Religion in Schools: 50 Years Ago and Today

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (p. A11) contained a fascinating op-ed by Houses of Worship columnist Stephen D. Solomon who reminded readers that the 50th anniversary of Abington School District v. Schempp is upon us. He said that in this 1963 Supreme Court case, “the justices ruled that public schools [had] violated…the First Amendment when they sponsored prayer and Bible readings…[indicating that]…the activities were religious exercises, violating the “strict neutrality” that the government must show on religion.” Solomon noted that “the court’s ruling effectively prohibited public schools and their personnel from sponsoring or promoting religious activities…[but]…also emphasized that America is a nation of great religious variety.” Reflecting on the ruling and the opinion rendered by then-Justice Clark, Solomon opined “…the court provided the foundation for including religion in the curriculum in public schools [and] pointed out that objective study about religion was permitted” adding that it “is critically important in helping understand art, music, history and much else in the world…Some [schools] teach world religion courses…to provide students with religious literacy to help them understand and respect many different faiths.” Solomon is thoughtful about schools’ responsibilities though, like whether “a world religions course [is] presented in an objective way or does the teacher tilt the scale toward a particular belief?” but ends with a clear summative opinion: “Large legal principles require wise judges and school administrators to apply them to such potentially contentious matters. But Schempp…points the way – already being followed around the country – to provide objective teaching about religion…without imposing beliefs on schoolchildren.”

School Committee Meeting: 6/18/13

We have almost made it to the finish line and our last meeting of the school year was last night. The first thing we did was celebrate the contributions of three retiring MVMMS teachers: Mr. Greer (Tech. Ed.), Ms. Iagulli (Special Education), and Ms. Ahern (Science). Thanks to you all for the amazing work you have done with students!

Supt. Taymore explained that the technology planned for the new science labs will come in under budget, allowing for an unexpected opportunity to perform work that was planned for two-three years from now including: expanding wireless capacity (not only in the science wing but in some other locations in the HS); expanding the wireless to 10GB; upgrading the core switch at the HS; and segregating the MS and HS networks from the city server (increasing speed). These improvements will allow for some additional bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs including using cell phones during instruction in a focused way.

We added some policies on non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all (students and staff included) in order to be clear about our intent as a school district prior to hiring new staff for the fall. These policies are in sync with Melrose’s “One Community Open to All” approach and declare that we will not tolerate discrimination or unequal hiring/education.

Beginning in July, we will take a systemic approach to revising the district’s Policy Manual. The Manual is the primary way the School Committee sets expectations and provides guidance to the superintendent about how we expect the district to operate. We hope you will follow this process and let us know what you think.

As you know, every year we evaluate the superintendent, and this year’s process will occur in our two July meetings. In August, Supt. Taymore will set her goals for the coming school year.

For more info, please check out the IQM2 portal on the School Committee page of the melroseschools.com web site.

Thank you, thank you, for all you have done and all you continue to do for our students!!

70th Citizens’ Legislative Seminar

In mid-March, it was my privilege to participate in the Citizens’ Legislative Seminar (CLS) at the MA State House. This two-day event, hosted by Senate President Therese Murray and organized by the amazing Anne Reilly Ziaja, Director of the MA Senate Office of Legislative Education, “aims to better educate the public on how the legislative process actually functions in the Commonwealth.”

A variety of presenters focused on topics like parliamentary procedure in the Senate process, chamber protocol, and how bills are researched by the Senate’s legal office. Our own Senator Katherine Clark spoke thoughtfully and pragmatically about how to advocate for legislation that you would like to see enacted including getting to know your legislators and their staff, knowing the process and rules, recognizing political realities, and being willing to tell your story. Another highlight was participating in a simulated Senate session (presided over by President Murray in the Senate Chamber) on a current bill.

This wonderful opportunity to learn more about the legislative process and how we can all be active participants in advocacy really supports how we can make a positive difference in our communities and the lives of our children and families. To learn more, check out https://malegislature.gov/Engage/EducationalOpportunities or e-mail Anne at Anne.Ziaja@MAsenate.gov.

Recent School Committee Meetings

The School Committee wrapped up 2012 and began 2013 with an aggressive agenda for the year and lots to accomplish! At our December 11^th meeting we set the winter break for next year’s school calendar. (The last day of school will be Friday, December 20, 2013 and we’ll return on Thursday, January 2, 2014.) Supt. Taymore announced the appointment of Melrose Patrolman James Applegate as the School Resource and Attendance Officer and also presented her revised organizational chart, clarifying the reporting structure.

At our January 8^th meeting, we agreed to post documents that will be discussed at meetings on the same day that the Committee receives them (usually the Friday before a Tuesday meeting), and Ms. Thorp announced the subcommittee chair and vice-chair assignments for this year. We heard a presentation from Supt. Taymore’s Library Media Specialist (LMS) Committee, who recommended different staffing-level scenarios based on educational needs combined with available funding. (In that presentation, you will find an interesting comparison between the traditional librarian’s duties and those performed by a 21^st century LMS.) We also heard a presentation by Interim MHS Principal Marianne Farrell and newly appointed permanent Assistant Principal Steve Fogarty on the New England Association of Schools and Colleges' (NEASC) two-year follow-up report.  (It addresses the specific concerns that NEASC noted when they performed their full review in 2010.) And we gratefully accepted a donation of funds on behalf of their Melrose customers from Leuder’s Environmental, Inc., a lawn care and plant care company based in Needham.

