Modular Classroom Study Funding Approved

This evening, the Appropriations Committee of the Melrose Board of Aldermen took up an order to “Bond in the amount of $400,000 for Design and Management Services for Modular Classrooms at the Winthrop and Hoover Schools and Renovations to the Horace Mann School.” Notes as follows (and edits and errors all mine):

Mayor Dolan: This was a lengthy and inclusive process. There is an immediate need for more classrooms. City and school project collaboration has already resulted in more classrooms, etc. but we still need more. There was a demographic study last year verifying this. A well-attended community meeting was held and the community spoke clearly regarding their interests. The plan has been reviewed and approved by the Permanent School Building Committee (PSBC). The School Committee has done a full review and unanimously recommended this plan. We have re-confirmed approval of the educational model as it stands (grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12). This request is for money for the architectural team to proceed with drawing up the plans. This PSBC has worked together for a long time and has partnered with school staff. It’s the best proposal for education, and provides additional improvements equity and ADA compliance.

Architect Charlie Hay of Tappe Associates: Hoover, Winthrop, and Horace Mann have been identified as sites for modulars. Hoover rear, at the site of the Community Garden, is the ideal location for the classrooms. With modular construction, classrooms could be provided in time for installation by next fall. This plan allows for three classrooms to be added, with fully accessible classrooms including bathrooms, etc. Would need to relocate garden, which would be sited along the fence line and would provide improved accessibility compared with its current location. At Winthrop, the decision was made to employ two additional classrooms at the existing green space since the only spot that’s level with the first floor. That means some displacement of green space but also calls for some asphalt space to be changed to green space for students. Classrooms would make for a four-K strand at the front. As the student cohort advances up the grade ladder, there may be some changes to the grades housed in those classrooms. At Horace Mann, after much discussion, it became evident that the site doesn’t have the capacity to employ an addition because of the parking and recreation space configurations. There are significant accessibility issues at HM (there are stairs at each viable entry). The best approach is not to increase capacity, but it was determined that if the interior were reconfigured, there could be permanent library and art/music space which would allow for improved equity around those spaces. A new entrance would be created that would be safer than the current entrance.

Mayor Dolan: It’s important to note that we have to do something. There are no rooms that we can use. The idea of moving the 8^th grade to the high school, displacing administration, and other changes, rivals the cost and educational shake-up of this model, and was clearly not the wish of the community.

Ald. Zwirko: This takes what we have and improves it. The plan is well thought out. Approves of plan as proposed.

President Conn: Any financial analysis re: the proposals? Ran rough estimates of the nine proposals evaluated and they are available. It was almost as expensive to reclaim office space, etc. as it was for modulars. 8^th grade academy model was $1.5M for accommodation but that didn’t include a new home for administration (maybe $2M). Cost is about $1.7M for renovations + lost revenue + new administrative staff (and other operational expenses). What was the process for selecting architect? There was a publicized RFP and then proposals were collected. Two firms submitted bids and Tappe was the most qualified firm. What do we anticipate the cost of the project to be? If today, $4.4M is a good figure. The issue that’s different from other projects is the modular market because there is a run on modulars around the country. We can’t predict that so that’s the concern financially and time-wise. The intention is to get bids and come back to the Board for the financial balance of the project. Are they viable for the long term? This is an actual building that’s attached to the school – a true structure. Modular companies would say this is a 20-year building (compared with a 50-year building that’s traditional). Modulars are very simple – flat roof with simple siding, dry walls, acoustical ceiling tiles, good windows, etc. and will feel to a student like a conventional classroom. The only real difference is that the outside will be less handsome than a new brick building. There will be community meetings, etc. to talk to parents and community members about the project. What % of project would  the renovation of HM would be? A little over a third. It would be treated as a separate project from the modulars. What are terms of the bond, etc.? 20- year note. 5% interest. 30-year model for debt for general fund. 2/3 of city’s debt service will be paid off in ten years. We won’t exceed 4% of limit any year so we have capacity for future projects in future years. What is the timeline? Want project out to bid by end of year or early January. Modulars fabricated in factory, while in spring there will be site work. At HM, the time available is a challenge because the hope is to finish it in the summer months. Whether all construction can be completed in ten weeks is unknown and would be a challenge.

