Forum Presents the Yes and No of Minuteman Financing Vote

Photo: Martin Plass (left) after the forum on the Minuteman finance vote. 

Martin Plass was raised in Aachen, Germany, a country where technical schools – the Berufsschule – are held in the same esteem as the other secondary education placements in the country.

“[In Germany], vocational training is seen as a great career path where you are taken into an apprenticeship, and it’s respected,” said the Stanley Road resident.

But the Precinct 3 Town Meeting Member believes that in many communities teaching practical skills so students can enter manufacturing, business or technical jobs “is looked down on.”

That feeling, Plass said after a community forum held Monday, Sept. 12 at the Beech Street Center on funding a new $145 million Minuteman Technical High School, is held by many residents in Belmont.

“People here will say, ‘I want the best possible school for Belmont High’ because they have children there. But they seem to say we can’t have that for our children who want a more practical work experience. That’s a shame,” said Plass.

For Plass and many who attending the forum co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the town’s Warrant Committee, the prospects of town voters casting a no vote on Wednesday, Sept. 20 during an election being held in the 16 communities who send students to Minuteman is short-sighted when considering the alternative. 

But for those residents who are pushing for voters to reject the proposed $100 million in debt – the state’s School Building Authority will pick up $45 million – the 10 remaining municipalities (six communities have voted to leave the district but will still vote on the plan) will finance over 30 years, the fiscal burden taxpayers and the town’s budget are being asked to carry can not be justified under the current agreement and assumptions made by the Minuteman administration.

“The bottom line is that Belmont taxpayers should save over $200,000 … or perhaps $400,000 per year by being a nonmember town with the same educational outcomes we all care about,” said Michael Libenson, the chair of the Warrant Committee which last week voted 13-1 against the new school financing plan.  

What the Sept. 20 election is not about, reiterated Libenson, is a referendum on vocational or technical education “which virtually everyone I know in town feels very strongly about.” Nor would it halt the building of the new school while protecting the placement of Belmont students at the Lexington-based school for at least seven years.

The forum was the last opportunity publically for both sides to express what in many cases are long-standing reasons for their support or opposition. 

On the no side, it comes down to the facts on the ground. Libenson, who presented for the no side in opening remarks, said the main issue is that the school, which is being built for 628 students, today enrolls 331 students or about 50 percent of the total pupil population from the ten member districts. The other students, coming from Watertown, Waltham and Medford to name a few towns, pay a tuition to attend the school.

“It’s a fundamental problem because it means the non-member towns are paying meaningfully less to send students to the school,” said Libenson. On average, Belmont spends $30,600 per student to attend the school while Watertown, which sends 63 students, pays $19,700 in tuition per student a year or $10,900 less on a per student basis. 

One of the assumptions of the “yes” voters is the new Minuteman can attract more in district students to the school to fill the 635 seats. But Libenson said this claim would require a 40 percent increase in enrollment, something that is counter to the steady decline of students entering the school over the past 20 years.

img_6972 img_6960

Belmont had been working with the other member districts to solve this issue, but the 15 communities wanted to build the new school first before tackling the problem of equity spending by non-members.

While the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education can add a surcharge onto the tuition of non-member students to help pay for the $100 million in capital expenses facing the member towns, it’s unknown how much, if any, DESE will authorize as it has not made a decision on the matter.

The case for voting no is a compelling one, said Libenson, coming down to a simple equation: it’s better to rent than buy. 

“It’s much more sensible for Belmont to rent seats at Minuteman or other vocational schools than to buy into this 30-year debt authorization,” he said, advising town officials to call for a Special Town Meeting in October where it will ask to leave the district. 

The ultimate goal of the no side – a Brexit-like move from Minuteman – would be “dangerous for Belmont students and the reputation of the town,” warned John Herzog, a retired professor who spoke for the yes side.

A parent and grandparent of students in the Belmont schools, Herzog said the no side does not have a better plan for Belmont vocational students “but only complaints.”

“If we are to take this giant step of leaving we should hear what they have in mind,” said Herzog. With an outstanding reputation that sends up to 68 percent of students to college and higher education, “why do you want to get out of [Minuteman]?” especially if any backup plan does not guarantee places for future Belmont students at existing technical schools.

In the long run, Belmont is being asked to finance about $335,000 per year over 30 years, which is an increase of $70 per year on the average tax bill, “which is a slight amount to pay for an excellent school,” said Herzog.

