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Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Jason Merrill has done a great job heading the MHS ship and I am happy to hear that Superintendent Taymore has finalized his appointment as the new MHS principal. He is open to students and parents and takes the time to listen to both groups. This is a true win for MHS, the school system and the city of Melrose.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

School Watcher
Jason Merrill has done a great job heading the MHS ship and I am happy to hear that Superintendent Taymore has finalized his appointment as the new MHS principal. He is open to students and parents and takes the time to listen to both groups. This is a true win for MHS, the school system and the city of Melrose.
Don't know much about Merrill but the above post reeks of the $10,000 each year the schools spend for spin control.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

So are school positions not posted any more? Will they just be filled through appointments?

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Was the position listed? Were qualified applicants who had actually served as principals elsewhere allowed to apply?

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

No, and no.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Why would looking outside be better? Mr. Merrill is doing a great job and the students and parents like him. He works hard, graduated from Melrose High School, cares about the city and wants to spend his career helping the school system in Melrose grow and improve. Some people just need to find a negative even when confronted by a positive act.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Didn't you know that the mayor has been using the school department as his personal patronage fiefdom since he inserted himself on the school committee?? He has complete control of the selections for these plum administrative positions because he is the only one who really controls Taymore, who would have been tossed long ago by any competent or ethical school committee. The recent hires are all school buddies of his or political supporters, or someone he owes a favor to.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

It is what it is.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Such negativity. Mayor Dolan does not choose who works in the school system as an administrator. If you knew Superintendent Taymore, you would realize that she runs the show and does what she sees as best for Melrose. Mr. Merrill is going to be a superb leader for MHS and the school system. Just be happy that the right choice was made. Negativity tears things down while being positive helps all to rise.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

School Watcher
Mayor Dolan does not choose who works in the school system as an administrator.


Unbelievable. Who's feeding you this garbage?

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Focus on the subject matter and just be happy that MHS has a good leader for years to come. Negativity gets you nothing.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

So your approach is to just ignore all the bad stuff. Isn't that how we got where we are in the first place? I prefer to be realistic. If that means acknowledging the things that are wrong, so be it. Hiding from the truth never accomplished anything.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

JM may be a perfectly "nice" guy, but that doesn't mean he should be the principal and spokesperson for our city's high school. This guy is nothing more than a poorly educated gym teacher, elevated by a bunch of administrators who literally cannot put two sentences together coherently. He has absolutely zero qualifications academically for such a position in a community that aspires to be viewed with any level of seriousness. Instead, this is just another example of why this district is viewed as a laughingstock and a school system that no self-respecting educator would consider a step up on his or her curriculum vitae. It is where only the bottom of the barrel now applies.

Where was the open search process and public engagement? Nada, as per usual. If Maribeth and Martha sang JM's praises, that would have sufficed for these ignorant failed administrators and elected officials. Maybe this decision was decided after the silly "Parent University" sessions with a bunch of know-nothing elementary parents singing their silly songs to the eager and ever-ignorant and arrogant RD. No doubt it is this strident bunch of silly parents bolstering the 20-40 million-dollar library reconstruction boondoggle, too, because they are convinced, after hearing RD bloviate, that this will guarantee the path for their genius 4-year-olds straight to Harvard.

Negativity indeed! Take that bunch of unmitigated BS to the many students who are being warehoused each day at MHS with no learning going on whatsoever. Talk to the faculty of the middle school and see just how Mr. Short Fuse has destroyed what was left of teacher morale. Watch the roster of incompetent and nasty elementary principals who are bungling virtually everything. There is literally not a single administrator in the district who is worthy. Many are causing significant harm.

The dumb parent clique that continues to prop up this lousy administration has only itself to blame for the system that continues to circle the drain. And no, it doesn't matter if there are the usual handful of Ivy-bound MHS students. That proves nothing other than the pathetic use and abuse of those who would use the success of these few extraordinary students to bolster their fraudulent views of a system that is seen throughout the region as the trainwreck that it absolutely is.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Well said, Bottom Line!

