Despite No Snow in Forecast, Belmont’s Limited Parking Ban Still in Effect

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While the next few days will see highs in the 30s and sunny skies, the impact of more than 90 inches of snow continues as most Belmont side streets continue to be single-lane roads.

For that reason, the Belmont Police advises residents that the Limited Parking Ban will remain in effect until further notice.

Under the ban, parking is only allowed on the odd-numbered side of the street unless the street has been listed as exempt.

The ban is necessary for public safety. The roads are not wide enough for public safety vehicles and school busses to get down when vehicles are parked on both sides. To avoid being ticketed and towed do not park on the even numbered side of the street.

Please refer to the town’s web site for a complete list of exempt streets.

What to Know About Voting in the Belmont Town Election

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The annual town election is fast coming upon residents, only five weeks on Tuesday, March 3. Here are some of the basic facts for Belmontians to know on voting on April 7 from Ellen Cushman, the Belmont Town Clerk.

Who can vote in Town Elections?

Any Belmont resident who is 18 years or older and a citizen of the United States can register to vote.  In order to be eligible to vote in the upcoming Annual Town Election the voter registration must be received or postmarked by the twentieth day preceding the election, Wednesday, March 18.  The Town Clerk’s office will be open until 8 p.m.to receive voter registrations on March 18.

Were you Registered To Vote in Another Town?

If you were a registered to vote in another town or state, you’ll need to register as a voter in Belmont in order to vote here.

Voter Changes to Party, Name or Address in Belmont

The deadline for registered Belmont voters who need to make changes to party affiliation, name or address within Belmont is also March 18.

Voter Registration Documents available at the Town Clerk’s office in Town Hall, 455 Concord Avenue or online at the Town Clerk’s web pages.

The following Voter Registration Forms can be found here.

• Change of Belmont Address forms for registered Belmont voters

• Change of Party Affiliation forms for registered Belmont voters

• Absentee Ballot Application

Forms for individuals who qualify to receive an absentee ballot due to absence from Belmont on Election Day or physical disability preventing the voter from going to the polling place or religious belief. In lieu of using this form, a voter may simply submit a request for a ballot in writing but the request must include the voter’s signature.

Applications for absentee voting must be received by the Town Clerk’s office by Noon Monday, April 6, 2015; voted absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m., the close of polls Tuesday, April 7. Check the Town Clerk website for dates of in-office absentee voting or phone 617-993-2600.

Belmont Girls’ Hoops Takes Down Bedford in Thriller, Heads to Semis vs Watertown

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Did you miss Thursday night’s Girls’ Basketball Div. 2 North quarterfinals at Bedford High?

Oh, I feel sorry for you.

In a game that could have been lost in so many ways – questionable calls, missed shots, a quicker and fresher opponent – 15 girls from Belmont High School willed themselves with guts, determination and intensity to craft a thrilling victory, 57-51, against the fourth-ranked Bedford High Buccaneers.

Belmont (16-6) now book a date (Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden) in the semi-finals with their neighboring arch-rival, undefeated (19-0) and number-one seed Watertown High, for the right to play in the sectional championship game.

“They showed so much heart and poise to come back from being down away from home,” said Head Coach Melissa Hart after the victory in which Belmont parents and fans savored the emotion with the players on the opposition’s court.

“”We gave up a lot of points early, but they never stopped fighting, not once,” said Hart.

The statistics compiled at the scorer’s table could scarcely tell the narrative written on the court in the bandbox gymnasium filled to overflowing with especially boisterous Bedford supporters. From the relentless team defensive leaving Bedford’s five starters exhausted and broken in the fourth quarter to the individual acts of top-notch athletic skill allowed the Marauders to rip the game out of the Buccaneers’ hands in the crucial third quarter and calmly “seal the deal” from the charity stripe in the final minutes.

“I wasn’t playing well,” said junior forward Sarah Stewart, who had three early fouls.

“So when I went back in, [Hart] told us you have be fierce in this game. So I didn’t get angry; I went in determined that we are going to win,” she said.

Leading the Marauders was captain and center Linda Herlihy, who finished with a game-high 21 points, five rebounds, and two blocks. Not seen in the stats is what Herlihy also provided – senior leadership. Once, at the very moment Belmont was on the edge of collapse – falling behind by nine points late in the second quarter – Herlihy yelled to her teammates, “Get a grip! Find your man!” to set the defense.

