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February 2006Volume 25, No. 07, February 15, 2006 NEWS
IN BRIEF
More pain?It will take more than $137 million to run Newton Schools next year• FY07 budget is previewed by A. G. and J. L. “This is not going to be a good budget year yet again,” said Dori Zaleznic, a school committee member at the latest budget meeting. After compiling a list of school budget expenses for 2005/6, superintendent Jeffrey Young announced that the it looks as if 2005/6 will be yet another hurtful year for Newton’s school budget. He did so at a forum held at Oak Hill Middle School on January the 12th focused on the 2006/7 school budget. The point of the forum was to propose a budget plan. In attendance at the forum were members of the school committee and the public. One school committee member said, “The prospects for this year are not better than last.” Dr. Young then said that the 2006 school budget will cost the city $137.4 million. Dr. Young then broke down the budget in a way that he called “transparent and basic”. After compiling a precise list of expenses, he determined that $97 million of the budget (71%) would be devoted to teachers’ and other staff members’ salaries. Dr. Young then explained the size of this expense: “The bulk of expenses in any school district is based on people.” He believes that when determining teachers’ salaries, the city must look ahead, taking experience and how many years the teacher is projected to teach into account. Dr. Young then explained that almost $20 million dollars of the budget (14%) would be devoted to giving benefits, including a health insurance discount, to teachers. Also $17.5 million will go to fixed expenses, including utilities, transportation for students and special education. All of these expenses are fixed and won’t be altered. The meeting was then opened to the public. Dr. Young was asked many questions about the next year’s budget. Some seats at the committee table were given to anyone who wanted to join in. Many questions were answered about salaries, the special education program, equipment, and other issues. The next budget meeting will be in March, on Monday the 6th. After the budget is announced at this meeting, leaders will discuss the budget and the process that they went through to come to their final decision.
School dance draws administrative sanction• Inappropriate behavior spurs response by M. W. and A. W. Students lost something at January’s dance: the next dance. Due to inappropriate behavior, and disrespect, at the first all-school dance, it became the last for a while. Principal Gina Healy has decided to cancel the next all-school dance, which was to be held on March the 24th. She says that students’ behavior was unacceptable; it created an atmosphere that was uncomfortable for children and adults. The question for Healy isn’t that students didn’t behave, but that they didn’t know how to behave well. Healy explained to DAYTIME reporters that what happened at the dance is explained by what our culture approves of for music and dancing. The manners at the dance made many students and adults uncomfortable, as there was suggestive conduct involved. At issue was a form of close dancing called “grinding” . 8th grader L. V. was distressed, but suggested that, “If [teachers] have an issue with people dancing like that, they should just kick them out.” D. A.-J., on the Green Team, concurred that a few spoiled the dance for the others. A.-J. was one of many 8th graders who tried in vain to quiet younger students. Asked if she was coming up with an alternative to the school dance, Healy said she is considering doing something different. Some people have suggested a 6th grade-only dance. One of the major problems with the all-school dance was the overwhelming number of students; 457 students bought tickets. Healy’s big question is: how do we have an open social event that is safe and comfortable for everyone? Healy is “playing by ear” to decide whether to cancel the 8th grade dance, in June, and she also doesn’t know if she will be ceasing preparation for next years’ dances. Healy’s final words were that she wants a school dance to be comfortable, and she wants to be proud to be the principal of Day Middle School. Healy enjoys getting up in the morning, and she is very proud of all the work and activities, from W.O.R.D., to THE DAYTIME, to the artwork, classwork, and sports. Healy was very disappointed on January the 20th with Day Middle School students, and commented that she, “...didn’t feel proud on Friday night.” [Assisting in the preparation of this article was P. C. and M. W.].
