Letter To The Letter: Adding Superintendent Candidates To Search Committee List An Effective Decision

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The school administration building in Belmont

On behalf of the Belmont School Committee, I would like to thank Geoff Lubien and every other member of the Belmont Superintendent Screening Committee (SSC) for their diligence in fulfilling their charge of presenting up to three qualified finalists to the School Committee. As Lubien explained in his recent piece, the SSC spent many hours over six weeks reviewing 22 applications, selecting and interviewing five semi-finalists, and recommending two finalists to the School Committee. They operated on a tight timeline that has become common as school districts throughout Massachusetts compete for high quality leadership in a time when the market is volatile. 

The School Committee was thrilled to interview the two recommended finalists. After learning that one of Belmont’s candidates dropped out before the finalists were selected and seeing finalists withdraw from superintendent searches in Newton and Somerville, the School Committee made the informed decision to invite the other semi-finalists identified by the SSC to interview as well. We made this decision after hours of deliberation in an effort to fulfill our obligation to Belmont students and citizens to find the best possible superintendent for our schools. It turned out to be an effective decision as the pool narrowed even further when only three candidates accepted our invitation. 

The candidates who accepted our invitation met with the public, students, and the School Committee. Since the interviews, School Committee members have been gathering feedback from the community and conducting thorough reference checks, all in an effort to determine whether the remaining candidates meet the criteria identified by the Belmont community. 

The Belmont School Committee is an elected body charged under state law with hiring the superintendent. The SSC was an appointed advisory body. Just like the Warrant Committee chaired by Lubien is appointed to make recommendations about the budget that Town Meeting is free to adopt or set aside, the SSC was appointed to advise the School Committee about candidates for the superintendent position, and the School Committee is free to adopt or set aside those recommendations. In this case, the School Committee adopted all of the SSC’s recommended finalists as well as the semi-finalists that the SSC selected from a large applicant pool.

All of us on the Belmont School Committee are volunteers who care deeply about doing what is best for Belmont students. We are fortunate and thankful to have dedicated community members, including Lubien, who volunteered to help us with selecting the next person to lead our school district so our students have the best possible future. We are also thankful to the three excellent finalists who took time to visit Belmont last week and we feel confident in our ability to make the decision that is right for all of our students and the Belmont community.  

Meghan Moriarty, Chair

Belmont School Committee

Opinion: The Superintendent Search – A Flawed Process Indeed

By 5 Comments

Photo:The Belmont School Administration building where the district superintendent is located

By Geoffrey Lubien

As a committee member of the Belmont Superintendent Screening Committee (BSSC) and a parent of a Belmont Public Schools student, I would like to voice my significant concerns about the process of screening for up to three viable candidates for consideration by the School Committee. 

As the representative of the Warrant Committee to the BSSC, I was one of a 22-member committee which included three Belmont School Committee members and an outside consulting group with all members invited and appointed by the School Committee. With the BSSC having competed its charge and the finalists for superintendent having participated in a public process, I believe it is time to share these concerns.

As part of the process a charter, set of rules and desired competencies were agreed upon by the committee to guide us in vetting potential candidates. The timeline for this process was admittedly aggressive with the School Committee requirement to have it completed within six weeks, which, according to the consulting group, normally takes 12 to 16 weeks. Therefore, committee members were asked to accommodate tight timelines with numerous three-plus hour meetings. It was explained by the School Committee members that this aggressive timeline was due to the competitive market for Superintendents and the seasonal hiring cycle. It was also communicated to some that there was a desire for all the current School Committee members, two of whom have chosen not to run again, to have a vote in choosing the next superintendent. 

The process was kicked off on Jan. 23 and after several meetings it became evident that this was a significant task and that committee members would need to really need to dig in to determine up to three candidates by mid-March.  

Committee rules included that candidates required two-thirds vote by the full committee to advance to the School Committee for consideration. After a candidate pool was narrowed down to five, we conducted three-hour Zoom interviews with each participant, with the consulting group conducting the interviews and committee members observing. The full committee reconvened on March 6 to discuss and vote upon up to three of the five candidates to push forward to the School Committee. Through much discussion and deliberation, the committee recommended two candidates to promote to the next phase; hence, the committee met its charge. 

Less than 48 hours after the final meeting of the BSSC, the School Committee sent an email informing the committee members that the School Committee had decided to interview all four of the candidates. This egregious decision disregards the hours of work, set rules and charter, and the vote of the screening committee, all of whom were appointed by the School Committee. The School Committee unilaterally decided to advance two additional candidates that were not recommended by two-thirds vote of the BSSC including one candidate who did not receive any affirmative votes from the screening committee.  

The fact that the BSSC members were dismissed after working collaboratively and in the best interest of the Belmont Public School system is beyond reproach. Twenty two committee members worked within a very aggressive timeline for the superintendent search forgoing family and work obligations only to be completely disregarded in the end. Two of the candidates the committee did not vote to move forward were considered unviable candidates by the screening committee and should not have been pushed forward. 