“We needed to focus and keep our heads. You can’t look at the score. You just have to play the game,” recalled Herlihy.

Down the final stretch, Belmont relied on the ball handling skills of freshman Carly Christofori (16 points), who secured the victory by coolly knocking down free throws in the fourth quarter where she went 8 for 12.

“Do you ever miss a free throw?” Bedford’s head coach Matt Ryan asked Christofori after the game.

Christofori admitted feeling a bit anxious when she stepped to the line to take her shots.

“I was really nervous, but I knew the team needed the points, so I just thought about converting,” said Christofori.

Both teams came out fast with Belmont – which came in with a height advantage, on its inside game as Herlihy scored eight of the team’s 16 points, countered by Bedford’s senior guard duo Kristen Bullock (14 points) and Amanda Cohen, who was red hot early, hitting a pair of 3 pointers (the Buccaneers put five in from distance while Belmont came up empty from beyond the arc) to score 10 of her 19 points in the first quarter.

Leading 26-24 midway through the second quarter, Bedford made their move, spreading out the defense and driving to the basket for shots in close while Belmont was having trouble with the Buccaneer’s man-to-man defense, turning over the ball several times. Belmont could only hit two free throws while Bedford was making free throws to take a 33-24 lead at half time.

“They were good, but we didn’t play the sort of defense we needed to win,” said Hart.

But as with its first-round playoff game – a 71-43 home victory over Danvers where Belmont outscored the Falcons’ 45-19 in the second half – the Marauders stepped up its press defense which began to take a toll on the tiring Bedford players. While Hart was liberally substituting, Ryan kept his starters on the court, and it began showing as shots that were going in where staying out. With Belmont’s edge inside, Belmont took control under the boards.

“They were getting tired, so we just kept pushing,” said Herlihy.

And Belmont began seeing shots drop: a jumper from junior Irini Nikolaidis (4 points), a tough two under the basket from Herlihy, a free throw by Christofori and finally senior Sophia Eschenbach-Smith (4 points) pretty bounce pass to an open Stewart (4 points) completed a four-minute, 10-0 run, giving the Marauders their first lead since 10-8 in the first quarter.

Belmont kept the lead, going ahead 39-35 on a sweeping hook from freshman Jenny Call (2 points), before two Bedford free throws and a three from Cohen gave the Buccaneers the lead, 40-39, entering the fourth.

And it appeared Bedford caught a second wind, pushing their lead up to 46-41, but it was apparent the Buccaneers were drained, committing turnovers – including an easy steal and bucket by Christofori – and unable to keep up with Belmont’s defense, demonstrated when Bedford could not attempt a shot within 30 seconds and holding a one-point lead.

Belmont grabbed the lead (47-46) for good on a driving layup by Christofori with 3:50 remaining before Herlihy showed her touch by taking the ball and kissing it off the backboard to up Belmont’s margin to three at 49-46 with 3:12 left.

While Bedford cut the lead to 52-51 with 88 seconds remaining, Belmont forced a turnover and was soon fouled every time up the court. A pair from Christofori gave Belmont a 54-51 lead while Bedford blew a bunny in close. Christofori knocked down two more to bring the lead up to 56-51 with 45 seconds left.

And it was preserving the lead against some accomplished three-point scorers where Belmont players showed their grit. Senior Elena Bragg (5 points) grabbed a critical defensive rebound on a missed free throw followed by Stewart ripping down an offensive rebound after Christofori missed her second of two free throws and, finally, Herlihy pulled in an offensive rebound between three Bedford players with 20 second left.

Then the celebration began.

“This is a great win. Now we have to bring all that with us against Watertown,” said Hart.

Sold in Belmont: What Would You Have Bought? The Renovated Condo or One of the Smallest Houses in Town

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A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 68 Unity Ave. #1 Condominium (1924) Sold: $489,750. Listed at $439,900. Living area: 1,018 sq.-ft. 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 33 days.

• 33 Knox St. Ranch (1957) Sold: $526,000. Listed at $549,000. Living area: 1,027 sq.-ft. 4 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 92 days.