Ald. Lemmerman: I'm a member of the PSBC and heard a lot of public input. In other communities people say they fight to be in the modulars because they’re so beautiful. Elaborate on how planning was not for too much, but allowing flexibility for the future. Came to the conclusion that being conservative was the best approach: building a little less than originally planned. In demographic studies, MSBA underpredicts and NESDEC overpredicts, so they went with the conservative side. In 2021-22, prediction is for 88 classrooms but during the timeframe of the study, we never fall below 84 classrooms. With this plan, there may be a couple years where there is art-on-a-cart in a couple schools but that shouldn’t last. Our problem is equity, not just capacity. Libraries are different in the elementary schools as are art rooms, etc. Rooms have been divided in some schools to meet educational needs. (When many of our buildings were built, the programs we’re now required to offer did not exist. With special education, intervention, ESL, and the student-centered model, we need new configurations.) While we can’t replicate Lincoln and Roosevelt, we want students to have the best possible spaces at the other schools. Talk about the impact on the school of change in the K corner of HM. There are multiple impacts: 1. Moving library to classroom, putting it into a central site, close to where people come in. 2. Address some of the ADA regulations with respect to accessibility. (Except for the all-purpose room, all entrances have stairs that can’t be open to the public because of voting, lunch, etc.) 3. Security: all glass, increased camera visuals at Hoover now, whereas at HM someone can be well into building before there are necessarily eyes on that person; 4. In the past, library was a classroom that is equal or bigger than some other classrooms in the building so now that it’s a K room, it will be consistent with other rooms.

Ald. Boisselle: What’s the difference between modular units and modular construction? Proposal is purpose-built units specifically for a foundation constructed on a site that is connected to a main building. 90% complete when they arrive and they are in two pieces per classroom, each piece being narrow enough to travel on a roadway for delivery. After 15 years there could be higher serviceability, does that burden DPW? There will be traditional square footage to current rooms. Many will connect and also connect to current services. Custodial service may increase slightly resulting in higher costs but there are no plans to hire additional staff. Does city have to go before city Planning Board for this project? No. Is there a phase-out plan after 20 years? They may last more than 20 years. There is now no phase-out plan in 20 years. This community must start having a preliminary conversation about a bigger Winthrop School. Winthrop is coming to the end of its useful life – it’s not there yet but it’s coming. Winthrop has a community garden. This project doesn’t impact that.

Ald. Forbes: Often, modular building is better than other kinds of external construction. Modulars at Hoover – are they individual or separate? Six sections resulting in three classrooms. Hoover & Winthrop there will be some brick and mortar construction? Yes, but the modular contractor will be responsible for that (flashing, etc.). Doesn’t have concern about the project and thinks it will be good investment for the community.

Ald. Medeiros: Are there any grant opportunities? No, not a Mass. School Building Authority project since it’s not a major building project. Not aware of any disability grant programs. Expectations around population growth: still need six-eight classrooms? By reconfiguring how we use space, that’s how they’ve come to the recommendation. Have already taken two classrooms at Lincoln and Roosevelt and others at other schools. At Hoover, the room that was built out two years ago might need to be configured back depending on enrollments; flexibility to manage capacity is important. Number of classrooms today? 82. For many years, had a 12-strand grade, then creeping to 13-strand grade, now a 15-strand K (this and last year). In today’s dollars, what would it cost to remove the modular (asking to have for next meeting)? If we were to bond for full project, what would it cost? Using $4M for round number (with warning that the purpose of the $400K request is to complete fact-finding), only one year does it touch 4% of bond limit. Will the modulars have warranties? They’ll likely last longer than 20 years. Usually get a year and sometimes five for warranties. Will these meet the green building code? They have to meet the stretch limit. Will staff parking at Hoover be negatively affected? No, and green space will actually be improved.

Ald. Infurna: It’s the best of the best plans. Did have concerns about ADA compliance but they were addressed tonight. Please look into ADA grants. If needed another modular classroom, could it be added later? Yes, there is room. With flat roofs, are there snow concerns? They are built to withstand snow like any other construction.

Ald. McAteer-Margolis: Bonding – would we roll this bond and the future bond together? Yes. Additional $4.4M would keep us below capacity? Yes. Class size –will this project help in that area? Depends on enrollments. That’s why we have intra-district school choice rather than neighborhood schools. Pleased with ADA compliance. Will the systems be self-contained but tied into the building? Plumbing and electrical will probably tie back to school building services now in place. Until systems are completely explored, they won’t know all details about what services will be required.