Healy makes clear administration’s responsibility to establish acceptable rules of behavior• Principal nonetheless solicits student input by M. W. and A. W. As a follow-up to the cancellation of the March dance, Principal Gina Healy held two meetings on February the 1st and 2nd to discuss “...how to make the dance a comfortable environment for everyone”. She brought a large paper pad to write down the student’s suggestions. Students talked about what happened and how to prevent repetition of the “...inappropriate behavior and dress.” One student suggested that fellow peers think about whether they would feel comfortable acting the way they did if their parents were at the dance. This led to a discussion about parent or guardian chaperones. “I serve in loco parentis [in place of parents],” said Healy repeatedly. Many students protested, saying that it would be awkward to have their parents or guardians attend dances. Attendants at the meeting established among themselves that other students should be the ones to get the word out about not participating in inappropriate behavior. Healy made it clear that, while she is interested in having students present the new dance protocol to other students, it is the responsibility of the administration to establish acceptable rules of behavior. The majority of students asked to force the students who were acting “inappropriately” to leave. Healy says this is impossible, however, “I didn’t feel that it was individuals, it was the attitude of a large group.” [Assisting in the preparation of this article was M. W.]. DAYTIME politicsThe race for the governor’s chair: Deval Patrickby A. G., and J. S. and G. T. “I have a really ambitious agenda for Massachusetts,” states Deval Patrick, democratic candidate for governor. Deval Patrick thinks he is a better selection than his opponents because of his experience in government and business. He worked for Coca-Cola as senior manager, as well as in many other positions. He would like to see more jobs causing a larger population, a stronger and cheaper health care system, and no financial disaster if he became governor. Patrick would like all Massachusetts schools to be “consistently excellent”. He would like to enrich education by making school more fun, have smaller classes, and a longer school day. A longer school day would allow time for more sports and arts programs. He would also like there to be after-school academic programs. Patrick would like for teachers to have high quality teaching methods, and increased wages. He is outraged at how many teachers he has met who spend large portions of their own wage on classroom supplies, and plans to increase funding for classroom supplies. Massachusetts’s population is decreasing, and to this end Patrick would like to make more affordable housing. This would hopefully increase the number of collage graduates who stayed in Massachusetts after collage and graduates who move to Massachusetts. If a natural disaster happened in Massachusetts Patrick believes it is important to be visible and making decisions. He would comfort the injured and those who lost loved ones. He would also make sure that there was enough of the essentials...food and shelter. Patrick would also look at security and see where are the needs for more, or increased, security. Shops would need security to help prevent thieves and so would major public buildings. As far as gay marriage goes Patrick believes that the court made the right decision in allowing it. “It is too personal a decision for the government to have any say.” He believes the same about abortions. Patrick believes that not enough has been done in preparing for common illnesses like the bird flu. Hospitals should have done roll plays on how to react should people be infected. Doctors should be trained and vaccines made and easy access. Many steps have been made to help homeless people, yet they are not working well. Patrick thinks it is like a connect the dots puzzle; dots have been made, but not connected (not enforced). Patrick believes it is very important to address these problems before they occur. Patrick says he would be willing to raise taxes, but he does not think it is the best thing to do. If the government needed to raise taxes that would mean that shops and people are not doing as well economically this means taxes should be lowered instead of raised. However he is not going to take the pledge of not raising taxes because it is a promise that could be broken easily. As a kid Patrick did not plan on being a governor; he wanted to be an architect, as he still does. After his political career has ended he would like to pursue architecture. He was motivated and believes he got to this point because of his experiences at school. Although Patrick did not go to a good school he had encouraging teachers who were good. To someone who wants to become a politician he advises getting involved. Patrick would like people to see that as a resident everyone has an impact in their own lives and their neighbors’. He strongly believes that everyone who can vote needs to.