The question and answer portion of the night revolved around the mathematics of whether to stay and leave the district with those in the no column returning to the significant savings the town will accrue by leaving while the yes side, voiced by Laura Vanderhart of Precinct 4 and Agassiz Avenue, who pondered, “what are we giving up?” 

“I think [Minuteman is] going to be more popular,” she said, pointing to efforts by the federal government and promises from politicians from Democratic Vice President candidate Tim Kaine and Belmont’s US  Rep. Katherine Clark to support vocational and technical training. 

Leaving the district would also place a burden on Belmont and other non-district students, according to Minuteman school officials who attended the meeting. Belmont residents would lose their preference taking specific courses of study or even no be accepted to the school as Minuteman reaches capacity.

But the no supporters believe the assumptions presented by those favoring remaining in the Minuteman district – from increased enrollment and enticing towns to join the district to the amount of a capital surcharge placed on out-of-district tuition – is a financial risk the town should not commit itself.

“I’m not prepared today to enlist us to continue that subsidizing the non-member communities unless they are prepared to pay their fair share of the capital expenses,” said Selectmen Chair Mark Paolillo, who joined his fellow member to recommend a “no” vote on Sept. 20.  

For Plass, the writing is on the wall, as he is predicting Belmont will both vote “no” on Sept. 20 and a 2/3 vote to leave the district will pass at a Special Town Meeting in October. 

“I think it’s naive of town officials to think they can do vocational training cheaper when there is a new building at Minuteman with wonderful classes,” he said.

“That will be a sad day for Belmont.”

 

Letter to the Editor: Support Minuteman on Sept. 20

Photo: Image of the interior of a proposed Minuteman school building.

To the editor:

I’m asking Belmont residents to join me in voting “yes” to support the financing of a new Minuteman school building on Sept. 20.

Some of our local leaders have raised issues about Minuteman. Some say that we can avoid financing the new school and continue to send our kids there. But we won’t be sending our kids to Minuteman if the vote on financing fails. Others say that we can send our kids to other vocational schools. But no specifics have been offered, and there is no plan, just wishful thinking. Some say that Minuteman represents a broken model because many attendees go to college. We want our kids to go to college if they can and to get good jobs if they can’t and this is the role of modern vocational education.

Why does Belmont need to help finance a new school? Minuteman’s current campus was constructed in the 1970’s and needs replacement or costly repairs. Masonry is cracking and buckling. The roof needs to be replaced. The building is not up to ADA compliance standards and is not suited for modern instructional approaches. In fact, the building is at risk of being condemned. If the building is not replaced, repairs are estimated to cost almost as much as the construction of a new building, but would fail to solve many of its problems.

Replacing Minuteman’s school building to meet current enrollment will cost $144 million, of which the state has pledged $44 million. Ten Minuteman district towns, including Belmont, will share the remainder. The state also is imposing a capital fee to ensure that any non-member towns sending kids to Minuteman will pay a fair share. Belmont’s cost is estimated to be $335,000, something that our town can easily afford. One member of our Warrant Committee has suggested that the annual cost to the average Belmont household would be equivalent to ordering a few take-out pizzas.

Some claim that the financing approach carries risk. For example, the other nine Minuteman district towns could all file for bankruptcy, leaving Belmont on the hook for the entire cost. This is as likely as space aliens zapping nine communities out of existence. More realistically, Belmont could face a slightly higher financing cost, perhaps as much as $500,000 a year, if the state does not set the capital fee for non-member towns high enough. We need to lobby the state to make sure this doesn’t happen.

Some argue that the new school will be too big and that it should be radically downsized to exclude non-member towns’ students. There’s just no good argument for this, and the state of Massachusetts will not contribute to a construction plan that does not build to current enrollment.

We need Minuteman to succeed. It’s a critical educational resource. We have to do something for our kids who are not going to college to help them succeed. In fact, the state mandates that we provide vocational education for those wanting it.  But Belmont High School just isn’t equipped to provide vocational training, and we cannot afford to provide these kinds of programs on our own.  Some kids need more and different kinds of attention and instructional approaches to doing well. Minuteman has a student to teacher ratio about half that of Belmont High School. Belmont High School just isn’t equipped to give that kind of attention to kids who need it.

Won’t you show your support for Minuteman on Sept. 20? Please join me in voting “yes.” Polls open at noon.

