Schools & School Committee

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Craziness Unfurled

School Committee meeting last night: https://vimeo.com/160040052 @ 2:45:00 Absolutely nuts Complete with choking up and tears. You'd think this woman should receive a Nobel instead of the door! This is the School Committee response to Mrs. Kourkoumelis' c...

Views: 768 Replies: 28

Last Post: Mar 25, 2016 1:40pm
by Over-compensatin...

Connect the Dots

Campaign Finances re Failed Yes Campaign

http://d3gog7eahb0dp.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/CFR-Pre-Election-2015-YFM.pdf So Linda O gave $1,000 Dolan's campaign gave "in-kind" printing etc. etc. No mystery about who is connected to whom and this link is just for the pre-election report

Views: 281 Replies: 4

Last Post: Mar 25, 2016 1:32pm
by Frank

Absurd

Taymore Award

Cyndy Taymore got an award from her "Super" Colleagues. Now, I have heard everything! NUTS! Political agenda behind this action is multifaceted and questionable.

Views: 1095 Replies: 46

Last Post: Mar 25, 2016 10:30am
by Nah

What?

Budget

Watched the Mayor pontificate endlessly (again) about the school budget at last night's SC meeting. Especially interesting to me was his contention that health care costs will rise by 9% this year. Is he pulling numbers out of his butt again? According to GIC, the...

Views: 773 Replies: 8

Last Post: Mar 24, 2016 3:26pm
by MFD

Public

Superintendent Taymore for her resignation due to her illegal actions in the OCR case.

Superintendent Taymore for her resignation due to her illegal actions in the OCR as example .School Committee meeting last night: https://vimeo.com/160040052 @ 2:45:00

Views: 273 Replies: 2

Last Post: Mar 23, 2016 10:40pm
by Department

Disgusted Parent

Warehousing our Students

I would like to make the community aware of a terrible situation at the high school. There is a lot of absenteeism among the teachers and not enough substitute teachers for whatever reason. They take a large number of classes and put them all simultaneously in the...

Views: 844 Replies: 19

Last Post: Mar 23, 2016 5:48am
by The Truth

Shocking

Carrie Resigns!

http://melrose.wickedlocal.com/news/20160308/kourkoumelis-resigns-from-school-committee?platform=hootsuite

Views: 1601 Replies: 38

Last Post: Mar 18, 2016 11:13am
by Beyond Absurd

Citizen Advocate

Public Hearing on SC budget in violation of Mass State Laws...Again

For the second year in a row, the Melrose School Committee is in violation of MGL Ch 71, Section 38N, which requires "A PUBLIC HEARING in which ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE REQUIRED TO BE HEARD FOR OR AGAINST THE WHOLE OR ANY PART OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET". Being require...

Views: 358 Replies: 11

Last Post: Mar 17, 2016 5:45am
by ???

Well Handled

Newton North and Catholic Memorial

Newton North and Catholic Memorial administrators responded appropriately and well to the incidents at the playoff game. They didn't blame only the Catholic Memorial students for their slurs. They acknowledged Newton North students were also to blame and shared respo...

Views: 341 Replies: 7

Last Post: Mar 15, 2016 3:43pm
by sausagefest

Honorable Action Remains

School Committee Must Resign

The only thing the School Committee members must do now is to admit they failed to protect children. They need to resign.

Views: 765 Replies: 22

Last Post: Mar 15, 2016 10:14am
by MFD

MFD

Boston Sunday Globe Article - March 13th

Did you read the article in today's Boston Globe - North Section - on CKK's resignation? Taymore was quoted and of course our illustrious, "I hear voices", Chairwoman, Margaret Driscoll, was also quoted - She said that she wanted to see "constructive dialogue" and we...

Views: 264 Replies: 0

Last Post: Mar 13, 2016 8:35am
by MFD

The Truth

Kraunelis Appeals to Secretary of State Galvin

After attempting to contact the Mayor and the City Solicitor and being stonewalled (gee there's a surprise), Jason Kraunelis has appealed to the Secretary of State Van Campen's ruling that Jaime McCallister Grande should be sworn in as CKK's replacement. I would o...

Views: 468 Replies: 18

Last Post: Mar 13, 2016 12:13am
by Leather couch

Evacuee

Thanks, Melrose!

I happened to watch a rerun of the Saturday SC meeting, mostly because I was bored out of my mind and had literally nothing else to do. The Mayor made a comment at one point about the changing demographic in Melrose, in that it now reflects major increases in the 35...