Newton’s disaster plansWhat happens if something goes wrong?by J. T. Newton citizens were able to hear experts preview the City’s disaster plans on the 12th of January, at 7:30PM in the Newton Public Library. Lieutenant Hugh Downing of the Newton Police Department introduced everyone and welcomed the audience. Newton Mayor David Cohen spoke very briefly, but soon left to attend a meeting at Newton North High School. Downing spoke again, this time at length about Newton’s plans. He informed everyone that there is a designated incident commander for every disaster. For example, Chief O’Brien is in charge of terrorist attacks. In case of a terrorist attack, everyone would report to O’Brien for directions. A problem that has been found in past incidents is language barriers. If people speak different languages, no one can transfer plans. So common terminology has been developed. The police department has purchased more advanced equipment so that they can “adequately respond to an incident,” said Downing. There are new software programs, including a message board that is regularly updated, and an automatic vehicle locator. There is a map at the station that shows all police cruisers, so they can be directed away from dangerous areas. Emergency management drills, disaster simulations, and table top exercises have become more common since September 11th, 2001. The last was a contamination simulation, beginning in October 2005. In April, traffic evacuation plans will be available to Newton residents. They can be found on the city of Newton website along with maps and helpful hints. Law Enforcement Protective Measures have been developed, including training with equipment and specialized clothing. “We are quite proud of the work we have done at interpreting communications in an emergency.” Downing commented. The next speaker was J. David Naparstek of the Health and Human Services Department. Naparstek talked about the table top exercises the Newton departments have been performing. The most recent one was a disease from Africa conducted by outside agencies. According to him, the most important thing is that everyone has worked together ahead of time. “If during an emergency Lieutenant Downing and I shake hands for the first time, we’re in a lot of trouble,” Naparstek said. Possible incidents include natural disasters, bombs, contamination, or even an outbreak of whooping cough in the schools. The federal government has asked that during any type of emergency 80% of Newton must be safe, and in a safe area within 72 hours. There are stockpiles of supplies that can be accessed as soon as an emergency is declared. Another important branch of disaster planning is trying to build an agreement with other communities. This agreement would say that if another community needed help, Newton would help them, and if Newton needed help they would help us. Naparstek also believes that the citizens of Newton must do their part to prepare for emergencies. “If the government is doing this alone, we’re in trouble,” Naparstek said. Ellen Humphries, also of the Health and Human Services Department, says that they need volunteers. The Medical Reserve Core is helping to organize the volunteers. Their mission is to get professionals to donate their services in a crisis. Both medical and non-medical people will be needed; they will also need translators, lawyers, and much more. As a bonus, those who volunteer, and their families, will be the first to be treated if needed. If anyone wishes to volunteer, they can call city hall and ask for volunteer services. There is also an emergency preparedness section on the city website. Commissioner Robert Rooney of the Department of Public Works was the next speaker. Rooney oversees everything that has to do with engineering and infrastructure. He sees to the safety of roads and bridges, arranges debris removal, and plans how to get bulldozers and cranes if they are needed. “Mutual aid is critical. I make it a practice to talk to public works [departments] around Newton, because they have things I don’t have, and I have things they don’t have,” Rooney commented. Rooney believes that man-made disasters are tougher to define, because intelligence must be dealt with. It is also much harder to deal with an intentional attack. Water and communications systems used to be a concern, but $1 million has gone into improving them. Another difficulty is keeping equipment current and up to date. According to Rooney, they have a strong knowledgeable work force, and, if they can maintain it, they are ready for anything. Marjory Daniels, assistant superintendent for pupil services in the Newton schools, spoke briefly about the preparations the school and city-wide crisis teams have made. Daniels assured the audience that the schools will always know where every student is during every drill. James Callahan oversaw audience questions. These included evacuation plans, communicating emergencies over the radio, and more school plans.
Emergency preparedness at F. A. Dayby J. T. Aside from the city of Newton’s plans in case of an emergency, Day has it’s own plans. According to Principal Gina Healy, there is a different plan for every emergency. A protocol has been developed for every disaster possible, which every school in Newton follows. To prepare for a fire, Day goes through several fire drills a year. Students are brought to the field, where they are accounted for. Any students missing are reported. If a teacher has every student and there is no problem, they hold up a green sign. If there is a problem, such as a missing child, they hold up a red sign. These signs are used for every emergency. In case there is a need for the school to evacuate off-site, everyone will go to the Fessenden School gymnasium. Although the students have not been brought there yet because it would be chaotic, the faculty have drills once a year over there. If there is an incident that results in students needing to be kept inside the school, every student will be directed into a classroom. Doors will be locked, and attendance communicated through the door windows. In case of a serious emergency, there is a helicopter landing zone in the field to remove any injured people. There are evacuation and shelter plans for any incident. For any emergency, there is a way to protect all of the students.
Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered in essay and songby S. C. and S. S. It was a blustery morning on January the 17th, as several hundred Newtonians gathered at Newton South High School to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The ceremony began with a welcoming speech by Marie LaBollita of the Newton Interfaith Clergy Association. Following the subsequent songs and introductions, Newton students stepped up to the podium to give their view on the holiday and its honoree. From Bigelow Middle School came Bobby Chen, who spoke of the poor manner in which Hurricane Katrina was handled by the government. He said that King would be proud and disappointed. Following Chen was Orange Teamer C. A., who read Blue Teamer S. S.’s essay about King’s message [printed in its entirety in the January the 18th DAYTIME]. The ceremony was peppered with musical performances from Newton North’s Jubilee Singers, the Newton All-City Chorus Treble Singers, and singers from the Myrtle Baptist Church. Songs performed include “If I Were A Voice” by Judson Hutchinson, and “Lift Up Your Eyes” by Ken Medena (both performed by the All City Chorus), and “The Love Tones”, performed by the Myrtle Baptist Church. Other speakers included Mayor David Cohen and Congressman Barney Frank, who said that King could have continued to make a huge difference in life, had he lived longer. Cohen thanked many people such as the essay readers and the school department. After this he spoke of getting more civil rights with the Supreme Court. “Don’t give us judges who will turn the clock back.” Later in his speech, Cohen spoke more about addressing matters of discrimination in today’s world. Wrapping up his speech, Cohen commented, “Don’t just praise the dreamer, work to fulfill the dream.” Finally, Cohen welcomed Frank. Frank spoke of Dr. King and of raising issues of injustice today. Superintendent Jeff Young was introduced and congratulated for his respect of the student voice. He did not speak much before introducing the student speakers from Day and Bigelow. C. A.’s essay, co-written by S. S. centered around how Dr. King did not want to be remembered for his awards or prizes he received. He simply wanted people to continue doing what he believed in: working for a non-violent and peaceful world. The first mention of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was brought up in an essay by A. R., an 7th grader at Day, and manager of this paper’s bureau of statistics and research. Her essay also spoke about how Dr. King died, and how diverse a community we have now. The All-City Honors Chorus which performed its two songs consecutively, was directed by Charlotte Brumit. Both songs were light and joyful. The first song called “If I Were A Voice” sounded jumpy and happy, was about a “persuasive voice”. The second song, “Lift Up Your Eyes” was accompanied by fluent, well united hand motions throughout the song. The winners of the Newton North Dr. King essay contest read their essays next, both of which were lengthy. To start winding the ceremony down, three adult singers from the Myrtle Baptist Church sang “Love Tones,” a jazzy song. Following this was Richard Bowen explaining about the offering after the ceremony. Finally, to wrap the ceremony up, everyone sang the well-known song, “We Shall Overcome.” Everyone sang this song loud and clear, then began to file out the door. There was also, however a visual component to this event. Many students in elementary schools had created all varieties of art. Following the eloquent ceremony Frank commented “[We need] less political speeches and more student performances.”