Michael F. Crowley

Belmont Town Meeting Member, Precinct 8

League of Women Voters/Warrant Committee Holding Minuteman Forum Monday Night

Photo: Michael Libenson

The public is invited to attend a Forum on the Minuteman Regional Career and Technical High School Election Warrant, this evening, Monday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.

The forum will be moderated by Michael Widmer, Belmont Town Moderator

The panelists will be:

  • ‘Yes’  John Herzog
  • ‘No’  Michael Libenson

Members of the Warrant Committee, the Board of Selectmen, and Belmont School Committee; and the Town Administrator, the Town Treasurer, the Town Clerk, Superintendent of Belmont Schools, Minuteman Superintendent, and Belmont Representative to the Minuteman School Committee, Jack Weiss, have been invited to answer questions.

The evening is co-sponsored by the Belmont Warrant Committee and the Belmont LWV Education Fund.

Instrumental Music Information Nights This Week For 3rd, 4th Graders

Photo: Musical instruments.

Attention Grade 3 and Grade 4 parents: Attend one of the Instrumental Music Information Nights this week to learn about the amazing opportunities available to your students this year playing a musical instrument.

You’ll learn about the program, which instruments are available, and how you can sign up. And if you can’t make it to the Info Night in your school, you are welcome to attend any of the other sessions.

  • BURBANK: Monday, Sept. 12 (6:30 p.m., Burbank cafeteria)
  • WELLINGTON: Tues., Sept. 13 (7 p.m., Wellington cafeteria)
  • WINN BROOK: Wed., Sept. 14 (7 p.m., Winn Brook cafeteria)
  • BUTLER: Thursday, Sept. 15 (7 p.m., Butler cafeteria)

Questions? E-mail Arto Asadoroian, director of visual and performing arts.

This Daye Helps Students, Parents Navigate Safely to School

Photo: Jackie Daye, Wellington’s well-loved crossing guard. 

It may have been a rainy opening of the Belmont school year on Wednesday, Sept. 7, but for Jacqueline Daye, it was nothing but sunny greetings to everyone crossing the roads heading to the Roger Wellington Elementary School on Orchard Street.

A crossing guard employed by the town, the new school year is a return to the corner of Common and Orchard where Daye hold forth.

“Hi Jackie!” said a child, as Daye moves into traffic, halting cars and trucks with her handheld “stop” sign at the ready.

“Good morning! Welcome back, guys!”

“Hello Jackie. How was your summer,” asked a parent.

“It was great. I’m glad to be back.”

Small in stature, Daye’s easy smile and warm disposition can brighten a particularly gloom day before the students enter the classroom. From September to June, in rain, the heat and snow and on those perfect mornings and afternoons that interchange throughout the year, Daye is a constant in the Wellington community.

“I never miss a day of work,” she said. “My doctor said not to.”

For Daye, the best part of the job is “meeting the kids and the families who are excellent.”

“I meet a lot of people because of this job,” she said.

“I’m well loved around here,” Daye commented, with a big laugh.

And, joking aside, she is.

“Jackie is just about the most amazing crossing guard ever. She’s the best,” said Stacey Conroy, treking though the rain with her children.

“She remembers everybody, she welcomes us everyday. We’d be lost without her,” said the Bay State Road resident. 

Daye is one of 16 crossing guards hired and supervised by the Belmont Police who work approximately 15 hours a week allowing students, parents and residents to make their way safely across some of the busiest streets in town.

And when Daye moves out into the roadway, it’s all business. Hands outstretched, she looks at the traffic and stops it with a flash of her stop sign. On this first day, a vehicle heading down Common to Belmont Center had inched over into the crosswalk, eager – maybe too eager – to continue his commute, using his horn in an attempt to persuade Daye to let him through.

Daye would have none of that conduct, keeping her arm outstretched with her “stop” sign in the driver’s direction accompanied with a stern look. He didn’t honk a second time.

“Ugh! Can you believe that?” a parent told Daye, who just shook her head.

“Let’s all be safe,” said Daye, then her smile returned as she waves back at a student who called out, “Hi Jackie!”

IMG_5401 IMG_5410 IMG_5420 IMG_5422 IMG_5423 IMG_5424 IMG_5430 IMG_5434 IMG_5437 IMG_5447

Betancourt Takes Charge At Diverse Butler

Photo: Danielle Betancourt, the new principal at the Butler Elementary School in Belmont

In a recent interview on NPRDiana Eck, professor of comparative religion at Harvard University, said the United States since 9-11 – the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC is next week – “[has] grown aware not only of the danger of terrorism but also of the reality that their nation is far less white, Christian and European than it used to be.”