The actions taken by the School Committee are extremely disrespectful of the number of hours dedicated to the process and the final decisions of the screening committee. Violating the agreed upon process in the end hurts the credibility and transparency of the selection of the next superintendent, a role critical to the Belmont School District’s and Town’s future. 

What is needed now is the School Committee to stop this current flawed process and appoint an interim superintendent to carry the schools through, form a new search committee with public invitations to serve and allow the appropriate time to garner and assess the greatest pool of qualified candidates. And when a decision is reached by said committee, the School Committee should follow suit and do what is best for the future of Belmont Public Schools.

Geoffrey Lubien is a Belmont Public School parent, a BSSC member, the Warrant Committee Chair, and Town Meeting Member, Precinct 7

Belmont’s School Committee Candidates: Amy Zuccarello [VIDEO]

By 1 Comment

Photo: Amy Zuccarello, candidate for Belmont School Committee

A Belmontian through and through: born, brought up, schooled, and now living in Belmont with her family, Amy Zuccarello is seeking one of two seats on the Belmont School Committee.

Who is Amy Zuccarello?

Amy Zuccarello is a person who gets things done. Amy is a Belmont mom of two who is committed to her family and her community and has always been a champion of Belmont’s public schools. She is a lifelong Belmont resident, a graduate of Belmont schools, and a bankruptcy and financial restructuring lawyer with 20 years of experience working with distressed companies and helping them rebuild. Amy is also the Belmont Girl Scouts service unit coordinator and a former Belmont POMS board member and officer.

Why are you running for school committee, knowing just how challenging the next years will be for Belmont schools?

I am the right candidate for Belmont right now. My background and skill set complements the skills and abilities of current committee members. I know that I can make an instant impact to help the town and the schools navigate the current fiscal challenges.  

What broad experiences do you have – that is not in your LinkedIn profile! – that will make you a good school committee member?

I represent companies and other large stakeholders in distressed business situations – where resources are at a premium and there aren’t always enough funds for every item on everyone’s “wish list.”  As a trusted business advisor, it is my job to be able to use resources wisely.  I need to be creative and think outside the box to find ways to solve these problems.  I am also a fair, skilled negotiator.  I pride myself on navigating contentious situations while maintaining the balance between standing my ground on important issues and preserving a good working relationship with all sides going forward.  I also have significant experience working on committees of all types in various contexts.

Many residents/boards and committees believe the Belmont school district historically asks for more funding annually than it needs. Can Belmont schools teach children at the level parents/the community expects if district budget increases are capped at average growth in town revenue of about 3 1/2 percent a year?

In light of current inflation rates alone, I don’t think that this is realistic. The actual answer here depends on many factors we can’t know at the moment. For example, school enrollment isn’t something we can predict with certainty year over year. In addition, the town’s BEA contract contains cost of living increases at about 2.5 percent per year – so personnel costs – which comprise the largest single expense in the school budget – will increase by this amount alone year after year.  In addition, there are some big categories of costs set forth in the school budget that are not discretionary – including the cost of funding ESL programs and out-of-district special education placements.

Belmont’s future will depend on a substantial override in 2024. As a committee member, what would you do to help navigate the schools over the next year to prepare for a yes or no vote?

Put simply, spend smart.  Whether an override passes or not, we need to maximize efficiencies where possible.  We need to review expenses carefully and be sure that we are asking our community to fund an override that will be sufficient to bring stability to the schools for the foreseeable future. We can only do this while being mindful that our citizens are unlikely to support an override that isn’t backed by reasonable assumptions about what we need to fund the schools sufficiently. If we can restore public confidence in managing the school budget, I believe that our citizens will be more inclined to support an override.

Which line items in the school budget would be your priority to protect while serving on the committee?

I will always prioritize maintaining funding for positions and services that directly impact student learning and well-being. My goal is to minimize disruption for students due to a budget shortfall.

Do you have any ideas of your own or an existing plan that you support for providing outstanding care for Special Education students while also keeping a cap on expenses?

I have been speaking with many students and families about Belmont’s approach to special education.  I think that we need to take a very close look at the number of students with out-of-district special education placements and assess whether Belmont can find ways to accommodate student needs in-district. We should capitalize on the availability of space that has been created by the construction of the new Belmont Middle High School and a decrease in district-wide enrollment to build a robust program to serve the needs of special education students in the district. By doing this, we will not only enable our Belmont students to remain in town with their siblings and neighbors, but we will also be able to control the costs of out-of-district spending on special education.

Being a school committee member means more than working with finances. Which academic areas – curriculum, policy, etc. – will you focus on?

I will be available to work with my colleagues in many areas; however, I think that my legal background will make me an especially strong asset to the policy subcommittee.

What is one change – big or small – in the six Belmont schools that needs to occur to make the education experience better?

I would like to explore changes to the schedule of fifth- and sixth-grade students at Chenery to provide for more recess/socialization time.