Just like they did an outside search to replace Jay our former business manager with our failing Principal of the High School Ms. Farrell! Remember that Super Taymore told us that they couldn't afford paying top dollar for a competent business manager - so Farrell was a good deal - a failure as a Principal, no previous experience, can be bossed around by Taymore, will hide the school skeletons and dirt, and at a bargain price of $134k!

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

I sense the return of the "it is what it is" douche.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Bruce
I sense the return of the "it is what it is" douche.


You guessed it! If the truth hurts - so be it!

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Melrose Resident
Well said, Bottom Line!

Just like they did an outside search to replace Jay our former business manager with our failing Principal of the High School Ms. Farrell! Remember that Super Taymore told us that they couldn't afford paying top dollar for a competent business manager - so Farrell was a good deal - a failure as a Principal, no previous experience, can be bossed around by Taymore, will hide the school skeletons and dirt, and at a bargain price of $134k!


Yes, our low-information parent population is content to keep its collective head in the Ell-pond muck. The elementary parents are willing to believe the nonsense shills, and the secondary parents are just counting the time down to when their kids are gone from the district, waiting for the bad dream to end. All of them are guilty of allowing this mess to continue. A better caliber of citizens wouldn't have settled for any of this, whether they were in for the whole 12-13 years or just short-time new parents. This is definitely a statement about the poor caliber of parent population as much as it is about the lousy system itself.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Wow, what a bunch of negative people living in Melrose. Mr. Merrill has done a good job so far so give him a chance to succeed. He did a good job as assistant principal and he will do a good job as principal. Also, Melrose is not seen as a joke by other systems--you are simply making noise. Melrose is lower paying so a lot of teachers leave. If you want teachers to stay--vote for a tax hike and have teacher salaries raised. Melrose has a good educational system with students being accepted to Harvard and other fine institutions. I have dealt with Mr. Merrill as a parent and he is open and fair. He'll do well for years to come.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

School Watcher
Wow, what a bunch of negative people living in Melrose. Mr. Merrill has done a good job so far so give him a chance to succeed. He did a good job as assistant principal and he will do a good job as principal. Also, Melrose is not seen as a joke by other systems--you are simply making noise. Melrose is lower paying so a lot of teachers leave. If you want teachers to stay--vote for a tax hike and have teacher salaries raised. Melrose has a good educational system with students being accepted to Harvard and other fine institutions. I have dealt with Mr. Merrill as a parent and he is open and fair. He'll do well for years to come.


They said the same thing about Farrell....."She did a good job as assistant principal, she did a good job as interim, lets just give her a chance." She was a disaster.

The school community should have been offered an opportunity to express their opinion, or their concerns, before the superintendent just appointed someone to what is arguably the most important administrative position in the district. He may be the right person for the job, or not.....but now his hiring has been tainted by a lack of transparency, and the fact that this appears to be yet another behind the scenes job offer to a Melrose native who, on paper, is woefully under qualified for the position.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

School Watcher
Wow, what a bunch of negative people living in Melrose. Mr. Merrill has done a good job so far so give him a chance to succeed. He did a good job as assistant principal and he will do a good job as principal. Also, Melrose is not seen as a joke by other systems--you are simply making noise. Melrose is lower paying so a lot of teachers leave. If you want teachers to stay--vote for a tax hike and have teacher salaries raised. Melrose has a good educational system with students being accepted to Harvard and other fine institutions. I have dealt with Mr. Merrill as a parent and he is open and fair. He'll do well for years to come.


What a bunch of smoke by a sycophant! The teachers got major pay raises that the last two contract cycles - remember when the Mayor said they only received a 1% COLA when in fact all the pay steps were greatly increased amounting to about 15% over 3 years! If only some of us in the dreaded private sector got those same pay raises and benefits!

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

I am sure I should be paying more attention, but can someone honestly confirm that a search was not done? I don't even think that is legal. In the district where I work, we recently needed a classroom aid, and it could not be filled internally without listing the position and having candidates interview for it. This is a principal- nice is good. It is great if the parents like him, but that doesn't mean he is the best administrator for the job. How can they know if they don't even post it? Can't they even pretend they want to shoot for the best?