“These [immigrant] movements are not things that are somehow going to be stopped, and everyone sent home,” Eck said in the interview. “This is part of the natural evolution of who we are as America.”

“Diversity is now our destiny.”

That future can be seen in Belmont with a visit to the Butler Elementary School on White Street in the town’s Waverley neighborhood. Within the walls of the century-old building (built when immigrants from Ireland and Italy were moving into the area) are students from two dozen countries speaking more than 35 different languages and dialects.

And on the opening day of the school year in Belmont, Wednesday, Sept. 7, students and parents welcomed Danielle Betancourt as the Butler’s new principal.

Named in June to replace Michael McAllister (who moved to lead the Chenery Middle School)  Betancourt knows what it’s like living in a new land and learning to speak a language not her own. 

Betancourt lived with her family around the world, including three years in Moscow, Philadelphia, London for five years and in Massachusetts for the past 12 years. She was involved with a PTA at a primary school in England with her two sons (her oldest is finishing his degree at Georgetown while the youngest is starting his freshman year at UC San Diego), serving as co-president of the Wharton Kids Club in Philadelphia, and teaching at the Samantha School for English in Russia.

Betancourt matriculated at Fordham University where she was received a Bachelor’s Degree in Russian Studies, a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Boston College, and a Master’s of Education in Organizational Management from Endicott College.

Betancourt most recent position was as a vice principal at the Brophy Elementary in Framingham, after spending an 18-month principal internship at the Horace Mann Elementary School in Newton, where she has been a teacher in a full-inclusion classroom since 2011. Before the Mann, she served as an elementary teacher in the Boston Public Schools including as a first-grade teacher at the John Winthrop Elementary School in Dorchester.

The Belmontonian caught up with Betancourt as she attended a Butler PTA pre-school year picnic for kindergarteners and new students to the school at Pequossette Park on Aug. 31.

Q: The Butler is the most heterogeneous school population in Belmont with children coming from Russia, Nepal, South America and many regions in Asia. Does your history of living around the world give you an insight on the travails these families face?

A: I hope it helps since I understand what it is not only to live in other places but to transition your family in a new country. I’ve met families here who are coming from abroad with their kids, and I understand what it’s like to have the school as your “home base” where you make a community and friends, and that’s important.

Q: What languages do you speak?

A: I speak English, and I have exposure and experience with Russian, Italian and Spanish. I enjoy learning new languages because it’s the way we connect with one another. Sometimes, it’s just a few key phrases so I can reach out to others. I just met students the other day who were coming from another country. They didn’t speak any English, so I started to talk to them in their language. Right off, they felt a little bit more at ease and connected, and that’s so important in a new environment.

Q: What is your philosophy as an educator?

A: What I believe is that every child is to be known and challenged and that each one can learn and achieve and be successful. So it’s incumbent on everyone in the school community to make sure that each child succeeds. That will mean understanding the real difficulties for students and teachers when transitioning into English and becoming proficient.

Q: As this is your first principal position, what is your expectations at the Butler?

A: This first year is for me to learn from the staff and to appreciate what has been accomplished. What’s exciting is having worked in several different kinds of districts – urban and suburban – I can  … take what I have learned and add it to my repertoire and apply it here at the Butler. It’s like the concept of cross-pollination. That’s why it’s important to have diversity in that respect. So this year it’s about learning and building relationships with the community and the kids.

Q: So, is it an exciting time for you?.

A: Very exciting. I keep pitching myself. It’s such a wonderful opportunity.

Fast Facts on the First Day of School in Belmont

Photo:
 
Get out your cameras, moms and dads! Today, Wednesday, Sept. 7, is the first day of the new 2016-17 school year at each of Belmont’s six public schools. Just 184 more days before the final day on Friday, June 23, 2017, – this school year into the first full day of summer – give or take one or two (or four or five) snow days awaiting us.
 
Day one: 
  • It is a full day for students grades 1-12.
  • No school for Kindergarteners; they little ones have to wait a day, until Thursday, Sept. 8  for half day sessions to begin.
  • There will be no bus service available for Kindergarten students on Sept. 7, 8, and 9. Busing for Kindergarten students will begin on Monday, Sept. 12.
  • It is a Wednesday schedule for all students, meaning an earlier than usual dismissal time.