At the end of your first term, by what measure will you know you have succeeded?

A Girl Scout’s mandate is to leave a place better than she found it. I will succeed if I can bring financial stability to our schools while maintaining academic excellence so that Belmont’s students can be assured of the best in public education for years to come.

Belmont’s School Committee Candidates: Rachel Watson [VIDEO]

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont School Committee candidate Rachel Watson

Born in a small town in Arizona, who went on to become a nurse, an attorney, and now an administrator and special education advocate, Rachel Watson is seeking election on the Belmont School Committee.

Who is Rachel Watson?

I moved to Belmont eight years ago when my oldest was two, and I was expecting my youngest. I am a single mom, a lawyer, a nurse, and a human resources administrator. My sons are now in fifth grade at Chenery and third grade in the LABBB program at Butler. This year, I am the co-chair of the Belmont Special Education Parent Advisory Council, and I was the chair of the Superintendent Screening Committee. I feel very fortunate to call Belmont home and raise my sons here. 

Why are you running for school committee, knowing just how challenging the next years will be for Belmont schools?

I am running for the school committee because thoughtful development of our special education program will be required to solve the budget issues facing our district.  As a mom to two children in special education, and SEPAC co-chair, I bring a unique perspective on the students and families that will be impacted as we make the needed changes to these programs.  As an attorney and a nurse, I also have the skills to quickly make sense of the regulatory framework that must be followed as we work to bring more special education programs in-district.  Currently, Belmont’s lack of in-district special education programs requires the placement of many students in costly and distant out-of-district programs.  Moving more special education programs in-district is key to alleviating the budget issues facing Belmont.

3.  What broad experiences do you have – that is not in your LinkedIn profile! – that will make you a good school committee member?

A school committee member needs to know how to communicate with and collaborate with our diverse and vibrant community.  My career has included working with colleagues, clients, and patients from all over the world and all walks of life.  I know how to communicate effectively with everyone, from hospital patients experiencing mental illness and homelessness on the streets of L.A. to administrative law judges deciding whether or not my client will have their cancer treatment covered. I have had to deliver the news to my Armenian patient’s family that their loved one had passed and interview Ugandan refugees about the torture they experienced at home as they sought asylum in Japan. I am no stranger to high-stakes conversations. I am able to understand the perspectives of those very different from me and effectively collaborate to solve problems.  


Many residents/boards and committees believe the Belmont school district historically asks for more funding annually than it needs. Can Belmont schools teach children at the level parents/the community expects if district budget increases are capped at average growth in town revenue of about 3 1/2 percent a year?

School budgets are unlike those of a business.  There are many factors in play that are difficult to predict.  For example, the number of students needing special education services rarely remains static, and the level of services they need also fluctuates.  If even two more students than predicted must be placed out-of-district, the transportation costs alone can easily run $20,000 annually.  Moreover, these services are federally mandated, and failure to provide the services adequately and promptly leads to expensive lawsuits. The failure to accurately predict these costs is a major cause of our current budget woes. Trying to cap budget increases will simply lead to continuing budget crises as we will not have enough money to invest in programs when we need to and then find ourselves in need of even more funds later. 

Belmont’s future will depend on a substantial override in 2024. As a committee member, what would you do to help navigate the schools over the next year to prepare for a yes or no vote?

As a school committee member, it will be on me to help effectively advocate for the override with the rest of the committee. I will work to explain the urgency of funding our schools to our entire community.  We must make it clear that our schools are underfunded and that the worst of the negative impacts on our children are being staved off by dedicated educators that are overwhelmed and overworked. The budget is complicated and not always easy to understand, but we must learn from past mistakes and make sure the necessity and wisdom of passing the override is clear.   

I also believe our community will support an override if we present a plan to use the funds from the override to invest in programs that will help control costs without sacrificing quality. Belmont residents shoulder a heavy tax burden and should know that these funds will be invested in ways that will help stabilize the school department’s budget. I would work with the administration and my fellow committee members to develop and present this to our community. The override cannot fail, or we will see larger class sizes, more struggling students slipping through the cracks, skilled and experienced educators being let go, and cuts of entire programs such as the currently proposed eliminations of the sixth-grade world language program and fourth-grade strings program. We should not allow such a decline in our schools.  


Which line items in the school budget would be your priority to protect while serving on the committee?

I think arguing over line items is counter-productive before I have the opportunity to work with the superintendent and the current school committee members to fully understand each line item. However, I would generally prioritize funding items that enhance our ability to identify student needs and serve them as early as possible such as kindergarten aides. The ability to prevent issues earlier in elementary school saves money in the long term, and better serves students. 

Do you have any ideas of your own or an existing plan that you support for providing outstanding care for Special Education students while also keeping a cap on expenses?