The town residential properties that sold last week in Belmont are similar in two ways; each are affordable relative to the median value of homes in these parts – nearly $840,000 according to town data – and each a tad more than 1,000 square feet of livable space. While the Unity Avenue property is a single-floor condominium on the Cambridge line, the Knox Street ranch is snug in Belmont Hill.

So, which would you have bought?

The ranch: The structure is yours, you don’t have to share common spaces and parking have a neighbor living above you – God only knows who’ll move in next year – or pay a condo fee on top of property taxes. It’s located on “the hill,” it’s quiet and you can jump right onto Rt. 2.

But it’s just a smudge more than 1,00o square feet of interior space, making it one of the smaller homes in Belmont. You better be on good relations with whomever you are living with because there is limited private space available. It’s one of the few houses in this one-time subdivision previous owners didn’t build-on extra space. In fact, a look at the interior shows a great deal of original detail. Ranch developers wanted to put them up as cheaply as possible. The result: middling-quality material that should be torn out and replaced. The ground floor rooms need extensive rehab and fast.

The condo: As a South End developer once told me, people who buy condos are “purchasing air,” as the owner’s property rights extend only to the four walls in which the condo lies. Want to improve the common area? Renovate the garage? Replace the grass with stone in the backyard? Hello, neighbor! You are constantly seeking someone else’s cooperation to increase the properties value, improve your quality of life or just park your car in a slightly different location. It’s like being a kid again, living in the same room with your brother. That’s fine if you like him; if not, it’s potentially a nightmare.

But just look at the Unity Avenue condo’s interior: now this is great detail. French door, built-in cabinets, closets with real doors, hardwood floors that you can polish, an open kitchen design with new everything. Recently renovated, you can move in and not worry about putting mucho dollars into the property. It shouldn’t surprise anyone the condo sold for $50,000 above asking in only a month.

I pick the condo.

Limited Tickets Remain For Foundation for Belmont Education’s Spring Fling

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Photo: The highly entertaining Neal Fay will be this year’s auctioneer at the Foundation for Belmont Education’s 16th annual Spring Dinner.

Don’t be left out in the snow: a limited number of tickets are still available to the Foundation for Belmont Education’s 16th annual Spring Dinner set for Saturday, March 21.

And it would be wise to get those tickets soon as the price of tickets will increases March 2, from $125 to $150.  

You can obtain tickets here.

“Mad for Education” is this year’s theme for a night of dinner, dancing and a fast-paced auction led by Neal J. Fay.

The event takes place at the Belmont Hill School from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

For more information, e-mail the FBE at springdinner@fbe-belmont.org

Second-Half Explosion Propel Belmont Girls’ Hoops Past Danvers in Playoff Opener

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A newspaper sports columnist predicted that the best opening round girl’s basketball playoff game would be between Belmont High and visiting Danvers.

And the journalist’s forecast was right on … for the first half.

Leading Danvers, 26-24, after the first 18 minutes, Belmont’s vaunted defense and the scoring prowess of one of its youngest players allowed the Marauders to outscore the Falcon’s 24-4 in the third quarter and 45-19 in the half to cruise to a 71-43 home victory to start their post-season campaign in the Div. 2 North sectionals.

“This was a good one to have. We struggled early but we showed again we can come off a bad stretch,” said Belmont High Coach Melissa Hart.

Next for fifth-seeded Belmont (15-6) is a rematch on Thursday, Feb. 26, at fourth-ranked Bedford High (14-6) which came down Route 2 as a team to see the contest Tuesday, Feb. 24, at Wenner Field House.

“I hope they saw something while they were here,” said Hart.

Despite defeating Bedford last week in a winter recess tournament, 61-49, and having identical records, Belmont was given the lower seed after losing a coin flip administered by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, which sanctions the playoffs.

Belmont was led both on the ball and scoring by 9th-grader Carly Christofori, who scored 17 points including going three for four from 3-point range. Belmont hit a season-high eight treys Tuesday.

“We just wanted to win the game for the seniors so it wouldn’t be their last game especially at home with so many fans, finally,” said the freshman, noting the Wenner was filled for the first time this year for a girls’ game.