Purchase meals and plans online here.

Belmont High School

Wednesday is Opening Day for Grades 9, 10, 11, and 12: All grades will report to school at 7:35 a.m. for homeroom.

A Quick Reference Guide, including a list of items for Opening Day and the first week of school, has been uploaded to each ParentPlus and StudentPlus accounts. 

Homeroom assignments for all students will be posted to StudentPlus account. Students should report to homeroom at 7:35 am where they will receive locker information. After homeroom, students will attend each class on their Wednesday schedule and meet with teachers.

Start Time: 7:35 a.m.

Dismissal times this year are:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday2:25 p.m.
  • Wednesdays1:25 p.m.
  • Wednesday Early Release will be at 10:30 a.m.

Chenery Middle School

Start Time: 7:55 a.m.

Dismissal Times:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday2:25 p.m.
  • Wednesdays1:15 p.m.
  • Wednesday Early Release will be at 11 a.m.

Burbank, Butler, Wellington Schools:

Start Time: 8:40 a.m.

Dismissal Times:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday2:50 p.m.
  • Wednesdays1:40 p.m.
  • Wednesday Early Release will be at 11:40 a.m.

(1/2 Day Kindergarten: 8:40 a.m. to 11:55 a.m.)

Winn Brook School

Start Time: 8:50 a.m.

Dismissal Times:

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 3 p.m.
  • Wednesdays1:50 p.m.
  • Wednesday Early Release will be at 11:50 a.m.

(1/2 Day Kindergarten: 8:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.)

Obituary: Christopher Diozzi, The Heart of Belmont High Hockey

Photo: Chris Diozzi. 

Chris Diozzi was the heart of one of Belmont High School’s great boys’ ice hockey team.

At 5’9″ and about 175 lbs, Diozzi was not the biggest athlete, especially for a defenseman. But as a reporter noted at the time, Diozzi  “played large” on the ice, a testament to his grit and determination when skating in the crimson and white Marauders jersey.

“On a team of talented players, [Diozzi] was the frosting on the cake,” said his high shool coach, Dante Muzzioli.

Christopher Jason Diozzi of Boston drowned in the waters off Dennis on Cape Cod Saturday, Aug. 27. Diozzi was 31.

Reported missing by friends on Saturday night, his body was recovered Sunday afternoon, Aug. 28. In a statement, the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office wrote: “nothing at this time to suggest the cause of death was anything other than accidental.” 

Diozzi’s death remains under investigation, with the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner handling the case, according to the DA.

For the past four years, Diozzi was an associate director of institutional sales at John Hancock Investments in Boston.

In Belmont, Diozzi – who excelled on the playing field and in the classroom – will be best remembered for his time on the ice at “Skip” Viglirolo Skating Rink, the home of the Belmont High School Marauders. 

“Chris was that once in a lifetime player, a great person who just breathed confidence,” said  Muzzioli, calling from Italy at his daughter’s wedding. 

“He was the leader that we needed, a go-to guy in every sense of the word,” he said.

As a senior, Diozzi captained the 2002-3 Marauders to a co-championship of the Middlesex League, the first league title for Belmont in 40 years. 

On a team with such outstanding athletes as Paul Garabedian, Peter Shelzi, Schuyler Wiggin, Kevin Vona and Mike Hannon, Diozzi was the player that everyone looked up as he led by example; scoring countless timely goals, getting back on defense to stop a breakaway and encouraging his teammates on the bench and the ice. 

That season Diozzi and Garabedian were named league co-MVPs, leading the team to an 18-4-1 record and sending Belmont to the first of two consecutive spots in the MIAA Super Eight state championships.

“He was an impact player who [was on the ice for] more minutes than any other player I ever coached. Chris was that important,” said Muzzioli. 

After a post-grad year at Deerfield Academy and a season with the Walpole Jr. Stars of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (where he played defense with future NHL-er Matt Gilroy), Dozzi took his talents to Trinity College (Class of 2009). There he was a four-year starter, playing 100 games and scoring 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points, co-captaining the team his senior year and being named to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) All-Conference Second Team.

In his senior campaign in 2008-9, Diozzi was a semifinalist for the Joe Concannon Award as the best American-born college hockey player in New England at NCAA Division 2 and 3.

For the past several seasons, Diozzi came back to the home rink in Belmont, joining his old coach on the bench to teach a younger generation the skills and embrace the passion of the sport. 