The district must do more than provide care to special education students; it must challenge them to reach their fullest potential in education.  The key to controlling costs is either working with the LABBB collaborative to expand programs housed in Belmont or developing our own in-district programs.  Currently, we have no in-district programs for students who need to learn outside the general education classroom.  We do have a few LABBB programs housed in Belmont school buildings, but these are shared with Lexington, Arlington, Bedford, and Burlington and cannot accommodate the demand for spaces in these programs.  

The result is that we must send far too many students to costly out-of-district programs and pay to transport them there.  The students must endure long commutes and their ability to be included in their own community is limited.  This is an equity issue and a strain on the budget.  By either expanding LABBB offerings in Belmont or developing our programs, we can increase accountability to families, increase inclusion in our schools, closely assess quality, and control costs.  

We must also thoroughly and proactively screen and evaluate students in their early elementary years, especially kindergarten. Then, if a student requires support, we must intervene aggressively. The earlier we supply support, the less likely students are to experience widening gaps in learning and development that are expensive to address and the more likely students are to feel competent in the classroom and achieve the academic excellence Belmont is known for.  The pandemic took a severe toll on students, and we can expect to see the impacts for years yet to come.  Making sure all of our students leave elementary school with the fundamental math and reading skills they need to succeed and social emotional skills needed to regulate themselves is imperative to maintaining the quality of our schools without having excessive increases in cost.   

Being a school committee member means more than working with finances. Which academic areas – curriculum, policy, etc. – will you focus on?

I would focus on policy.  As an attorney, I am interested in the interplay between state and federal regulations and how we set policy for our school district.  I realize I will have much to learn as a new committee member. However, I am accustomed to diving into new fields, learning from those more experienced than me, and adapting my skills to present needs. 

What is one change – big or small – in the six Belmont schools that needs to occur to make the education experience better?

We need a more child-centered school culture. An excellent example of what I mean by that is the recess issue at Chenery. Our fifth-grade students started this year only allowed recess time after they finished their lunch.  The lunch period is relatively short, so they often got as little as 3-5 minutes of recess daily, far short of the CDC-recommended 20 minutes daily. After months of parental advocacy, the administration has found ways to implement more recess time for fifth graders but has said there will still be no recess time for sixth graders next year. The school committee should hold the administration accountable for scheduling at least 20 minutes of recess daily for our fifth and sixth graders so they can work on their social skills and be more focused in class. When the school culture is welcoming, and lets kids be kids, academic and behavioral outcomes improve. 

At the end of your first term, by what measure will you know you have succeeded?

I have laid out ambitious ideas and know that change is rarely quick. First, I will measure my success by concrete progress toward specific goals. I think that if all the students at Chenery Upper Elementary School get at least 20 minutes of recess per day, I would know I have succeeded in moving the school culture toward a more child-centered one. If we have developed and implemented new special education programs either on our own or with LABBB in both the new Belmont Middle School and Chenery Upper Middle School, then I will know we are moving toward securing both quality special education and the long-term health of our school’s finances. However, success as a school committee and a school district is a team effort. My priorities are the ones our community has been telling me they are looking for leadership on, and I think the primary way I will measure my success is if those I serve will continue to look to me to collaborate in solving the issues we face in Belmont, large and small. 

Belmont’s School Committee Candidates: Jung Yueh [VIDEO]

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Belmont School Committee candidate Jung Yueh

A parent, an actuary, a coach and a national college champion in ballroom dancing, Jung Yueh is running for the first time to be elected on the Belmont School Committee.

Who is Jung Yeah?

My name is Jung Yueh. I came to the United States when I was 13 and went through the public school system in New York City. I went to MIT for an undergrad in mathematics and have a master’s degree in computer science from Northeastern University.  

We moved to Belmont on Christmas Day in 2010 for its public schools. In 2010, we visited the Butler School and Principal Mike McAllaster before making an offer to buy a house here.  

We have two kids in the Belmont Public Schools. My daughter is currently in 8th grade and going through high school course selections this month. My son is in 5th grade and is going to go from the youngest grade in his school this year at Chenery Middle school to be in 6th grade and the oldest grade in his school next year.

I am a “business math” guy by training: an actuary and Chartered Financial Analyst. I worked as a pension and retiree welfare actuary at AonHewitt and a health actuary at BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts and Tufts Health Plan. In our town, we face urgent fiscal and service challenges and need long-term plans that manage risk, value, and wise investment. These are the kinds of problems I work on. So I have dealt with benefits valuations and cash flow projections for pension plans, employee health plans, and retiree benefits. I now work for a local small business in Belmont that provides market research and survey analytics–helping people understand broad opinions and data.

Why are you running for school committee, knowing just how challenging the next years will be for Belmont schools?

I want to make a difference in my community. It’s precisely because it is a difficult time that I felt I needed to step up. I am not a politician, and it is not my personality or values to promote myself–I put my work first and pulled nomination papers because I’m determined to work for our kids, schools, and our whole community. I believe the school committee needs my skills, background, and representation. We have some excellent school committee members experienced in education and administration. I can complement their strength with my long-term financial planning and analytical skills. I am also a trained mediator–in addition to understanding surveys, I have spent years listening to diverse and even opposing opinions and getting the most out of everyone on a team.