Recommended for passage to the full Board of Aldermen.

Senator Lewis and Commissioner Chester Discuss Public Education in MA

Last Wednesday, October 5^th, State Senator Jason Lewis held a Community Conversation at Melrose's Memorial Hall with Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester. The evening began with a back-and-forth between Senator Lewis and Commissioner Chester, and then Senator Lewis opened the floor to questions from the audience. (Edits and errors mine....)

Conversation with Senator Lewis:

What is the future of public education in MA? We are the top-achieving state in the nation. How do we know that? Our students participate in an assessment that is nationwide and there are also two different international assessments (in both of which we score up with the top tier nations in the world). The US alarmingly doesn’t come in the top tier, but in the mid-ranks. The challenge is that not all students reach that level of success resulting in the achievement gap. The achievement gap is based on how groups of students compare with other groups. Groups are broken down in many ways – not everyone is succeeding at the same level (lower income, students of color, English Language Learners). Gaps are found based on tests, persistence in graduation, college readiness, etc. Another gap to focus on: whether K-12 is preparing students well for opportunities after college. It’s a mixed record in MA. Of matriculating kids, more than a third end up in remedial classes and on two-year campuses, at a rate of 2/3. Often students who attend two-year schools are challenged (e.g. first in family to go to college). They’ve done what we’ve asked and have no reason to think they are underprepared, but they are.

Why are they not successful? Their program of study is not aligned with the skills and abilities they need for college and work (problem solving, communication, etc.). There is still a wide variation in what students experience in schools (quality of instruction, etc.) Regarding assessments, the Board of Education voted 8-3 to transition to MCAS 2.0 in 2017. Please share your thoughts on testing and where are we headed with MCAS 2.0. I’m a believer in strong, high-quality statewide assessment. It’s important to have a marker of expectations at certain grades. As parent, I rely on what teachers tell me, but want another measure (determining whether the child is where he/she needs to be), but it must be high quality. There is concern from teachers about testing but most assessment is not coming from the state. The state is asking whether assessments are providing useful data. We’ve had high-quality assessment in MCAS (in place 20 years now with little change). But a lot has transpired and evolved with learning, assessment, and technology. Children overwhelmingly prefer on-line MCAS. MA helped develop PARCC, but ultimately made the decision in Nov. to take the best of MCAS and PARCC with significant input from various stakeholder groups (student accommodations, etc.) Tricky thing with assessments – everyone wants them to be really useful but really short, and those are at odds.

Using results of standardized tests to evaluate teachers: where is that going? It’s critical to look at how students are learning. Each district should have a say in how students are learning. Observations, discussions about meeting student challenges, and test results should all be part of the equation.

Sen. Lewis pushing to update the education funding formula. Now there’s not a strong correlation between the amount spent per student and student performance. There’s an $800M shortage for what we should be providing students vs. what we actually provide. Are the findings of the Foundation Budget Review Commission accurate and how do we move to implement these recommendations? The Commissioner was a member of that commission. Special education and healthcare costs are running far ahead of what was anticipated. Thoughts: it’s important to think about being willing to examine what we’re doing with the dollars we have. MA identifies students as needing SPED second only to RI in country (17%); the national average is 12%. Asking districts to think about whether a student has a disability, deciding whether we’ve tried everything we can before we make that decision is important because it’s hard to lose that label. The message isn’t to deny students services, but to provide them without special education services.  Separately, healthcare costs are escalating at a rate that is significant.

English Language Learners: we have more and more students who are refugees and don’t speak English and may not have had a formal education. The Senate wants to revisit educating students who don’t speak English. How are we doing? We’re gravitating to the phrase “English Learners” (their proficiency in English is not enough for them to be fully on their own in classes). 80% of ELL’s have grown up in MA – coming from households where little if any English is spoken. Most have been in our system since pre-school or K. A 2002 ballot issue passed that said that Sheltered English Immersion should be the framework - not a bilingual setting. This is a national challenge. Doesn’t see research that shows that one method is better than another – any can be done well and any can be done poorly. The ballot issue dealt with students who were in separate classrooms all day. The biggest casualty from ballot issue was denigrating the value of bilingual proficiency.