Views: 378 Replies: 10

Last Post: Mar 8, 2016 6:50pm
by RATT

MMTV

Bull$hit

Is anyone else watchung the school committee meeting on TV right now?? Pure bullshi+. Trying to make themselves look good, competent. HA. What a joke. What a disgrace.

Views: 680 Replies: 20

Last Post: Mar 7, 2016 2:49pm
by Next crisis

Melrose High Girls Varsity Team and Coaches Doing a Great Job

High School Girls Win First Tournament Game

The Melrose Girls High School basketball team has won its first game of the tournament. The girls are playing awesome ball and the coaches are doing a wonderful job. This is a real team playing together and getting superb instruction from the coach. Come out and chee...

Views: 295 Replies: 12

Last Post: Mar 4, 2016 11:40pm
by Melrose High Gir...

Maybe

A Glimmer of Hope Perhaps?

I have to give credit where credit is due. Seeing EOC step up in opposition to closing public participation after that lunatic chair shut down GM was somewhat encouraging.

Views: 604 Replies: 10

Last Post: Mar 2, 2016 7:04pm
by Please explain

MFD

Proposed new date for School Committee Meetng

We've been getting feedback that the March date is not good for a lot of people. We are currently working towards February 27. Nothing is set in stone yet but please keep your schedules clear.

Views: 288 Replies: 2

Last Post: Mar 2, 2016 6:43pm
by MFD

Ugh

Middle School lunchroom fight

I understand that yet another ugly incident occurred at the middle school on Friday. Punches were thrown, lunch people were caught in the middle tying to break it up and the school day was disrupted. The girls involved in the fight were in classes the rest of the day...

Views: 632 Replies: 9

Last Post: Feb 29, 2016 10:07pm
by The law

Enough

OVERTLY DEROGATORY

The Super of the MPS is quoted in the Boston Globe article (OCR Resolution Response) that the remarks at the center of the Justice Department investigation were not "Overtly Derogatory". The Boston Globe article is an embarrassment to Melrose. Taymore's statement a...

Views: 1684 Replies: 28

Last Post: Feb 28, 2016 9:14am
by Bottom Line

Community Member

School Committee and Super Fail at Defending Themselves

https://vimeo.com/138697244 September 8 School Committee meeting Apparently they go by the playbook that a good defense is a strong offense. These people succeed at being offensive. They fail when it comes to what's legal, ethical and moral. These administrativ...

Views: 1169 Replies: 24

Last Post: Feb 27, 2016 10:33am
by To Bob Snow

More nastiness

SC Chair Thorpe back to bullying again

More nastiness from the queen of anti-transparency and bullying at the school committee meeting on September 15th. Once again, Ms. Thorpe takes to bullying a fellow Melrosian who oddly enough, was requesting of the the school committee to stop bullying and be polit...

Views: 481 Replies: 6

Last Post: Feb 27, 2016 8:06am
by LM

Confused

Point to 1/2 days?

I'm confused, what is the point of the 1/2 days once per month? Today, it's my understanding that on-team teachers at the middle school were out all day. I thought the purpose of the 1/2 days once per month was to provide team planning and collaboration. This...

Views: 516 Replies: 12

Last Post: Feb 26, 2016 2:19pm
by bob snow

Resident

Budget

I listened to the School Comittee meeting last night and heard part of what the Mayor was saying about GIC increases because of budget restraints due to override fail. Did anyone listen to entire meeting? I may have heard wrong. Thank you

Views: 315 Replies: 6

Last Post: Feb 24, 2016 7:41pm
by Willie

This

Melrose handles almost every potentially litigious situation badly

Costly to every citizen in Melrose! From a posting today: Famous Feb 17, 2016 - 10:20AM Re: What kind of school system Does Melrose want. Apparently, Melrose wants the kind of school system that is famous across the state. I had dinner with some lawyer fri...

Views: 427 Replies: 7

Last Post: Feb 24, 2016 5:17pm
by yup

Mom

Juxtapose Boston events w/ Melrose Events and the Path to a Just Resolution Should Be Clear

Substitute what has happened in Melrose and it's easy to see what should happen and what must happen if anything is going to start getting better here. portions of an article from today's Globe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/02/21/naacp-branch-calls-fo...

Views: 287 Replies: 3

Last Post: Feb 22, 2016 2:31pm
by ugh

heartened

Excellent Letters to Editor Calling for Resignation of Superintendent

Was so glad to see the articulate letters in both papers calling for the immediate resignation of the superintendent as a result of the grotesque mismanagement of civil rights cases in the schools. Along with her should go the city solicitor, the asst. superintendent...