“[Chris] was a success in everything he did because he dedicated himself to what he was doing. We should try to celebrate that life,” said Muzzioli. 

Son of Thomas and Stavroula – Lou – Diozzi, Chris was the brother of Matthew and Andrew. Nephew of Angie Stefanou and William Kane and the late Anna Kane, and cousin of Stephanie and Stacey Kane, he is survived by many relatives and friends. 

Visiting hours will take place today, Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Faggas Funeral Home, 551 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown.

The Funeral will take place at Faggas Funeral Home on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, at 9 a.m., followed by a service in the Taxiarchae Greek Orthodox Church, 25 Bigelow Ave., Watertown at 10 a.m. Burial will take place at Mt. Auburn Cemetary.
 
In place of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Christopher J. Diozzi Memorial Scholarship, c/o Cambridge Savings Bank, 40 Leonard St., Belmont, MA 02478.
[This story was updated with additional quotes at 4 p.m., Friday, Sept. 2]

Start Thinking School: Belmont High’s Opening Days Schedule Set

Photo: Back to school, 2016-17.

Starting today, Thursday, Sept. 1, the gears begin turning for Belmont High School students as the 2016-17 term gets underway:

Thursday, Sept. 1

Orientation for Incoming Freshmen and Parents/Guardians: Orientation for parents and students will begin at 5 p.m. in the High School auditorium. The administration will speak about student life and how to be successful at BHS. Parents are excused at 5:30 pm. A tour of the building will be offered to students. Following the tour, students will pick up their iPads and then meet the Guidance Counselors and the Class Connectors. A pizza supper will be provided for freshman students and Class Connectors. Parents need to pick up their students at 7:45 pm.

Friday, Sept. 2

Tours for all new students in Grades 10–12 and parents/guardians:  Any new student and parents/guardians are welcome to come to a tour of the building from 10 am to 12:30 pm. Pizza will be provided.

Tuesday, Sept. 6

Opening day for faculty and staff.

Wednesday, Sept. 7

Opening Day Students:  All Belmont High School grades will report to school at 7:35 am for homeroom. Freshmen will report to the Auditorium for a brief assembly at 9:55 am. A Quick Reference Guide, including a list of items for Opening Day and the first week of school, has been uploaded to ParentPlus and StudentPlus accounts. The first day of school will be an FULL-DAY of classes.

Homeroom assignments for all students will be posted to your StudentPlus account. Students should report to homeroom at 7:35 a.m. where they will receive locker information. Homeroom teachers will explain the schedule and answer any other questions. After homeroom, students will attend each class on their Wednesday schedule and meet with teachers.

Information regarding the purchase of a yearbook through the Jostens Company will be available on the school website under students/yearbooks.

Important information for Grade 12: Senior students should bring a check for $50.00 made payable to “BHS Class of 2017” to pay for their class dues. Class dues are used to pay for graduation cap and gown and senior activities. Checks will be collected by the homeroom teachers.  Please make sure your student’s name is on the check.

Cap and Gown information will be shared with you via the Naviance account.

Yankee Candle will deliver information on an individual fundraising opportunity that may cover all or part of a student’s class dues, yearbook, or prom ticket. Any student who needs financial assistance with class dues, yearbook, or prom ticket must participate in this fundraiser.

Wednesday, Sept. 7, 8, and 9

Please be advised that there will be no bus service available for Kindergarten students on these days. Busing for Kindergarten students will begin on Monday, September 12.

Thursday, Sept. 8

  • Seniors will report to the Auditorium for a brief assembly at 9:52 am.
  • Juniors will report to the Auditorium for an assembly at 8:30 am and
  • Sophomores will report to the Auditorium for a brief assembly at 1:10 pm.

Ninth Grade? Eighth Grade? Kindergarten? What Should A New Belmont High Include

Photo: Belmont High School.

When the Massachusetts School Building Authority accepted Belmont’s application in January 2016 to provide partial state funding for the renovation of and new construction at Belmont High School, it was seen as a boom for future 9th through 12th graders who’ll attend the school when it’s completed approximately a decade from now.

But, hold on, why not add eighth graders to the new school? How about seventh graders? 

No, wait, how about creating a separate building to the High School campus to house the town’s preK and Kindergarteners? 