Behavioral health – often referred to as Social Emotional Learning. K-8 school in Malden revealed one week’s worth of issues: hunger, trauma, homelessness, incarcerated parents, domestic abuse, etc. Share your thinking across state agencies to support students and staff around social emotional issues. All educational associations have taken on this issue. At DESE, they’ve restructured to support these needs and there are many situations that need immediate attention. We need a staged approach; more and more districts ensuring that teachers have more support as part of the classroom program. In specialized situations, need good connections (social worker, school nurse, community agency) to provide services. Virtually every community in the Commonwealth is trying to improve in this area. DESE is exploring Affordable Care Act financing that could come to school, inquiring whether there are ways to employ its monies.

What are DESE’s plans for informing students about gender identities? Proud of educators who do this every day to make families feel protected and welcomed. Schools have risen to the challenge. Will there be materials in the curriculum about gender identity or gender non-conforming to treat the topic respectfully? The DESE website has materials. DESE is working closely with other departments and doesn’t dictate materials but does act as a source for them.

On charter schools: Sen. Lewis has made his position clear (no on Question 2) given issues around funding, differential treatment, accountability. In 1993, charters were designed to be laboratories and best practices should be brought into traditional public schools. Is that what we’ve done or are we building a parallel public school system? Where are we headed, what is the role of charters, and where are we going on the concerns? Back to enabling legislation: to be a laboratory of innovation is one purpose, choice as a value, other multiple purposes. What may not be well known is that MA does a very good job holding charters accountable (getting and keeping charters). DESE hasn’t closed any public schools. One reason MA maintains the high bar is because there is only one authorizer while in other states, there are many. Not sure there are concerns about accountability. Very concerned about the aftermath of Nov. 8^th election because there will be people upset. Encourages people not to sulk after the vote. His interest: how do we give every family good options? Voc/techs and school choice (with some districts cannibalizing each other) also play a part. One of his dreams is to create an environment to bring charters in to take over existing low-performing schools. (In Lawrence, three charters operate under management contracts.) Would love to see legislation entertaining charters as a district opportunity to turn around low-performing schools.

Q&A from the audience:

Discipline in charter schools is significant and a problem. In any school that’s suspending a significant percentage of kids, it’s a problem.

Malden cut $2.5M in budget last year. Is there any way to see what programs they have in place to earn that funding so the “minimum number” vs. “padded number” goes to them? Has anyone gone back to “low-hanging fruit” in the Foundation Formula? The school district decides how to send funds to schools; will see more school-level funding.

What have you done about implementation of ESSA (federal education law) and is there any working group info? Feedback and suggestions are on-line. What kinds of changes might be coming from ESSA? There are lots of aspirations for what this law will do. (End testing and accountability? Not end testing and accountability?) It will allow more equilibrium – return some prescriptives from the federal to state level. What will remain are academic expectations, testing programs, issuance of report cards for every school in the state, an intervention plan for schools that are struggling the most, a school quality indicator (which MA is taking input on). Senator Warren became a powerful voice in the discussion; she wanted a strong federal requirement for equity and excellence.

Is it time for DESE to consider history being formally assessed? Yes – very concerned about students’ knowledge of basic civics and how government works. Lack of knowledge doesn’t bode well going forward. The state board is committed to this issue and will start reviewing frameworks in January, which is the starting point for the assessment issue.

Some people feel that the federal government is not doing their job, that the state doesn’t either, and responsibility comes down to the local level. <Listed all the things a teacher must do in one class.> (All in the room – including Commissioner Chester, were impressed and amazed at the list.)

On the merits of charter school and opinion on the funding formula – state leaders must come together. There is a claiming process and accountability. Issues are costs for that student returning to a district; marginal cost doesn’t decline. In suburban districts it’s a much bigger issue that students are going to voc/techs.

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School Committee in September: Fall is Here!

Three meetings for the Melrose School Committee in September as we’re back in full-time action. Notes from our meetings:

September 13^th

The schools had a smooth opening day in late August and students and teachers kicked off the year on the accelerator. Italian and Spanish exchange students visited, sharing their cultures with our community. Supt. Taymore held a safety summit with the DPW and Melrose PD to ensure preparedness for any issues.

Ribbon cuttings were held for the building projects at Hoover (windows) and MHS (Learning Commons, administrative office suite, and maker space). All that remains are the punch lists; any remaining monies will be allocated in December. The maker space may be the recipient of tools funded by a grant.

