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Greetings, On Thursday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m., join
fellow community members in a celebration of some of the gems of
Needham High School. We will also have the opportunity to greet
Needham High School's incoming principal, Jonathan Pizzi, and to
thank Paul Richards
for his years as principal.
Our evening begins at 7:30 p.m. at Needham High
School, Room 108.
7:30 p.m.: Greetings from Jonathan Pizzi and
Paul
Richards
7:50 p.m.: SmartBoards in the Needham High
School
Classroom, a demonstration by Mike Hirsch, NHS
physics teacher
8:10 p.m.: Global Competence Program, a
presentation by Amy Goldman and Matt Barnes
'09
8:30 p.m.: Creative Arts at Needham High
School: A
Student's View, a presentation by Anna Miller
'10
8:50 p.m.: Student-led tours
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Town Election: Tuesday, April 14. Don't forget to vote! |
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The Selectmen's race has four candidates: Matt
Borrelli, Scott Brightman, John Bulian, and
Maurice
Handel. The Selectmen play a crucial role with
respect to the
schools during fiscally challenging times -
they are the
only
ones able to put a
Proposition 2 ½ override on the ballot - so
this race is
worth your careful attention.
Do you live in Precincts C, D, or G? The Town
Meeting races in those precincts do not have
enough
candidates on the ballot for all of the
available seats.
If
you would like enter those races, you can
organize a
write-in campaign: ask registered voters in your
precinct to write your name and address on
the ballot.
Town Meeting members also play a crucial role
in the
schools - Town Meeting has the final say on
every
line item of the town budget - so please
consider this
position.
Do you live in Precincts E, H, I, and J?
Those Town
Meeting races are contested, so please take
some time
to consider the candidates.
The League of Women Voters Candidates' Night on
Monday, March 30 in the Broadmeadow Performance
Center, 7:00 p.m. will introduce you to the
candidates
in every race and help you cast an informed
vote. If
you can't attend the debate, you can watch
the replays
on The Needham Channel. Check the schedule at www.needhamchannel.org for showings.
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School Space Committee Presents Findings and Recommendations |
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The School Space Committee presented its
findings
and recommendations to the community on March
11.
The Committee's presentation states that the
Needham Public Schools have "sufficient space
at the
secondary level, but program growth and older
buildings may stress the capacity at Mitchell
and
Hillside." The presentation continues to say
that "if
there is a need for an additional school, it
would be an
elementary school. It is important to plan
for a range
of enrollments at the elementary level,"
because future
enrollments are hard to predict for the
classes younger
than the current kindergarten class, and even
harder
to predict for the classes of children not
yet born.
You can read the entire presentation and lots
more about
the Committee's work at School Space Committee.
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FY10 Budget Update |
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Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick submitted her FY10
Town budget on January 31; her budget
included the
School Committee's school budget request of
$45.4
million.
This request represents a $2.7 million, or 6.4%
increase, over FY09. The costs of running
High Rock
account for $1.1 million of the increase and the
successful November 2008 override will fund
those
costs. Without High Rock, this budget request
represents a 3.9% increase over FY09.
You can read the Town Manager's budget at Town
Manager's FY10 Budget
The school budget process has two more steps: 1)
Town Meeting in May and 2) the completion of the
Massachusetts state budget over the summer. Ms.
Fitzpatrick believes that her budget is based
on a
conservative estimate of state aid and therefore
should withstand further crisis at the state
level. The
school budget could suffer, however, if some
state
grants are not renewed.
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Follow the Money! |
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Want to know more about how Needham manages its
money? The League of Women Voters' excellent
program "Follow the Money, How Needham Budgets
and Spends" is being broadcast on the Needham
Channel in the coming weeks. See
www.needhamchannel.org
for times.
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Join Stand for Children |
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Needham has almost gathered the thirty
members it
needs to form a Needham chapter of Stand for
Children.
Will you complete the chapter and give
Needham a vote
in creating Stand's legislative agenda?
Stand for Children advocates for K-12 public
education. The Massachusetts chapter has
established itself as a powerful voice for
public
schools: each spring, it brings hundreds of
parents to
the State House to speak to legislators; each
January,
it trains parents and local officials to
energize their
communities; and throughout the year, it
mobilizes
voters to contact their legislators about
education bills.
Stand has won several battles on Beacon Hill:
it was a
key part of last year's closing of the
corporate tax
loopholes and one of the No on Question1
organizers.
Stand for Children's strength is in its
numbers. Its
influence on Beacon Hill comes from its
ability to say,
"We have X members from X communities across the
Commonwealth." Therefore, please consider a $25
membership to Stand for Children. You can
join by
visiting the Stand website at www.stand.org/joinus.
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