A new high school would not just allow an improvement to the educational process for students, some in town believe that configured in the right way the “new” $140-$150 million school could creatively lessen the overcrowding in the Belmont School District’s middle and elementary school buildings predicted for the district for years in the future.

Three school layouts – for 9-12, 8-12, and K and preK – will likely be presented next year to residents, parents, educators, and many others to assist the Belmont High School Building Committee when it offers a final concept to the MSBA of the renovated structure on the shore of Clay Pit Pond.

It is estimated that it will take upwards of two years before a single design configuration is selected.

Number of students

At its early morning meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 2 at the Belmont Gallary of Art, the Building Committee heard the MSBA – which works collaboratively with school districts it provides funding (estimated to be about a third of the actually construction) –  would allow Belmont a bit more time to finalize the numbers that will determine just how big a school the community can build. 

One of the most important figures to be determined is “just how many students over time … will be in the building,” said Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan. Currently, the MSBA and the school district has been comparing what their crystal balls are telling them just how many will be occupying the site.

Over the past month, Phelan has been carrying the ball for Belmont before the MSBA, advocating for a 9-12 student population of nearly 1,525 (determined by the district’s enrollment consultant) about ten years from now, about 50 pupils more than what the Building Authority predicts for the building. 

“The ‘who will be in the building’ will be a big decision for this committee,” said Phelan, which the committee will agree by mid-October. 

But the total student number is just the first of two principal components in calculating the physical size of the new school. 

The other determinate is the number of “educational programs” the district offers at the High School beyond the basic core curriculum that is taught – English, math, art, etc. Those would include music and theater, SPED classrooms, studios, computer labs, Physical Education, teaching stations, an auditorium, and other offerings. 

It is only when the student population and programs provided by the district are combined and calculated is when a total square footage of the renovated school is determined. 

While the actual headcount for the schools is in the 1,500 range, the school would be designed as if Belmont High had an extra 100 to 150 students, said Building Chair William Lovallo

“We are … much more relaxed when they explained” what constitutes the “final amount (of students) in the building,” Phelan said.

But just because the school can house the expected number of students, “this will need to be an education solution not just an [enrollment] one,” said Lovallo, as Phelan said each design would employ the best schooling practices. He said if the decision is for an 8-to-12 school, it would likely be built to house two campuses: an “academy” for 8th and 9th graders with a traditional “high school” for the upper classmen, where all students would share gym, theater and music spaces and sports activities.  

While all school projects are different and with unique issues, Belmont can look at nearby Winchester High School which will complete the renovation/new construction project next September. 

Winchester has increased its square footage from 280,300 to 288,000 with a top line student enrollment of 1,370. Belmont, at 257,100 sq.-ft., stated in its Statement of Interest to the MSBA it would seek a building in the 290,000 range. 

Grade configuration

Given a once in a lifetime opportunity to build a new high school, the building committee is preparing just “‘who’ will be going to the site,” said Phelan, as the district is looking at three grade options for the high school:

  • A traditional 9 through the 12-grade structure,
  • extended grades 8-12 configuration, and
  • a unique structure at the site housing the town’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs.

Phelan said the two non-traditional approaches are under consideration  due to the the surge in the past five years in district-wide enrollment. Since 2009, approximately 470 additional students have been added to the district’s rolls with another 500 expected in the next five years.

The solution for rising pupil numbers has been a series of stop-gap efforts. The Chenery will open later this month modular classrooms on the school’s tennis courts to alleviate the expected crush of rising fifth graders entering the building in September. 

For Phelan and others, the renovated school could be that once-in-several-generation opportunity to reduce the stress of overcrowding schools through the district for the foreseeable future.

If for example, an eighth grade is included in the school, 350 more students will be added to the estimated 1,500 students in the 9-12 design.

Once the number of students who will be attending the school is determined, the town will move to creating a feasibility study of each of the alternative configurations.

“A lot of work that [the committee] has over the next month is what is going to be the ‘who’ on that site; what do we want that grade configuration to look like. That will be a big conversation for the town, the teachers, the parents, the Board of Selectmen and School Committee,” said Phelan.

But which of the three options will be going forward to the MSBA will not be the decision of the Building Committee. Rather, Lovallo said, the designs and reasons behind them will be presented to a broad array of organizations – PTA/PTO, Precinct members, teachers, educational staff – as well as residents who will provide a “sense of the town” on which direction the committee will take. 

“We will need community support,” said Lovallo as the MSBA “is not going to sign on to one that will go down in flames.” 

-30-