While Belmont finished strong, the Marauders wasn’t impressing anyone, including themselves, in the first half. After going up 19-12 on Christofori’s second three of the half just after the 6 minute mark in the second quarter, the team went into the freezer, giving up open shots and becoming flustered by a young athletic Danver’s team playing good defense.

When Danver’s junior Hannah Llewellyn hit a three point shot with two and a half minutes to play in the half, the Falcons outscored the Marauders 10-0 to take a 22-19 lead.

“I think the girls were, and they actually said it, that they were nervous right before the game,” said Hart. “Our defensive intensity was not at it best for a quarter but [Danvers] earned the lead.”

Then senior center Linda Herlihy took control; in the last 90 seconds of the half putting in an offensive rebound, hitting one of two from the charity stripe after being fouled and banking a hook shot with four seconds before the buzzer to give Belmont the 26-24 halftime lead.

“At half time it was really close and we knew we should be beating this team and we took over,” said Christofori, who started the half with a pair of free throws (9 points in the third) followed by offensive rebounding by Herlihy (five of her nine rebounds were under the Belmont basket) and senior Elena Bragg to set up Christofori for yet another downtown 3 pointer to up the lead to 33-24.

And a smothering press defense – including blocks by Herlihy and forced turnovers against the Falcons – led to fast break chances which Belmont began scoring. Stepping up were junior Sarah Stewart (throwing up a three from another ZIP code) and Bragg, who scored her six points for the night in the third. By the end of the quarter, the game was effectively done.

By the end of the fourth, every Belmont player got onto the court with 10 Marauders scoring, with the team cheering as junior Meghan Ferraro put in a layup with an assist from senior Lauren Noonan and for senior Kayla Magno when she drained a three.

“Having such a strong second half gives us a ton of confidence going into the next game and that’s really important,” said Herlihy.

Suffolk DA: Belmont Teen Arraigned Tuesday on Gun Charges

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The Belmont teenager arrested on firearm charges in Boston on Saturday morning was arraigned in Roxbury Municipal Court on Tuesday, Feb. 24, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. 

Kenneth Madden, described by Conley as “a high school student from Belmont” was charged before Judge David Weingarten on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm, possession of a large capacity feeding device, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, and trespassing. 

According to a press release from Conley’s office, Assistant District Attorney Caitlin Fitzgerald requested bail of $25,000 and that Madden wears a GPS tracking devise, abide by a curfew and stay away from Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood if he is released from custody. Weingarten set bail at $7,500 and imposed the three conditions of release.

Fitzgerald told the court that members of the Boston Police Youth Violence Strike Force observed approximately 15 to 20 people running from Brook Avenue onto Dudley Street shortly before 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. Witnesses told officers a man running from the scene was carrying a firearm and he provided police with the suspect’s description. 

Conley’s office said the officers continued on Dudley Street in the direction of Columbia Road where the group had fled and observed a man matching the description, later identified as Madden, walk into an alley along with approximately 10 other young men. 

The officers pulled the cruiser into the alley and observed Madden standing near the driver’s door of a Mercury Grand Marquis.  Upon seeing the cruiser, Madden ducked down behind the vehicle’s door then reappeared and closed the door. Officers observed that members of the group appeared to be bruised and bleeding, as though they had just been in a fight.

Out of concern for their safety, officers pat frisked Madden and five others standing around the car’s other open doors before discovering a firearm tucked partially under the vehicle’s driver’s seat where Madden briefly ducked out of sight. The firearm, a Sig Sauer 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, contained 12 rounds of ammunition in a high-capacity magazine and had an obliterated serial number, according to the press release. 

Madden was placed under arrest, while the other members of the group were released.

Madden will appear in the Suffolk County Gun Court on March 23.

Selectman Candidates’ Question of the Week: ‘Why Are You Running?’

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Photo: Andy Rojas.

Beginning today and on every Wednesday leading up the Town Election on Tuesday, April 7, the Belmontonian will be asking a “Question of the Week” to the candidates running for a seat on the Board of Selectmen: incumbent Andy Rojas and Glenn Road resident Jim Williams.

This weekly feature will allow the candidates seeking a three-year term on the board to answer topical questions concerning Belmont and help demonstrate their ability to lead the town.

