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

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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

Thanks, Maura: Belmont To Net $1.5M Increase In Local Aid For FY ’24 Via Gov. Healey’s Budget

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Photo: Flush with cash, the new governor is increasing unrestricted local aid to communities

It couldn’t have come at a better time.

When newly-elected Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey filed her $55.5 billion Fiscal Year 2024 budget recommendation on March 1, it was anticipated that Bay State communities would be a beneficiary of the state’s ballooning coffer. And Belmont was not disappointed with what came down from Beacon Hill.

“Yes, it’s very good news,” said Belmont Town Administrator Patrice Garvin who presented the preliminary Chapter 70 local aid numbers for fiscal year ’24 in Healey’s proposed budget to the Select Board at its meeting on Monday, March 6.

“Looking at unrestricted general aid … the town’s receiving an additional $1.6 million over what the town received in fiscal year ’23,” said Garvin. Subtract the adjusted assessments – for instance, to the MBTA and Special Education – state aid nets out at $1.491 million for Belmont.

Garvin said her office has already commenced working with the school district, town departments and chairs of boards to “figure out how this is going to impact the amount of free cash we use in the FY ’24 budget.” That process will be discussed at the Select Board’s joint meeting with the Warrant Committee on March 20.

This new infusion of revenue from the state comes as Belmont and its schools are facing difficult fiscal choices in the coming months. In the latest version of the town’s FY 2024 operating budget presented at Budget Summit 5 in February, the school district was facing approximately $2.1 million in cuts – which would result in cutting 28 FTEs – from its proposed ’24 budget while town departments would see the fourth year of no growth in spending.

While much of the focus for the new revenue is squarely on needs in fiscal ’24, Select Board Chair Mark Paolillo noted the school district is undergoing a historic rise in Special Education related out-of-district placement expenditures, resulting in the district’s FY ’23 budget projections falling from a $140,000 surplus to a $890,000 deficit.

“The ’24 budget has to be recast” based on the exploding special education costs, said Paolillo.

Looking further afield, Galvin said the town will need to determine how the $1.5 million will impact the fiscal ’25 budget. “We’re going to have to be careful. We’re not going to project our state aid increasing in fiscal ’25 by 13 percent,” said Galvin.

But all in all, the jump in aid is being warmly greeted by Belmont officials.

“This is a good news story, so far,” said Paolillo.

“More is better than less,” said board member Adam Dash.

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

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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 Schools Open During Friday’s Dangerous Freeze; Library Open Weekend As Warming Area

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Photo: National Weather Service low temperature chart for Friday

Belmont Public Schools will be open on Friday, Feb. 3, while weather forecasts are indicating a period of very cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills over the next 48 hours, according to the Town of Belmont website.

“The town’s Facilities Department is assessing each school building and will keep the heat settings at a higher temperature overnight for [Friday]’s arrival to school and over the weekend,” read a press release from the Belmont School District.

“In addition, the district has reached out to the bus company to confirm buses are winterized. Drivers will report early to ensure buses start and are warmed up for a timely student pick up,” according to the release.

The National Weather Service issued an updated forecast:

  • Dangerous wind chills with temperatures as low as -30F starting early Friday through Saturday, Feb. 4 across southern New England.
  • Isolated power outages possible due to strong winds.
  • A few snow squalls are possible late Thursday into early Friday, but “we are not sure if they will hold together as they move in,” said the NWS press release.

The Belmont Public Library at 336 Concord Ave. will have regular hours on Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for anyone looking for a place to warm up.

“We encourage everyone to stay sheltered from this dangerous weather,” the town press release advises. “If venturing outside during this weather event, please dress appropriately and protect exposed skin from the cold and wind. We ask you to check on elderly friends and neighbors, and others who may need assistance, during this period of extreme cold.”

With County At ‘High’ Level, Belmont Taking A Cautious Approach To Latest Covid-19 Spike

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Photo: Belmont has not sought to bring back a mask mandate with the latest spike in Covid-19.