What broad experiences do you have – that is not in your LinkedIn profile! – that will make you a good school committee member?

The School Committee is chartered to manage four things. Budget, policies, hire and manage district leadership, and union negotiations. I am an actuary and Chartered Financial Analyst experienced in financial analysis and benefit valuations, together with my mediation training is experiences directly relevant to budgeting and negotiation. We need long-term, sound, clear financial plans and transparency.

I have been on different boards, including one where we had to hire a new CEO, not too different from hiring a superintendent or principal. We have a lot of turnover in our school leadership. And in my current work in market research and data analytics and with my training in mediation, I learn to understand different perspectives and seek win-wins and consensus. As we move toward a data-centric world, we will have to dive into available data as we try to hold our school administrators accountable.  

Many residents/boards and committees believe the Belmont school district historically asks for more funding annually than it needs. Can Belmont schools teach children at the level parents/the community expects if district budget increases are capped at average growth in town revenue of about 3 1/2 percent a year?

This is a very complex question.  So, I would suggest that we think of revenue and spending more comprehensively, and understand that the better we plan ahead, the better everyone will be.  If we keep funding the school system at a minimum level, we will get by ok in good years, but will not be resilient enough to handle unexpected system shocks.

I am going to geek out and look at our long-term tax history as an actuary would. I would question the assumptions in these statements.  

  • Assumption 1: town revenue increases are about 3.5 percent,
  • Assumption 2: town revenue should increase at about 3.5 percent,
  • Assumption 3: school district asks for more money than it needs.

Based on my review of our tax history in the last 22 years since 2001, our town’s tax base has increased by 5.35 percent per year on average, and the tax levy increase is only 5.09 percent (Even after the Middle and High School debt exclusion). You can find these numbers on the tax assessor’s website. So looking at our history, our tax rate has been steady and slightly decreasing. The 3.5 figure is likely related to increases we would expect if we never pass a proposition 2 ½ override, but includes new growth. New growth is new construction and home renovations.  

Proposition override is designed to encourage towns to discuss tax and spending. Like its name, Proposition 2½  sets a maximum level of property tax increases at 2.5 percent. This is, by design, insufficient for a residential community like Belmont. We have experienced dramatic increases in our real estate values, which means, without voter approval, our tax rate goes down. This has an effect of our revenue not keeping up with the town’s needs, solely because people in 1980 in Massachusetts thought it was a good idea to cap revenue below the rate of inflation. And of course, nobody likes taxes, so we start underfunding our services and fall behind on capital maintenance.

The school system asks for a budget based on the state-mandated requirements, agreements we made to the teachers in negotiated salary and benefits, and the number of students we need to support.  In our town, our school system has maintained excellence while consistently spending less per pupil than other comparable districts. Maybe we are exceptional, but it’s also likely that there are hidden costs that our parents and students bear. For example, we had deferred enough costs in building a strong enough special education program that when we had a system shock like COVID, our educators couldn’t handle the additional needs, and had to send students out of the district, which ended up costing us more. 

Belmont’s future will depend on a substantial override in 2024. As a committee member, what would you do to help navigate the schools over the next year to prepare for a yes or no vote?

Our schools are the heart of our community, and why people want to move to Belmont. I will be a vocal proponent of passing an override in 2024. A big part of the conversation with voters will be related to how the town views the school spending. I feel it is important to explain clearly where the money is going, and why it is needed to keep our academic excellence–and as an actuary, I am well trained to help us plan, budget, and communicate longer-term.  

Which line items in the school budget would be your priority to protect while serving on the committee?

I support maintaining and improving the academic excellence in our schools, which means all students’ needs are supported and students have opportunities to be challenged and grow in subjects that excite them.

We must maintain mandated services–and the core of the budget does that. If you support advanced coursework, investing in building out our Special Education services, music, art, lots of rewarding instruction hours, staff for recess and flexible scheduling, caring for the safety, the emotional, and social well-being of our children – all of these things need an override. The school budget detail is very complicated and at the end of the day, it is the school department and school committee’s job to adjust the spending plans during the year as needs and challenges come up. We design the budget in the spring, but often don’t know the full details of the school year until the following January or February. We need flexibility for our experts and educators to maneuver and take care of all children. 

Do you have any ideas of your own or an existing plan that you support for providing outstanding care for Special Education students while also keeping a cap on expenses?

While it might cost more at the beginning, by properly providing a support system and training, we can support our children in the district better.  It will also reduce overall costs.  It takes a long-term approach in order to reduce our expenses. We must fund and staff this work now because we finally have the space. It will be an important multi-year effort and investment.

Being a school committee member means more than working with finances. Which academic areas – curriculum, policy, etc. – will you focus on?

As a trained mediator, I want to be directly involved in the union negotiation.  Getting the conversation started and making sure the contract negotiation is completed on time in the next cycle will be good for everyone.