Supt. Taymore is planning to assemble four working groups this year (elementary instrument lessons, activity fees, focus groups for web site redesign, and Competency Based Education/Curriculum Materials Working Group) to advise her on issues for which she’d like input.

Initial enrollments saw increases close to those expected, with MHS currently hosting 992 students. 100% of Kindergarten students (of those not requiring placements for special education, ESL, or other services) received their first choice of school placement. Specialists (art, music, etc.) are needed at the elementary level as their class sizes are high, and this issue will be reflected in next year’s budget.

Concussion reporting to the state was submitted with numbers creeping up to 21, reflecting more elementary reporting (which is not required, but which Melrose engages in to be more proactive in protecting students).

September 24^th

The Committee held a three-hour retreat to work on goal setting for the year ahead. MASC Field Representative Dorothy Presser led discussion and activities in the areas of Committee roles and responsibilities, priority setting, and reflection on improving Committee work. We agreed that another retreat would help us bring this work closer to fruition, with another Saturday session preferred.

September 27^th

Asst. Supt. for Teaching and Learning Dr. Margaret Adams and Humanities Director Angela Singer reported on the mid-cycle review for English Language Arts. The intent of the review was to “evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in English Language Arts grades preK-12 as measured by student achievement, student work, curriculum alignment, instructional practices, and by teacher, student, and parent surveys. Seventeen educators engaged in this effort, and in their Statement of Impact they noted: “By outlining current programming, an action plan can be developed to meet identified areas of need and also build upon existing strengths of the program.” The team will present its final report in the spring of 2017.

Rental rates were approved for the new MHS Learning Commons, which will only be offered to school groups and Melrose non-profits for the FY17 school year in order to monitor the use of equipment and maintain the cleanliness of the space.

The Committee heard a final presentation by representatives from the Permanent School Building Committee regarding siting and placement of the pre-fabricated classrooms discussed and agreed on in June. The PBSC is recommending a fiscally conservative approach and has analyzed all impacts (parking, green space, connection to the main building, etc.). Three classrooms were recommended at Hoover and two at Winthrop. Horace Mann can’t realistically accommodate additional on-site classrooms, but key issues of equity for all students and student safety resulted in the renovation recommendation. The price tag is expected to be around $4.4M. The Committee voted to “accept, endorse, and approve” the plan. Next step: the Appropriations Committee of the Board of Aldermen is expected to vote on funding $400K for design and project management services on Thursday, October 13^th. If approved by the full board at a later meeting, parent meetings will be held in late fall in the respective schools and the plan will move forward.

Next…..

As always, our packet documents are posted at melroseschools.com under School Committee, and you can find videos of our meetings at mmtv3.org. Our next regular business meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 18^th at 7:00 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chamber at City Hall.

(Reminder: official minutes of the Melrose School Committee can be found on the melroseschools.com web site following approval by the Committee. The above are my notes, and edits and errors are mine alone.)

Enrollments, Question 2, Special Ed. Funding, SDM Foundation & More at City Wide PTO

The first City Wide PTO meeting of the year (September 13th) was very well attended, including representatives from every school in the district.

Enrollments

If a registered Kindergarten student doesn’t come to school after 15 days, the district may enroll a registered student who was on a waiting list for the absent student’s school. In the same manner, the district could release an absent secondary student’s schedule to offer a seat in a highly desired class to an attending student. There is still a K first-choice waiting list but it’s very small. Parents are generally registering in a much more timely fashion than in the past. Districts often see a return of students to traditional public districts from charter schools after October 1^st, when enrollment counts are required by DESE and on which per student dollars are calculated. Charters often counsel out students with more substantial needs so they do not have to educate them.

Learning Commons tours on September 10^th were very well attended and visitors were delighted with the outcome of the newly renovated spaces.

Ballot Question #2: Lifting the cap on charter schools: Charter schools are funded differently from traditional public schools, with the differences very negatively impacting the City of Melrose which trickles down to the schools. Charter schools are not held to the same standards as traditional public schools, like for teacher licensure, their ability to hold 25% of their funds for capital improvements (while traditional publics can’t keep any), less reporting, and less oversight. Charters also have no representative oversight body (i.e. they don’t have an elected school board, instead they have a board of directors). The charter cap has not been met for Melrose.

Educator Retention

Retaining teachers is problem in Melrose often due to the unavailability of affordable housing combined with our inability to pay a salary that can support the housing. New teachers must not only support themselves but the state requires they earn a Master’s degree within five years of the start of teaching, so they must fund that too.