With the new year of 2023 bringing a jump in Covid-19 related hospitalizations and in overall cases in Middlesex county, the town of Belmont and the school district are taking a deliberate approach in its answer to the surge.

“At the moment, we are cautiously optimistic because we are not seeing a post-holiday spike in COVID-19 related absences in the schools like we had in recent years,” Wesley Chin, director of the Belmont Health Department, told the Belmontonian on Monday.

The Massachusetts reported on Jan. 5 that Middlesex County had reached a ‘High’ community level which is a combination of reported Covid cases and hospitalization due to the coronavirus. The recent spike in cases and those in the hospital was not unexpected as people are spending more time indoors where viruses can easily spread. Nationwide, nearly 20 percent of US counties are at the high level of Covid risk.

When areas reach the high level, the US CDC recommends citizens return to wearing a high-quality mask – N95, KF94 and KN95 – when indoors in public. The CDC also recommends those at high risk of getting very sick – the elderly and those with compromised immunity – to consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed.

“If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick, consider testing before contact and wearing a high-quality mask when indoors with them,” advised the CDC in a press release.

So far, the Health Department is taking a watch and advise approach to the recent surge.

On the day the high level was reported, the town’s Health Department shared a shared a ‘COVID-19 Safety’ infographic with the community to remind residents about the readily accessible tools at hand that can help protect individuals from severe infections from COVID-19. (See the Infograph at the bottom of the page)

“The Health Department continues to monitor local and regional COVID-19 metrics. We are also in regular contact with the Head of Nursing and Superintendent for the Belmont Public Schools to monitor student and staff attendance throughout the district,” said Chin.

Initial data has been promising, said Chin.

“At the moment, we are cautiously optimistic because we are not seeing a post-holiday spike in COVID-19 related absences in the schools like we had in recent years. Additionally, COVID-19 waste water data provided by MWRA suggests that current COVID-19 infections may be on the decline in the north region,” said Chin.

While the town has not reinstated an indoor mask mandate for public and private locations with common spaces, “Belmont will always be a mask friendly community,” said Chin. “But, the best way to prevent adverse outcomes is to continue to stay up to date with bivalent booster shots,” he said. Belmont ended its indoor mask mandate in March 2022, approximately two years after it was declared.

In that regard, Belmont is ahead of the game with a high rate of vaccination among residents, with most age groups having reached a 95 percent-plus fully vaccinated rate.

While vaccinations do not prevent contracting the virus, it does lessen the severity of the illness and in nearly all cases of those fully vaccinated will prevent an hospital stay.

“We believe the high rate of vaccination in Belmont is likely playing a protective role in allowing us to weather the current surge of cases in the Northeast with less disruption to everyday life this year,” said Chin.

https://www.appointmentquest.com/scheduler/2180061935?schedule=belmontvaccineclinic

Belmont Public Schools Online Registration for School Year ’23-’24 Opens Friday, Jan. 27

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Photo: Student registration is online for the 2023-24 school year

The annual online registration to attend Belmont Public Schools will begin on Jan. 27. And there is Important registration information for BPS families:

You do not need to register an existing grade 1-12 Belmont Public Schools student.

You do need to register your incoming kindergartner even if you are a current Belmont Public Schools family. To ensure placement of your incoming kindergartner at the same elementary school as your grade 1-4 child, please submit all required documents to complete registration for your incoming kindergartner by April 8. Current Wellington preschool families will be emailed registration instructions.

For grade K-4 families new to Belmont Public Schools:
Please see the K-4 registration page on the BPS website for registration information and paperwork deadlines for school placement dates.
Please also see our Elementary Information Presentations on the BPS registration page (posted when registration opens online). These presentations give general information about Belmont Public Schools, registration, health requirements, and food services.

Grades K-4: http://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/bps/Parents/Registration/K-4-Registration

Grades 5-12: http://www.belmont.k12.ma.us/bps/Registration-Information
If you have any questions regarding your registration, please contact the school where you registered.