This week’s question: Why are you running for selectman?

The position of the answers will alternate each week with Rojas having the top spot this week.

Andy Rojas

I am running for re-election as Belmont Selectman to build on my first term achievements — significant results based on an in-depth understanding of the job, experienced leadership and excellent community-Selectman communications.

Belmont is truly a wonderful town but, in common with other towns, it faces many challenges ranging from the effects of increased use of town and school services, to the need for thoughtful residential and commercial development that preserves our green space. These challenges require experienced leadership, in-depth knowledge and skills in many areas — not merely a focus on one or two issues. I bring the right qualifications to the table.

My wife, Allison Miele Rojas and I have lived in Belmont for over 20 years. This is where we raised our two children both of whom are graduates of Belmont High School. Our son, Samuel, is a senior at St. Michael’s College. Our daughter, Lucy, is a sophomore at the University of Hartford. Smudge, our pug, rounds out the family.

Allison and I own Rojas Design, Inc., an architectural firm. I am a professional landscape architect with significant, sustainable building and site design experience. Allison is an experienced interior architect who is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional.

I have a Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard University, studied Real Estate Development & Management at the Harvard Business School, received a Bachelor of Media Arts (Honorary) from the Massachusetts Communication College, and have a Bachelor of Science from the City College of New York School of Architecture.

My extensive knowledge of the issues that Belmont faces comes not just from living here for many years but from actual service to the town. This service includes, but is not limited to:

• Board of Selectmen — 2012 – present, Chair, April, 2014 – present;

• Warrant Committee — 2014 – present;

• Community Preservation Committee — 2012 – present;

• Planning Board — 2006 -2012, Vice Chair — 2010 – 2012;

• Capital Projects Overview Committee — 2007 – 2009;

• Capital Endowment Committee — 2012 – present;

• Benton Branch Library Re-Use Committee — 2007 – 2010;

• Police Station Feasibility Committee — 2007 – 2008;

• Harvard Lawn Fire Station Re-Use Committee — Chair – 2006 – 2007;

• Shade Tree Committee — 2005 – 2012;

• Town Meeting Member — 2007 – present; and,

• Coach for Belmont Youth Basketball and Baseball teams.

Allison and I have made it a practice to use our professional expertise to help the town. We’ve donated professional design services to the Butler School Playground, the Belmont High School Language Lab as well as the Winn Brook School Basketball Courts. I introduced the Grove Street Playground Master Plan concept and advocated for the study that is currently underway.

I have the experience, proven leadership, demonstrated commitment and knowledge of Belmont needed to meet the challenges we face. I respectfully ask for your vote for Selectman on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. Thank you.

Jim Williams

Dear fellow Belmontonians, did you know that Belmont’s Management states in the current Annual Report that our town does not have the reserves necessary to “meet its ongoing short and long term obligations to its citizens or its creditors”? 

Did you know that we will need to come up with  nearly an additional  $400 million over the next 13 years to meet these obligations unless we change our financial strategies?

Did you know that the current $4.5 million override proposal is inadequate to meet the current scheduled unfunded pension assessments beyond 2019 and that another even larger override will be needed to cover the remaining payments thru 2028?

Did you know that the Town projects costs of a new high school, a new police station, and a new DPW Facility to be an additional $200 million which makes “planned” expenditures  total $600 million under current strategies? 

If you don’t,  you are in the majority and it’s not surprising since Town Management has not engaged us in a frank discussion of these looming obligations as they developed or  provided sensible  and timely strategies to address them.   

It should be clear that something’s going to have to give as  this plan  and its expenses are just simply too large for the Town to pay, incur or otherwise undertake with its $100 million in annual revenues. Also, it should be clear that it  can no longer be  resolved with  just overrides and/or service cuts (i.e. “cans kicked down the road.”)
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Jim Williams

