Good Evening Governor Baker, Mayor Dolan, Board Members, Department
Heads, and Invited Guests,
It is an immense privilege for our School Committee to sit
before you this evening as we commit ourselves to serving you and the children
of the Melrose Public Schools in 2016.
The citizens of Melrose are the lifeblood of our schools.
You are students, families, staff members, business partners, community
partners, and volunteers. You are our inspiration and our aspiration. You are
our school family and it’s you - the people in our lives - who matter and who
make a difference.
Together, our school family achieved many successes in 2015:
·
Melrose was the only district in MA with three
“commended” schools based on results of the PARCC test
·
The Lincoln School was named a national Blue
Ribbon School
·
In a quick turn-around and out of five levels,
the Horace Mann School moved from a Level 3 to a Level 2 school, so that we now
have five Level I schools and only two Level 2 schools
·
Eight members of our HS staff were named
Partners in Excellence by Mass Insight as a result of their work to improve
student outcomes on recent AP exams; and MHS was named an AP Capstone Diploma school
which supports equipping students with additional research, communication, and
teamwork skills valued by colleges
·
We began implementation of over a million
dollars of technology to improve district infrastructure, staff workstations,
and student computing
·
Melrose High School is undergoing a complete
revamping of its library into a state-of-the-art research, technology, and
presentation center
But we have challenges to address in 2016 and beyond:
·
Like working harder at thoughtfully and consistently
understanding and accepting all people, regardless of demographics
·
Ensuring we have enough quality classroom space
for our burgeoning student population
·
And continuing to recruit, hire, train, and
retain the best possible staff, because each student only gets one year in the
1st grade, the 12th grade, and every grade in-between.
This is a time of incredibly fast-paced change –
technologically, politically, and of course, educationally. But we, as a state,
a city, and a school family can come together and face challenges and change
with a sense of purpose, honesty, and compassion. So I ask you to join the
School Committee and our administration to build on the many achievements of
our school district. We ask for your support and like-mindedness in being
purposeful in our actions, honest in our communications, and compassionate in
our thoughts and in our deeds. That’s what families do and what our school
family must do to capitalize on change and provide our children with the high-quality
education they so richly deserve. Thank you.