Breaking: Belmont Superintendent Phelan To Retire in Fall ’23

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Photo: Belmont School District Superintendent John Phelan who announced his retirement as of Fall 2023.

After nearly a decade leading the Belmont School District, Superintendent John Phelan announced his retirement as of fall 2023 during the Belmont School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Phelan said he was making the annoucement now to allow the committee time to hire a new leader that will allow that person time to become familiar with personnel and policies. Phelan leaves at the same time as the town opens in September 2023 the new Middle School wing of the $295 million Belmont Middle and High School building.

”I want to say ‘thank you,’” said Meg Moriarity, school committee chair, before the full committee gave Phelan a round of applause.

Hired in December, 2013, Phelan became superintendent on July 1, 2014. Previously the assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Personnel for the Milton Public Schools, Phelan took the helm of the district as Belmont faced possible large budget cuts in schools which was avoided when the town passed a Prop 2 1/2 override in April 2015. Phelan has been working with the town on funding the district to limit layoffs and support education after the town rejected the latest override in April 2021.

Phelan also had a major role in proposing and the planning for the new Belmont Middle and High School which was approved by voters in November 2018.

But it was Phelan’s management of the district during the Covid-19 pandemic which will be his major legacy beginning in March 2020. With the need to shut buildings and start a remote learning model for 4,300 students from scratch, Phelan was the public face of the district decisions which put him under fire from a portion of residents who sought alternative methods to learning. Despite the opposition, Phelan’s ‘safety first’ approach would be the district’s standard.

As Middle School Preps For Next Year, There Are Changes In Leadership At Chenery And District

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Photo: Karla Koza at the topping off celebration of the new middle school section of the Belmont Middle and High School.

With the one-year countdown is underway for the opening of the new Middle School on Concord Avenue and the transformation of the Chenery into a town-wide 4-6 grade elementary school, there has been some major shuffling going on at the Middle School on Washington Street this summer.

In a series of press releases from the Belmont School District, Karla Koza has moved from being principal of the 5-8 grade school and is the working as director of the newly-created District Configuration Transition post effective Sept. 1. Koza was the Principal at the Chenery for the past two years.

The purpose of this one-year position was to dedicate a single “point person” to focus all of their time and attention on leading the evolution of a 9-12 Belmont High School building to a 7-12 Belmont Middle and High School building by September, 2023. 

Koza experience and expertise in Grades 7-12, especially, will serve her well as she works to ensure that all stakeholders involved with the district reconfiguration feel supported and successful.  Having already built strong relationships with many in our school community, she represents a trusted point of contact.  She is a valued member of our leadership council and we have confidence that she will be successful in this new capacity. 

In proposing this role, the district said it emphasized the importance of:

  • Taking input from stakeholders
  • Focusing on timelines, scheduling, and logistics
  • Handling all public communication

Koza joined the Belmont Public Schools in 2020. Prior to her Chenery principalship she was an educator in the Grafton Public Schools, working as a classroom teacher (15 years), English Department Head (6 years) and Assistant Principal (5 years), from 2003-2020. She also underwent a similar transition into a new building in that role, which she spoke about passionately during her interview. 

“Her experience and expertise in Grades 7-12, especially, will serve her well as she works to ensure that all stakeholders involved with the district reconfiguration feel supported and successful. Having already built strong relationships with many in our school community, she represents a trusted point of contact,” said the release.

Taking Koza’s place, Chenery’s former assistant principal Nicolette Foundas has been named the Interim 5-8 Chenery Middle School Principal for the 2022-2023 school year which is the final year for the Chenery as a middle school. The one-year appointment began effective Aug. 8. But Foundas will not need to clear out her desk when the one-year appointment ends as she was named the future Principal of the Chenery Upper Elementary School, Grades 4-6, which will start in the 2023-2024 year beginning next September.