I am running for Selectman because I think I have real solutions for the Town. What we need to do is to issue a 20-year bond in 2015 to pay off the pension liability which will return the scheduled pension  payments to the operating and capital budgets thru 2028; fund the healthcare retirement obligation with $2.5 million annually beginning in 2015 and control expense increases  going forward to less than three percent per year.
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By taking these three actions, we can resolve this crisis. Since the current Board has put a $4.5 million override on the ballot, our choice is to approve it or to face further service cuts. I recommend that you consider approving the proposed override to avoid the threatened services cuts.  By doing this, we can repurpose those funds provided  as we implement a more serious plan to resolve our very real financial difficulties and return the Town to fiscal stability.
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I don’t think of my candidacy as running against Andy, Mark, or Sami. Instead, I want to make sure Belmont remains a great town with level one schools for our children, roads that do not require slalom driving, great recreational opportunities and a green policy that makes us part of the solution to the climate change. This election is critical to the Town’s financial stability.  If you are as concerned as I am, please vote for the override, support my campaign and vote for Jim Williams on April 7th.

Schools Budget Deficit Fix: Teacher Layoffs, Increased Class Sizes, Lost Ground

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Photo: The Wellington Elementary School will lose a third-grade teacher with the acceptance of the available revenue budget in fiscal year 2016.

When asked her reaction to the presentation by Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan on the details of cuts facing the district, Jamie Shea at first just shook her head.

For Shea and others who attended the Belmont School Committee meeting Tuesday night, Feb. 24, the impact on education in bridging the anticipated $1.7 million facing the district in the coming fiscal year was akin to listening to an eulogy for the reputation of a proud district.

“It’s extremely sobering to hear the potential cuts we all are facing,” said Shea, who is the current president of the Foundation for Belmont Education, the group that supports excellence and enrichment in Belmont’s six schools.

“It would be transformative to the district. It will impact every single student in the district. Every single one,” she said.

Phelan said the district – which he has been in charge since July – will not be the same to the one which many families moved to Belmont to attend.

“The Belmont Public Schools will struggle deeply to meet the expectations of their students and families that they so rightly deserve. If there were a headline from this presentation, it would be ‘Available Budget Impact Students Experiences Negatively,” Phelan told the Belmontonian after the meeting.

The cuts are necessary due to a historic surge in enrollment, higher expenditures for special education and unfunded state mandates.

During Tuesday meeting, Phelan walked the committee and residents through the components in each school group – elementary, middle school and high school – where savings will be made.

The cuts, which were compiled by the Leadership Council – made up of school principals, senior staff and curriculum directors – are significant and deep by most measures.

(The presentation can be found on the school district’s website.)

Most of the retrenchment, $1.3 million, will come in personnel with the elimination of 22 full-time equivalent professional positions, with the remaining amount coming in less support for instructional material, personal development and facilities and increase fees for student actives and full-day kindergarten.
The cuts include:

  • In the elementary schools, the elimination of more than seven aides, the Butler, Burbank and Wellington will lose guidance counselors, a reduction in music education and physical education and the firing of a third grade teacher at the Wellington.
  • At the Chenery, there will be wholesale cuts to the long-standing team teaching model in English, math, science social studies and world language in sixth through eighth grades, the eliminate of all eighth grade music and art electives, cutting sections of small group reading and a large reduction in library services.
  • Belmont High School will see the elimination of English, math, social studies and fine and performing arts teacher while all the World Language teachers will be reduced to part-timers.

District wide, the science director will be let go as will a preschool teacher. A reduction of instructional material and supplies, facilities, and professional development while student and rental fees are increased.

In total, Belmont will lose more than 14 teaching positions and nearly ten aides.

For classroom teachers, the cuts will fundamentally change the relationship with their students, said John Sullivan, the president of the Belmont Education Association, which represents Belmont teachers and aides in salary negotiations.

“You can’t get to know [your students] personally, to know when they are upset about something and then reach out to support them. It changes the entire student experience,” said the Belmont resident who teaches at Belmont High School.

While the cuts in teaching staff and other savings will drain the system of its red ink, the impact on students will be significant, said Phelan. For example:

  • Three of every four elementary students, about 1,300, will be in taught in classes exceeding the school committee’s guidelines for effective education.
  • Junior and seniors in high school – more than 600 pupils currently enrolled – will be limited to five courses in a seven-course schedule.
  • The average class size for math and English at the high school will be more than 27, effecting 1,250 students.
  • More than 300 seniors will be unable to take courses that will impact their chances being accepted at high-performing colleges and universities.
  • More than 300 students in the middle school will be heading to study halls due to the cuts in fine and performing arts.