As I mentioned before, I am a first-generation American. I went through a robust ELL program in New York City where I had two years of in-school ESL classes, plus summer classes designed for new immigrants. I was able to take honor-level high school classes, and college-level math and literature classes at Queens College while still in high school. So making sure that we have a robust ELL program and making sure that our high school coursework continues to be appropriately challenging will be important to me. Early support and investment is the best for our kids. 

What is one change – big or small – in the six Belmont schools that needs to occur to make the education experience better?

Currently, Chenery is too big to support our young middle schooler’s needs. A little more tender-loving care will be helpful. As it splits into BMS and CUE, I look forward to each school providing more age-appropriate mental health and emotional health support. We spend a lot of time accommodating logistics in Chenery–and I want to put the focus back on the kids and education instead of the building, the schedule, and its challenges.

At the end of your first term, by what measure will you know you have succeeded?

I want to see less turnover in the administration, a positive relationship with the Belmont Education Association, and a successful override vote. If I was asked to run for re-election, I will know that I worked especially hard for our community, put the kids, educators, and community first, and did all we could to support this generation in recovery from the pandemic.

Belmont Schools Announce Three Finalist For Superintendent’s Post; Interviews, Public Forums March 14, 15

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The finalists for the Belmont school superintendent (from left) Dr. James ‘Kimo’ Carter, Dr. Jill Geiser and Dr. Carlee Simon

After an accelerated search process, the Belmont School District announced the three finalists as the next Schools Superintendent on Friday, March 10.

The candidates are:

  • Dr. James ‘Kimo’ Carter, Assistant Superintendent, Weston Public Schools
  • Dr. Jill Geiser, Assistant Superintendent, Billerica Public Schools
  • Dr. Carlee Simon, former Superintendent of Schools in Alachua County, FL

A 22-member search committee of residents selected the candidates, parents, school committee members, administrators, union officials, and teachers.

Carter joined the Weston Public Schools on July 2018 as the new assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. Before his move to Weston, Kimo was the principal of Watertown Middle School from 2005. In addition, he was the assistant Principal of Hawthorne Brook Middle School in Townsend and a social studies teacher in Billerica. 

Carter enrolled at Wesleyan University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. In addition, he holds a Master of Arts in Teaching Degree in History and Education from Boston College, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Harvard University, and an Ed.D in Educational Administration from Boston College.

Joining the Billerica schools in 2017, Geiser was the principal of the Pre K-8 Healey School in Somerville from 2012. She also served as a middle school principal and high school assistant principal in the Lawrence schools. In addition, she is an adjunct professor at Boston College, taught in Arizona and New York City, was a Foreign Language Instructor in Thailand and was a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in Nepal.

Geiser holds a doctor of education degree from Boston College and graduate degrees from the Teachers College at Columbia University and UMASS Boston. In addition, she enrolled at the University of Delaware where she earned a Bachelor of Arts.

Simon currently runs the non-profit Families Deserve Inclusive Schools. She was the Superintendent of the school board of Alachua County in Florida from Dec. 2020 to March 2022.

She was an Adjunct Faculty Member at the University of North Florida from July 2019 – Dec. 2020 and the National Education Finance Academy Executive Director for three years.

For eighty years, from 2010 to 2018, Simon was an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Educational Leadership at the University of Cincinnati. She also was the Subject Matter Expert at the Florida Virtual School from 2007 to 2011. Simon also taught math in a high school setting in two schools in Florida.

Simon enrolled at the University of Florida, earning her Bachelor of Design in Architectural Design in 2000. She received a Master of Education in 2007, a Ph.D. in Education Administration and Policy in 2010, and is expecting a Doctor of Philosophy in Design, Construction, and Urban Planning (Educational Facilities) in 2023, all from the University of Florida.

Dates of interviews and public forums

The following dates have been scheduled for the superintendent finalist candidates for their interviews and public forums: March 14 and 15

Candidates will spend a whole day in the district touring the schools and meeting with administrators and staff. The public is invited to attend the School Committee interviews and the public forums to meet the candidates at the Chenery Middle School auditorium. These meetings will be recorded but not live-streamed. Once all candidate interviews and public forums have been completed, the recordings will be made available along with a survey link for feedback on each candidate from the public at Belmont Public Schools Superintendent Search.

March 14

3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: School Committee Interview with Dr. Jill Geiser
4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.: School Committee Interview with Dr. Carlee Simon
6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Public Forum with Dr. Jill Geiser
6:40 p.m. to 7:10 p.m.: Public Forum with Dr. Carlee Simon

March 15

4 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Interview with Dr. Kimo Carter
6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Public Forum with Dr. Kimo Carter

All events will take place in the Chenery Auditorium

Belmont HS PAC Presents The Musical ‘Mean Girls’ March 16-18

By Leave a Comment

Photo: “Mean Girls” is coming to Belmont

The Belmont High School Performing Arts Company presents the High School version of the hit Broadway musical “Mean Girls.”