Views: 720 Replies: 14

Last Post: Feb 21, 2016 3:30pm
by MFD

MHS

Superintendent Hired PR Firm/Spinmaster for 10K without School Committee Authorization

Just another administrative outrage. CT hired Guilfoil (police department spinmaster with former MFP journalist Sacco) without ever going to her boss (the SC) first, as was made clear in Tuesday's School Committee meeting. So while the budget hysteria is getting whip...

Views: 423 Replies: 10

Last Post: Feb 21, 2016 3:21pm
by Bob Snow

MFD

School Committee - Tuesday, March 9th

Every resident should take the the time to view school committee meetings at MMTV if they can't make the meetings in person. It is an absolute "educational" experience to see just how dysfunctional our school committee is and how undemocratic it is run by the current...

Views: 786 Replies: 20

Last Post: Feb 21, 2016 8:57am
by Disagree

Over the top Crazy

Crazy Legal Bills & Deflection

School Comm Feb 9th https://vimeo.com/154811649 Check this out, starting page 69 from last night's School Committee meeting: http://melrosecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=2543&Inline=True $75,767.38 NUTTALL, MACAVOY & JOYCE legal bills...

Views: 840 Replies: 26

Last Post: Feb 18, 2016 2:12pm
by Truly

Disgusted

Taymore, Not Trained in the Art of Communication, Uses 10K of Tax Dollars to Communicate

Thank you to Mr. Leibowitz for once again providing a clear window. This man deserves a Pulitzer for his coverage of our homegrown Watergate otherwise known as MPS. This is more of the beyond-the-pale agita-making bullpucky from a rogue administration that thinks...

Views: 364 Replies: 4

Last Post: Feb 17, 2016 12:37pm
by This

Parent

Fed Office of Civil Rights Condemns Melrose Administration

Today Aaron Leibowitz of the Melrose Free Press reports on the OCR Letter of Findings, and it is a da#ning scenario, outlining the comprehensive failures of the Melrose administration (schools and city since the city solicitor was primary in advising the district, wh...

Views: 787 Replies: 10

Last Post: Feb 14, 2016 2:27pm
by Just the beginni...

MPS Evaluations

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Interesting "DATA" about the evaluation results of the teachers and administrators on the front page of the Free Press on Thursday. "Needs Improvement". The MPS has needed improvement for a long time, although the school committee has continued to describe the "lead...

Views: 497 Replies: 4

Last Post: Feb 9, 2016 7:54am
by Disgusted

Diversity ?

Commission on Women

It will be interesting to see the appointments to the new Women's Commission. Diversity is assumed but it remains to be seen. With the OCR investigations about the MPS and how the city has responded, it is crucial that this new program on women is representative of...

Views: 1060 Replies: 26

Last Post: Feb 4, 2016 2:03pm
by El Presidente

Friend of the Court

OCR Findings and Documents Now Online

http://melroseschools.com/administration/presentations/ocr/ Thanks to the diligent efforts of Mr. Leibowitz, Ms. Wright, Mr. Dittmar, and several others, the full Findings document has now been posted, along with the resolution, etc.

Views: 1120 Replies: 32

Last Post: Feb 3, 2016 11:05pm
by MFD

ugh

MPS stuck with Asst Super who didn't get Tewks job

And this is the person CT "chose" (again) to be civil rights/harassment officer (because obviously she did such an excellent job all these years and made sure our district always followed the law!) after the administration was found to have grossly violated the laws....

Views: 409 Replies: 3

Last Post: Jan 22, 2016 8:40pm
by MFD

Real Melrose

Says It All

Saw this on the What Melrose Wants post. Says it all. All Angles - Something's seems to be missing in your thinking unless you believe the principal and superintendent should have passed the whole investigation on to metco to conduct in a proper way. Since they di...

Views: 977 Replies: 9

Last Post: Jan 22, 2016 2:35pm
by Confirmed

Tremont

Boston Globe

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/01/16/melrose-teacher-made-plantation-reference-black-student-civil-rights-office-says/nFsgzS9N4F5gqQeoZiicPM/story.html Interestingly, the comments section thinks it's not a big deal. The comments seem to blame t...

Views: 614 Replies: 5

Last Post: Jan 18, 2016 2:11pm
by skinner

Melrose's TRUMP

Cyndy's OCR BULL

CT's statement regarding the OCR investigation released today is pure "Trump B...SH.." Jessica Sacco, former Free Press shrill for Dolan/SC now works for a PR firm...her trumpeting the MPS line on this subject today is disappointing at best and suspect for many rea...