Community readMore than 120 members of Day community read THE MISFITSby A. R. The book, THE MISFITS by James Howe, was the topic when members of the F. A. Day community participated in their first ever community read. The participants met in the school auditorium for a lively discussion on the book. This enthusiastic discussion took place on January the 25th at 7PM. “At least 120 individuals checked out THE MISFITS from our library,” said Christine Graham, assistant librarian at Day Middle School. She continued by saying that 40 of those individuals participated in the discussion. The discussion started off with food and drink while people walked around the tables where posters had been placed. The posters asked a question about the book and people could write their answers. At one of the tables there were stickers in the shape of a circle with a red cross through them, similar to the “no-smoking” signs. At this table people could write hurtful words that people should not be called, and then stick them to their clothing. “I was inspired by the number of students, parents, and faculty who came to the event and shared their thoughts about the book and bullying. I think that one of the key factors in addressing harassment and bullying that goes on in middle school is getting people to have open and honest conversations about it. THE MISFITS event was a great start,” says Jennifer Sanders, Orange Team English teacher, and a major organizer of the event. Students, parents and staff soon split into groups and began discussing the book. Everyone was given a paper with about twenty questions, where they could find a question they wanted to discuss and then bring it up to their group. Most discussions were about middle school bullies, personal situations, and name-calling. All the discussions were very spirited.
Gund Partnership presents options for NNHS- Skepticism expressed - Planners “out of their minds”, according to a parent - State will not provide any more funds for new building by B. M. Gund Partnership, the selected architects for the new Newton North High School (NNHS) building, made its conceptual design presentation to the NNHS Design Review Committee, made up of Aldermen, January 12, 2006. Four proposals were made to the design committee; three (1, 2, and 3a) were presented with no significant detail. However, proposal 3 emerged as the architects’ favorite. Both 3 and 3a involve relocating the football field. Proposal 1 called for a large slab-like building along Walnut Street, Proposal 2 called for basically the same building, except oriented along Elm Street. Proposal 3a would retain the auditorium and gym of the old building and create a new, snake-like building along the back of the existing building. Each was criticized for respectively building along an underground stream, casting looming shadows into the neighborhood, and creating unsafe conditions at the site. Proposal 3 was clearly the favorite of the architects. A zig-zag shaped building organized around a glass cafeteria and entry hall, with an underground gym would occupy the center of the site. According to the architects, this would have many benefits, such as allowing the building to seem 30% smaller (by using the 30-foot drop in elevation at Hull Street to bury the gym and pool facilities) and that the building would be pushed back from surrounding residential neighborhoods. However, relocating the football field would only add to the $160 million cost proposed by Turner Construction in November. Also, a zig-zag shape did not seem to facilitate movement throughout the building. And not everyone at the meeting was convinced that Proposal 3 was the way to go. “ I don’t like it,” said Anatol Zukerman, local architect and former candidate for Ward Three alderman. “The place they want for the football field has water issues...I don’t know how far down they can go...the design does not have a main straight hall to make it easy for students to get around”. Parents concur. Diane Fassino said that the planners were “...out of their minds” to propose what she thought was an extravagant building. Hurtful to the visions of the planners was the State’s announcement that it would not provide any financial help beyond the 46.5 million it has already allocated to the project. According to spokesman Jeremy Solomon, the city will pay for the project using 30-year bonds, and it will use so-called “new growth” to cover any cost increases. “The city gets approximately $2 million in new growth revenue annually. The plan is to put $250,000 of the $400,000 that goes to capital improvement each year for a new Newton North.”
8th grade social studies for Patrick MoranIs what happened in Framingham a preview of what may happen in Newton?by A. R. P. M. is studying Ancient Civilization, in his 8th grade social studies class. P. M. attends Cameron Middle School in Framingham, where, over the summer, his curriculum was changed. P. M. could have been studying American History this year, instead the school district changed it to World History. “He doesn't really like World History,” says P. M.’s mother, Debbie Moran. Moran works here at F. A. Day Middle School. “He used to do some American History in elementary school and liked it much better than the curriculum he has now.” Moran continued by saying, “He also says that World History seems harder than American History.” When Ms. Moran was asked what her thoughts were, about her son having the social studies curriculum changed she noted that she didn't like the change and would have preferred her son to have American History. Moran also stated that she didn’t like the fact that she had not been told about the change. The fact that it just happened and no one had been informed had bothered her [For months now, THE DAYTIME has been trying to no avail to obtain answers for its readers about the fate of U. S. History in the 8th grade - Ed.].
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Last updated: September 16, 2006