Pre-fabricated Classrooms

The plan isn’t finalized yet, with remaining concerns including the siting of the classrooms on property, adherence to laws around which municipal entity owns parts of property, parking; etc. Construction could be phased in. Enrollment numbers fall between those predicted by MSBA (which are usually lower) and NESDEC (which are usually higher). There are 992 students enrolled at MHS and the increase includes both students who have moved to the district and those who have returned from private/parochial schools which is challenging because they may have no experience taking MCAS and must do so to graduate.

SDM Foundation

“…is a nonprofit providing free lessons designed to help people learn how to use computers. We have been approached by parents who would like some extra help understanding the programs that their children will be using in school. In particular, the Melrose Public Schools are utilizing the Google suite, and some parents would like to become more familiar with those programs. We will be able to provide both small group and one-on-one help to people in this area. If you are interested, please let us know which days and times are generally best for you, and we will try to accommodate people in small groups. As always, all of our services are provided free of charge.” SDM’s Executive Director is Kristin Thorp, former School Committee Chairman and long-time Committee member. The fully equipped shop is located at 465 Main Street and can be reached at 781.606.2621 or info@sdmfoundation.net.

Summer Work

This year, homework wasn’t graded at the elementary or middle school levels except for 8^th grade math (which had some bearing on placements). AP students had prep work that must be completed over the summer in order to start the school year well prepared.

Special Education Funding: More or Less Than Other Districts?

It’s been said that special education comprises 33% of our budget and that it’s so much higher than other districts. The fact is that many districts have a much higher overall total budget because they include insurance, transportation, utilities, building maintenance, and construction, but those costs fall on the City of Melrose side of the ledger, not the schools’. (The Melrose funding philosophy is that the schools should focus on educational programming and be relieved of peripheral services.) If those costs were moved from the city’s budget to the school budget to equalize the comparison, our special ed. funding percentage would be near or less than other districts (e.g. if the special ed. percentage is 33% of $28M then it would be less than 20% of $47M which is closer to what our total costs might be; these are rough figures vs. exact amounts). Every district’s budget includes different things, depending on how a city and its schools divide expenses and making random comparisons is not meaningful. Melrose has created many in-house special ed. programs (like our hard of hearing program, Social Emotional Learning Program at Lincoln, Access, and others); and we send very few students out of district (50-52 in a district of over 3800 students which can cost between from $40K - $350K per year). Keeping students in house is expensive too and Supt. Taymore has a break point equation that evaluates whether building a program or sending students out of district for services is more cost effective. It’s hard to build more new programs now with the space shortage. We are an inclusion district because we believe that every student has the right to a standards-based education. Good special education teachers say “our job is to put ourselves out of business” and Supt. Taymore said that a student doesn’t “have to be on a 504 or IEP” to have student needs addressed – all student needs should be addressed appropriately.

Update on Competency Based Education

With the Barr Foundation’s $150K grant, Supt. Taymore and her team have committed to the next step in exploring this model, including teacher training, public outreach, and building general understanding. There is a “pyramid of competencies” that starts with defining what graduation requirements need to be met. Some pilot programs have begun and Melrose is ahead of many districts with our data teams, exam-based exemptions, blended learning, etc. Teachers want to employ “habits of work” (like putting a name on a paper) that are uncoupled from grading. Soon, the 4^th Grade report card will be standards based, followed the next year by the 5^th grade report card.

Media and Reporting

This year the school web site will be re-designed for improved communication to families and the community at large. John Guilfoil is helping high school staff understand the types of information that should be communicated and the (ever-evolving) platforms that are best, depending on the information.

Victorian Fair

In the past, all schools had booths, but this year only the Lincoln and Winthrop had booths. The problem is that they cost money and don’t make money. In the future, maybe consider having one double booth for all the schools?

High School Suspensions

The school is working hard in this area. Out of 900 students last year, there were only five suspensions.

Upcoming Dates

- Melrose Education Foundation’s Annual Night out at the Beebe Estate is September 24th

- Parent University, co-sponsored by the Melrose Education Foundation and the Melrose Public Schools, will be held on Saturday, November 19^th

- Melrose Energy Challenge is still an opportunity for families. More here: http://www.cityofmelrose.org/2016/03/22/the-energy-challenge-is-on/

- Next City Wide meeting is in October