Views: 1081 Replies: 26

Last Post: Jan 10, 2016 9:16pm
by HM madness

Tremont St

PARCC

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/11/10/how-did-your-school-district-parcc/4BYDuEAfDsAO1e1a9Ouf9J/story.html?p1=Article_Recommended_ArticleText Melrose killed it on the English portion of the PARCC, scoring an 82, in line with Andover and Concord. Math was a...

Views: 1426 Replies: 35

Last Post: Jan 7, 2016 7:46pm
by Nice Spin

Don't rubber stamp

please !

Ed and Liz, please don't just be rubbers stampers and do something to change the SC and MPS...Both have been in deep trouble for a very long time....our kids, schools and city's reputation all have been deeply harmed...I had hope for Jessica D. the last time around b...

Views: 598 Replies: 9

Last Post: Jan 7, 2016 10:52am
by good riddance ma...

MPS is a 92

# 92 out of 100

Check out niche.com Things are not going well in the MPS...no matter how the SC, Mayor's office, BOA, MEF and hired PR firm attempts to spin things...we were rated a 92 out of 100...Shameful !!!!!

Views: 308 Replies: 1

Last Post: Jan 7, 2016 8:52am
by STATMAN

district

Once again Melrose Schools doesn't rank at all in top districts on niche.com

https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-school-districts/best-overall/m/boston-metro-area/ #92 in Greater Boston area out of 100, near the absolute bottom With a super who's managed to take us down to and keep us at a Level 3 district, have us found guilty of civ...

Views: 215 Replies: 1

Last Post: Jan 6, 2016 10:37pm
by CT's team

MHS parent

MEF thinks it is the arbiter of what parents need to know

Prepare to lose your meal when you read the nauseating garbage put forth during the recent MEF "Parent University": http://d1868cr0a5jrv6.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/11/Parent-University-Presentation-November-14-2015.pdf Presentors ❖...

Views: 684 Replies: 13

Last Post: Jan 6, 2016 11:42am
by Parent

Civil Rights Activist

National Websites Discussing Melrose Schools Racism/Administration Problem

excerpts Great term: "Skilled incompetence" Great quote: "Fancy footwork is the fourth level. Fancy footwork happens when individuals try to deny the behavioral inconsistencies they exhibit, or else they place blame on other people, which results in distancing th...

Views: 231 Replies: 3

Last Post: Jan 3, 2016 7:56pm
by Malicious intent

Is This for Real?

Gay-Straight Alliance in the Middle School

Did you read in Thursday Free Press about the new club at the Middle School called “Gay-Straight Alliance”? Yes – these are students in our Middle School. To celebrate this type of diversity, the club has hung posters up at certain locations in the...

Views: 2126 Replies: 56

Last Post: Jan 1, 2016 12:09pm
by Jane Murray

Take Back Melrose

Coalition Forming for a Better Melrose

There are some community members joining with a couple of our civic leaders to call for action in returning Melrose to a more civil and decent community, where our elected and paid officials will be held accountable. The recent direct abuses of two of our elected off...

Views: 1301 Replies: 42

Last Post: Dec 24, 2015 6:30pm
by LOL

Stop It

Stop

Hurt people hurt people.......STOP IT!

Views: 264 Replies: 1

Last Post: Dec 22, 2015 9:20pm
by Observer

MHS Kids finding Success

Great work

Very proud of the MHS kids again this year. After last years stellar work leading to great college opportunities, this years class if off to a fantastic start. Melrose has 2 Brown early decision admits, 1 Tufts and 1 Harvard...those are early decision choices, I am...

Views: 387 Replies: 11

Last Post: Dec 18, 2015 11:13pm
by Clownster

AP Recognition

College Board recognizes Melrose Students

Nice article in the Free Press about MHS students ramping up their AP courses and test scores from 2013 through 2015. The College Board also recognized 8 outstanding teachers (out of 54 across the State)who have worked hard to help these students succeed. There are...

Views: 240 Replies: 0

Last Post: Dec 18, 2015 4:12pm
by AP Recognition

Aldermen Meeting

Aldermen Meeting

anyone see the change between city officials at the meeting. looks like someone is a little sensitive.

Views: 883 Replies: 21

Last Post: Dec 18, 2015 10:33am
by Hassan Ben Sober

Melrose Cares: Open Community Dialogue