The hit 2004 film and 2018 Broadway Musical comes to the Belmont High School stage. With music by Jeff Richmond, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and a book by Tina Fey, the iconic characters and lines from the movie are paired with original music and a story about finding your way in the High School jungle.

Performances will take place at the Belmont High School auditorium on:

  • THURSDAY, March 16, 7 p.m.
  • FRIDAY, March 17, 7 p.m.
  • SATURDAY, March 18 at 2 p.m. matinee and 7 p.m.

TICKET INFO: 

ADULTS: $15, STUDENTS/CHILDREN: $10

BHS STUDENTS: $5 Thu/Sat Matinee, $10 Fri/Sat 7pm

Purchase Tickets and for more information go to bhs-pac.org

CONTENT WARNING: Mean Girls contains adult themes, strong language and depictions of mature situations that may not be appropriate for all audiences. The show is recommended for ages 6th grade and up. The musical is based on the 2004 film “Mean Girls” and while the Mean Girls High School Version script contains some revisions from the movie and the original Broadway Musical, it follows the plot of the film faithfully, with much of the original dialogue and scenes included. Parents of younger children are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the movie or musical soundtrack before purchasing tickets. While Mean Girls contains mature content, it also provides an opportunity for meaningful dialogue about healthy vs. unhealthy friendships, social media, bullying and other important topics that adolescents face on a daily basis. We have engaged in these conversations during the rehearsal process, and hope the show will invite audience members to do the same.

Two-Hour Opening Delay For Belmont Schools on Tuesday; Half-Day AM Pre-K Cancelled

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Students will get a chance to stay in bed for a couple of hours due to the pending snowstorm

Due to the pending winter storm, the Belmont Public Schools will have a two-hour delay for the opening of school on Tuesday, Feb. 28, according to a press release from the Belmont Schools District.

School start times with a two-hour delay:

  • Belmont High School – 10 a.m.
  • Chenery Middle School – 9:55 a.m.
  • Burbank Elementary – 10:40 a.m.
  • Butler Elementary – 10:40 a.m.
  • Wellington Elementary – 10:40 a.m.
  • Winn Brook Elementary – 10:40 a.m.
  • Pre-K All half-day AM classes (9 a.m.-11:30 a.m.) are canceled; 11 a.m. for students attending full-day classes (9 a.m.-1 p.m. or 9 a.m.-2 p.m.); students attending half-day PM classes will begin at the usual time (12:15 p.m.)

Belmont High/Chenery Musicians Achieve High Individual Honors

By Leave a Comment

Photo: High and Middle School musicians hit the high notes at all-state, junior district levels

Before Thanksgiving, 50 students from Belmont High School were asked to perform in the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Northeastern Senior District Festival, which took place at Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory on Jan. 7, according to Arto Asadoorian, director of Fine & Performing Arts for the Belmont School District.

On Jan. 21, several of those students were invited to audition for the MMEA All-State Music Festival. “We are very proud to announce that 10 students from Belmont High School have been selected to participate in the festival, which will take place March 2-4 in Westford,” said Asadoorian. The All-State Concert on March 4 will be held at Symphony Hall in Boston.

The Belmont High students are:

  • Helena De Figueiredo Valente (Grade 12), Chorus
  • Nathaniel Gillette (Grade 12), Trumpet – top score in the state
  • Jabe Hicks (Grade 12), Alto Saxophone
  • Lily Hicks (Grade 12), French Horn
  • Daniel Karma (Grade 12), Jazz Trumpet
  • Daniel Kim (Grade 11), Cello
  • Ethan Kim (Grade 10), Trombone
  • Meredith Knauff (Grade 11), Cello
  • Ryan Park (Grade 9), Trumpet
  • Su Min Pyo (Grade 10), Clarinet

On Jan. 28, 103 students from Belmont High and Chenery Middle schools auditioned for the MMEA Northeastern Junior District Music Festival, and 69 of those students were accepted and will perform on March 15, 17 and 18 at Galvin Middle School in Wakefield:

MaxAbouzeidTrumpetBHS
JosephBarryTromboneBHS
Brendan HanViolinBHS
HankHicksBassoonBHS
PatrickLeeJazz Baritone SaxophoneBHS
NilayNarayanViolaBHS
BenPalmerCelloBHS
LukaRozgicString BassBHS
HenryVidaverCelloBHS
BrookeWhalenTreble ChoirBHS
Elizabeth ZuccarelloEuphoniumBHS
PeterAloisioJazz TrumpetCMS
NickAndersonOboeCMS
CalvinBarnesMixed ChoirCMS
MadelieineBuellTreble ChoirCMS
SophiaBufanoTromboneCMS
ArundhatiChakrabartyTreble ChoirCMS
IvanChernovMixed ChoirCMS
NoahChinCelloCMS
SiennaChoiViolinCMS
EvaCohenTubaCMS
EllaConnellyMixed ChoirCMS
NailahCoulibalyTrumpetCMS
SimonDizekesTubaCMS
SamEnglerString BassCMS
EthanGongAlto SaxophoneCMS
JinyuGuTrumpetCMS
AanyaGuptaViolaCMS
AvikaGuptaTreble ChoirCMS
TeaganImbermanViolaCMS
SrishtiKarJazz Tenor SaxophoneCMS
TylerKimJazz TrumpetCMS
RebeccaKnightTreble ChoirCMS
CarolineLafkasTreble ChoirCMS
LaurenLinViolaCMS
ZoeLindseyTreble ChoirCMS
AnnieLiuCelloCMS
EmmaLiuViolaCMS
AustinMannMixed ChoirCMS
SophiaMiaoViolinCMS
GinevraMiglioTreble ChoirCMS
ChristelleMoiseTreble ChoirCMS
TimMolokovTrumpetCMS
IsaacMoonMixed ChoirCMS
JacobMoonMixed ChoirCMS
TagneyPaderaViolinCMS
HalleyPeckViolinCMS
EricPyoClarinetCMS
WilliamQinFluteCMS
ClaireQuinnViolinCMS
ShriyaSanyalTreble ChoirCMS
AbbySawyerMixed ChoirCMS
MarkusSendzikViolaCMS
ZoeShenTreble ChoirCMS
AlinaShiFluteCMS
StevenShiViolinCMS
MalachiSmithTenor SaxophoneCMS
SahanaSokkaTreble ChoirCMS
PaulSonClarinetCMS
WilliamSunAlto SaxophoneCMS
ElissaTianViolinCMS
MadelineTisdaleMixed ChoirCMS
LuanaWanderleyTreble ChoirCMS
TuckerWhitemanClarinetCMS
KevinXiangCelloCMS
EvelynYangCelloCMS
YolandaYuFluteCMS
BriannaYuehTromboneCMS
SophiaZhongViolinCMS

Three Take Out Nom Papers For Two Open School Committee Seats; No One Pulls For Treasurer Post

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Nomination papers deadline is Feb. 14

Three newcomers have started the process of running for two School Committee seats in which both incumbents have chosen not to seek re-election.

Two-term member Kate Bowen is not seeking a third on the committee, according to an email Bowen sent to the Belmontonian. Bowen would not explain why she would not be returning. While incumbent Micheal Crowley has taken out nomination papers, he told the Belmontonian he would not turn in the nomination papers when qualified candidates run for both seats open this election cycle. Crowley joined the board after winning a rump election in 2019 and was elected to a full term three-year term in 2020.

As of Friday, Feb. 3, three residents have taken out nomination papers from the Town Clerk’s office: Rachel Watson, Amy Zuccarello and Jung Yueh. So far, Yueh is the first of the three to return the necessary number of signatures to qualify for the April 4 Town Election, according to Town Clerk Ellen Cushman.

Yueh is a director of client services for a small Belmont software developer. Zuccarello, a partner with Sullivan & Worcester, is active with Parents of Music Students, and Watson, a Human Resources Administrator, and attorney, is the co-chair of the Belmont Special Education Parent Advisory Council (Belmont SEPAC).

Zuccarello and Yueh were two of ten candidates to apply to fill a vacant seat on the school board created by Andrea Prestwich’s resignation in Nov. 2021. Ralph Jones was selected for the post.

Those joining the committee in April will step into a budgetary tempest with the possibility of significant cuts in staff and programming and defending a major Prop 2 1/2 override.

Town-wide races

With just under ten days to return the necessary papers to have the Town Clerk, no one has taken out nomination papers for Town Treasurer despite Belmont’s long-time treasurer Floyd Carman declaring late in 2022 he would not seek re-election after 18 years on the job. The lack of potential candidates comes less than a week after a Special Town Meeting approved a ballot question on the April 4 Town Election to change the Treasurer’s position from an elected to an appointed post.

Most incumbents have taken out nomination papers in other town-wide elected positions:

  • Town Moderator Mike Widmer, first elected in 2008, has secured a place on the ballot.
  • Incumbents Kathleen Keohane and Gail Mana are seeking to fill a pair of three-year terms on the Board of Library Trustees.
  • Gloria Leipzig is running for a second five-year term on the Housing Authority.
  • Bob Reardon, Sr. – who is looking to secure another three-year term – and Pat Murphy have taken papers out to run for seats on the Board of Assessors.
  • Elizabeth Dionne has qualified for a run to succeed Adam Dash for a three-year term with the Select Board.
  • Alex Corbett, III, hopes to retain his seat on the Board of Cemetary Commissioners.
  • Long-time member and former chair of the Health Board, Donna David has yet to take out nomination papers, while Stephen Fiore, who lost a seat in 2021, has pulled papers for the one three-year seat on the board up for grabs this cycle.

The deadline to submit nomination papers to have the candidate’s name appear on the ballot is St. Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, at 5 p.m.