Nicolette Foundas

Foundas began her career in public education as a Grade 4 classroom teacher in Hartford. She joined the Belmont Public Schools 2008 and has served as a Grade 5 classroom teacher for 10 years and as a member of our leadership team overseeing encore programming and Grades 5 and 6 for the last four years. 

Foundas’ prior experience in a similar interim capacity as the Chenery Principal in May and June of 2020, will serve her well as she works to ensure stability for students, family, and staff through this period of transition. 

“We have seen her work up close as a member of our own leadership council and have confidence that she will continue to thrive in this new role,” according to the release.

And the school district will soon be seeking the first leader of the new 7-8 middle school in the Concord Avenue facility.

In January, 2023, the district will post for a permanent principal for a July 1, 2023 start. The hiring for that position will follow our traditional process, including a screening team made up of teachers and parents/guardians, public interviews, and community input.

Belmont Public Schools Opens The Doors On Wed., Sept. 7

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Photo: On the way to school

Parents may want to add a sweater to their children’s outfits as temperatures are predicted in the high-50s on the first day of school this Wednesday.

The 2022-3 school year begins at Belmont’s six on Sept. 7 for grades 1-12 with an early release – there will be no lunch – while kindergarteners will be attending school either on the Sept. 8 or 9 with each school communicating the student schedules.

The 2022-2023 school year calendar will provide information regarding religious holidays, school hours and when the vacation break occur.

Free breakfast/lunch continues: On the lunch front, the state has extended the pandemic-based free school meals for all students through the 2022-2023 school year. Every student is eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch each day. All additional meals outside the first breakfast and lunch will be charged along with the school’s current meal rates. 

It should be noted that while every student may get one free breakfast and one free lunch per day, it is still very important for families to complete the household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for the 2022-2023 school year. The application can be found on the district website. 

Driving and parking changes at the BMHS: The Belmont Traffic Working Group has issues an update list of information concerning student parking and drop off/pick up news for 2022-2023.

Parents and guardians can continue to pick up and drop off on the campus in front of the high school, and that student parking will remain on Concord Avenue with restrictions on side streets. The biggest change is indicated by new striping that supports new bike lanes along the curb of Concord Avenue so that parking will now be located in a middle section.

Be aware that the traffic on and around Concord Avenue will be very heavy in the morning and afternoons.

With Concerns Heightened, Belmont School Committee Will Host Community Safety Forum Tuesday, May 31

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Photo: The Belmont School Committee will host a virtual community safety forum on Tuesday, May 31

After a pair of alarming incidents directed at and in Belmont schools and the recent mass murder of students and teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, the Belmont School Committee will host a virtual community safety forum on Tuesday, May 31, at 6:30 p.m., according to an email from Belmont Superintendent John Phelan.

  • To join the Zoom video meeting, click this link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83217919060 Webinar ID: 832 1791 9060
  • To join by telephone:Call: (929) 205-6099 and enter this PIN: 83217919060# To ask a question or raise your hand, enter *9 on your phone.
  • The meeting will be cablecast live on channel 8 (Comcast) and channel 28 and 2130 (Verizon) and online at belmontmedia.org/govtv

The meeting comes after a bomb threat on May 11 was directed at Belmont High School and “concerning” social media messages accompanied photos of the interior of the Chenery Middle School has raised tensions among residents and parents of school-age students.

The meeting, which will be attended by Belmont Police Chief James MacIsaac, Fire Chief David Destefano and Facilities Director David Blazon, will be an opportunity for public safety and town officials “to update on our protocols and to listen to concerns and feedback,” said Phelan.

“As most of our students have exposure to technology, news media, and social media, many of them have likely heard about the tragedy in Uvalde,” said Phelan.

“This topic will no doubt be top-of-mind among families throughout the nation for days to come. Our staff and counselors are available for students in school as needed. Please reach out to one of your child’s teachers, counselor, or principal if you feel your child needs specific support in processing this incident.”