On January 15^th we held a retreat to discuss our roles and responsibilities, the subcommittee structure and process, our relationship with the superintendent and the public, and how the Committee functions as a team. We agreed to hold another retreat to take next steps, including working to develop a clearer vision for the public schools and to develop norms and protocols for working together as a Committee.

So those are the highlights from where I sit. The full agenda and all documents can be found by clicking here: http://melrosecityma.iqm2.com/citizens/default.aspx and selecting the meeting for which you would like documents.

Hope you are staying warm and enjoying some comfort food with your gang, and as always, thank you so much for all you do to help and nurture our fabulous students!

Have YOU Got Talent? MHS Students Do!

This past Thursday, January 10th, the Class of 2013 organized a talent competition featuring some of Melrose High School's finest musicians and dancers - a number of whom performed original works. Sponsored by many generous Melrose businesses and hosted by witty and glib seniors Betty Richardson and Allie Grady, the two-and-a-half hour program showcased twelve groups and individuals. The jam-packed house enthusiastically supported each act, including the two special guests appearing while the judges deliberated: the ever-popular Scotty and the Gang (with band members from the MHS Class of 2012) and X Factor contestant Jillian Jensen. The night was a rousing success and a fantastic way to kick off 2013!

City of Melrose Meeting on Public Records Law

On Tuesday, December 11^th, City of Melrose department heads along with all members of Melrose boards and commissions were invited to a presentation by Don White, an attorney in Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s office. Atty. White offered a review of the Guide to the Massachusetts Public Records Law (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/prepdf/guide.pdf) and answered questions regarding the law. He reviewed what records are public, what the response timeline is, what records are exempt, and what fees may apply. More information can be found on the Secretary’s web site (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/preidx.htm). I thought the presentation included good suggestions on what documents need to be retained and how to do that. Time well spent!

School Committee Meeting Notes of November 27, 2012

Another great Melrose Home for the Holidays this past weekend! Our businesses support our schools in so many ways – hope you’ll have a chance to check them out and find something in them for the special people on your list.  I was late arriving to the last meeting due to a prior commitment, but watching it on MMTV was a great way to catch up. Check the minutes for the official version, but here are the highlights from my perspective. (Remember – the page numbers in red are those associated with documents from the 11/27 agenda packet in the IQM2 portal on the School Committee page of our web site.)

Consent Agenda

The Committee approved gifts, donations, and competitive grants (pp. 3-5) as well as the Warrants (pp. 6-48).

Finance and Facilities

Dan Sullivan of Sullivan & Rogers, LLC, presented the findings of their “Review of Systems of Internal Controls over Financial Operations and Reporting” (pp. 43-61). You can also find it here: http://www.melroseschools.com/administration/pdfs/Audit_Report_Nov_2012.pdf. * Supt. Taymore presented an assessment of the district’s textbooks, commenting on the status of last year’s textbook inventory, how she is advising staff to review their textbooks (currency, relevancy, and condition), concerns about the math curriculum, and considerations regarding future impacts on materials/associated expense. Her memo is on p. 62 and the inventory (which Supt. Taymore considers a working document) is on pp. 63-173. She indicated that the biggest challenge is meeting the requirements of the new state frameworks, including determination of an appropriate blending of fiction and non-fiction reading. She applauded John McLaughlin for his support of a pilot project that funds Nooks and materials for the 6^th grade history exploratory class. She has also asked Business Manager Jay Picone to ensure that when curriculum is ordered, it includes a full range of materials - from those for students with special learning needs to enrichment materials for students who need more challenge. Supt. Taymore also spoke to the fact that textbooks may be heading to more electronic materials, but that a textbook budget will never go away; free books only apply to “dead authors”. In the distant future, teachers will have the ability to create their own textbooks. * The preliminary budget timeline has been released and can be found on p. 174, indicating that voting on fees by the Committee is expected on January 8^th with the full budget presented on January 23^rd.  The timeline is very fluid and may change according to information requested by the Committee to Supt. Taymore, financial actions by the state, etc. The expectation is that this budget will be clearer to the community at-large, and that principals will be more fully vested in the discussion of their buildings as full cost-centers. (Supt. Taymore said that there are very “rich” discussions happening among principals about things like instructional materials vs. instructional supplies, etc.)

Policy and Planning

MHS Interim Principal Marianne Farrell presented the MHS School Improvement Plan (pp. 175-189) and Winthrop Interim Principal Cynthia Santosuosso presented the Winthrop School Improvement Plan (pp. 190-210). * Tabled Policy #6208: Committee/Superintendent Relations was brought back for discussion with some amendments from the prior meeting (pp. 211-213) and approved (on a first vote). * Mr. Lehman indicated that the Committee’s annual Self-Evaluation document (pp. 214-215) was included in the packets for review and comment, and the actual evaluation would be conducted at the December meeting.

Announcements of the Chair

The MA Association of School Committees held its annual conference from November 7-10. Ms. Casatelli was our delegate and voted on proposed resolutions. (Final results of that voting and the resulting resolutions can be found here: http://www.masc.org/component/content/article/15-events/473-report-on-actions-taken-at-the-2012-delegate-assembly.) I had the benefit of attending a wide variety of workshops and was able to procure documents/presentations from a number of others (pp. 216-217).

Executive Session

We approved Executive Session minutes from August 14^th and September 27^th and also talked about a negotiation issue with non-union staff.

Our last meeting of the calendar year is December 11^th. Until then, we are grateful for all that you do for our children, particularly at this busy time of the year!