The cut of the science director will seriously delay the district’s plan to move forward with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-related courses which national leaders are calling crucial for all citizens to know.

And the loss of aides and guidance councilors in the four elementary schools will reduce the effectiveness of the district’s Response to Intervention services that identifies educational challenges for young students as well as addressing the social and emotional needs of students.

The magnitude of the cuts was unsettling for those who oversee education in Belmont.

“I think it has the potential to really decimate the system,” said Laurie Slap, School Committee Chair.

“What struck me was that one of our colleagues said that it was so sad to see educational opportunities just shrink for our students from K to 12 especially in the high school. Five courses? That isn’t what anyone expects from this district.”

Phelan said the district, and especially Belmont High School, has been worn down over time by trimming courses and reducing staff. With this major hit

“The reductions we are proposing and the elimination of positions are rooted in the methodology in what we need to do first and what we would like to do second. Our ‘likes to do’ are now are stables and cores – the everyday things – in districts that surround us. We will lose even more ground with the proposed budget,” said Phelan.

For Phelan, the School Committee and many attending the meeting, the only way to preserve the district’s reputation is for the passage of a $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override recommended by the Financial Task Force in January.

“I support the Task Force’s recommendation for the fiscal health of the entire town. If that fiscal health is brought back to a certain level through an injection of funds that goes to sidewalks streets police, fire, and schools, the whole town is a better place,” said Phelan.

At the end of the meeting, Slap said that everyone in town needs to know what the choices they face and everyone needs to get informed to understand what the cuts means to the district.

“It’s important that people get informed and understand what the reductions will bring if we do not pass the … override and get to the polls,” Shea told the Belmontonian.

“Hopefully we can get a coalition of different coalition of different constituent groups that can work cooperatively to make sure our students get the best education they can,” said Sullivan.

A Hoop ‘Sleeper’ Set to Put Opponents to Bed in Sectionals

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Photo: Melissa Hart, Belmont High Girls head coach, at practice on Monday, Feb. 24.

In his preview of the MIAA state tournament, the Boston Herald’s High School Insider blogger Danny Ventura rates both the Belmont High School Boys’ and Girls’ teams as the “sleeper” teams of the MIAA Div. 2 North sectional playoffs that began Monday.

After being told her team is being described by that term, Melissa Hart, head coach of the Belmont High Girls squad, gave a quizzical look.

“I’m going to have to look up the definition of ‘sleeper team’,” said Hart as her team enters the tournament as the fifth seed and will play Danvers in the first round on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

For ESPN commentator Dick Vitale, a classic sleeper team in the NCAA tourney “is a team seeded fifth or lower in the bracket” that “are dangerous … capable of making deep runs in the big dance.” Ready for the upset, he said.

But Hart wonders if her team, which  should be considered as not as strong as the teams they are meeting in the playoffs. The Girls lost four of six games to undefeated or one loss teams and the other two times to teams in the Div. 1 playoffs.

“I mean, no one necessarily expects us to win but could?” said Hart. “No respect. That’s fine,” she added.

Hart’s team is coming off a great campaign that is sparked by a unrelenting defense and, especially in the final six games which it went 5-1, where the team’s outside shooting began falling. In fact, the possible second round game for Belmont could be a rematch against Bedford, which the Marauders beat by 12 points in a post-season tournament last week.

Despite having the same record and defeating the Buccaneers head-to-head, Belmont was made the lower seed after a coin-flip by the MIAA, preventing Belmont from hosting a second playoff game.

At practice Monday, the mood was upbeat as the girls were going through drills on specific points that Hart felt needed to “correct.”

“I think we’re a threat,” said Hart, pointing out how well balanced the team is – Hart regularly uses nine players in a game –   and a good make up of strong inside players – led by senior center Linda Herlihy and scoring leader Elena Bragg – and tough-noise guards with senior Sophia Eschenbach-Smith and freshman Carly Christofori.

“We have a good make up and that allows us to get away with having one player not having a great night. It doesn’t hurt you that much,” said Hart.

As practice ends, Hart believes being a sleeper could be an advantage in the playoffs.

“So we can be pretty dangerous when everything is working for us and it has in the past two weeks,” she said.