitting that there were sufficient facts to find him guilty of drunken driving.

Christopher Huban’s license was suspended for 45 days after his arrest Jan. 1, when police say he was driving with a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. (Read the full story here.)

Locally and statewide, female superintendents making the grade

from Wicked Local Milton

The Milton schools had been led by a female superintendent since 1993, so Mary Gormley was not defying the odds when she took over in 2004.

Still, when she began attending regional conferences as a school administrator 16 years ago, she quickly realized that her career track was far from the norm. (Read the full story here.)

Schools bracing for deep cutbacks

At the recent School Committee meeting members voiced concerns about the FY11 budget.  They are not alone in their concerns. An article in the Globe makes it clear that towns throughout Massachusetts are bracing for a very difficult time.

from The Boston Globe

School administrators across the state are crafting bleak budgets for the next school year and warning of steep cutbacks, including teacher layoffs, to cope with a probable sharp drop in funding from Beacon Hill and dwindling federal stimulus money.

Though schools grappled with thinned-down budgets last year, they got relief from a massive infusion of federal education dollars that is now all but spent, and officials are bracing for cuts that go deep into the classroom. (Read the full story here.)

Milton church members pray for Haitians

from The Patriot Ledger

Jack Riley returned from Haiti on Saturday, with fresh memories of the villagers he had met back in 2004 when his church first traveled to the impoverished country.

For five years, members of St. Agatha’s Church have been traveling to Haiti to give medical and humanitarian assistance to a rural mountain village in the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Riley, the operations manager for the church, said his second trip gave him the opportunity to reconnect with people the parish now thinks of like family. (Read the full story here.)

Meeting Notes: School Committee 01.12.09 – FY11 budget looking “gruesome”

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

Towns scramble for tax payments

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.)