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

So every district in the state wisely advertises for high profile administration positions to procure competent and experienced administrators....but not Melrose for some reason. That reason is the fact that the schools have rapidly turned into a landing spot for King Robbie's political base. Robbie can have CT canned in a moment by just telling the lemmings on school committee to fire her, and that is the power he wields over CT to force her to put his unqualified buddies into these plum positions. It ain't too difficult to figure out.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

The principal of Horace Mann who drove the school to the bottom 20% of all schools in the state had the same basic qualification - he lived in Melrose. I hope this one doesn't do the same for the high school.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Administrators, teachers, paras, coaches- residents are being handed jobs in the school system, whether or not they are qualified. It's one of the biggest reasons the school district has the reputation it does.

I was under the impression that the city had a legal responsibility to post all job openings; at a minimum, it reassures the tax payers that city leaders are hiring qualified employees, and not just handing out jobs to friends and relatives.

I've never heard of a principal position being handed out to a local resident without some sort of search process, and I've lived in Melrose for decades.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Melrose has completed searches and there were complaints about the chosen person, also. The last two superintendents were chosen after searches and the negative people on this board complained about who was chosen. Now, a good person who cares about the school and demonstrated he can do a good job by being in the position was chosen to be MHS principal and you are still complaining. It is good to promote from within as most leaders of companies will tell you. You simply want to complain and be negative. Your negativity doesn't improve Melrose. Try being positive and see what happens.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Many of us would most positively concur that "School Watcher" is full of one hundred percent unmitigated BS.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

OK. I'm positive the position should have been advertised!

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Negative people=negative comments. Melrose schools are good schools run by good people. People are moving here in droves and it's mostly because of the schools. Be happy that your property is now worth so much. I bet you won't turn down a huge property profit that the schools have helped to provide. I can just hear you at the property closing suggesting that you think the schools are poorly run and asking that the buyer be willing to take back at least $200,000 because you simply can't justify selling your home for the market price because you know the schools are bad.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

I'd like to come and discuss this with you in person. On what floor is the MW Hospital psychiatric ward?

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Such silly comments from a disgruntled few. My child is thriving in the Melrose School system and is treated well by teachers, administrators and the superintendent. They all know my child's name and offer respect and help. The whole point to this thread was that Mr. Merrill is going to be a good choice as MHS principal.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

School Watcher
Such silly comments from a disgruntled few. My child is thriving in the Melrose School system and is treated well by teachers, administrators and the superintendent. They all know my child's name and offer respect and help. The whole point to this thread was that Mr. Merrill is going to be a good choice as MHS principal.


So, of course if things are good for you, then they are good for everyone. Anyone having problems, well, I guess that means you are disgruntled. What else is new?
Here is the point of the thread- Mr. Merrill may be great. He may be fine. He may be awful. Time will tell. None of that matters to the concern at hand. Was the position posted as it should have been or not? If it wasn't, there is a very real probability that our city did not care enough about the schools to do a thorough search for the best qualified person. You are happy with the schools, so you don't care about doing a thorough search. But, even though you may not understand this, you do not speak for everyone. There is a process that should be followed, and it sounds like it was not followed. People who care have every right to question why.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

You shouldn't be blaming anyone but the Mayor and CT for allowing Melrose public schools to become Robbie's new patronage fiefdom for his Melrose and Everett political supporters and buddies. And you still think it was a good idea re-writing the City Charter to insert himself onto the school committee?

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

CT picks all Melrose residents for most of the jobs in the city. She has no diversity at all I am amazed where she worked in Malden and that is so diverse.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

What happened to Judy in payroll just found out she is gone. Maybe they caught up to all the money that was being taken out of salaries with out the employee knowing. Lots of money the payroll is holding of your money. People that retied had to fixes pension because if you worked hours before school started or after its not included in your pension. How can they hold your money then no interest when you get it from the city I had to go through this.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

School Watcher
Such negativity. Mayor Dolan does not choose who works in the school system as an administrator. If you knew Superintendent Taymore, you would realize that she runs the show and does what she sees as best for Melrose. Mr. Merrill is going to be a superb leader for MHS and the school system. Just be happy that the right choice was made. Negativity tears things down while being positive helps all to rise.



Melrose is going backward instead of forward. CT this is the year 2017 and you put a gym teacher to be the principal of a high school. Is CT okay or is she losing her mind. She has picked all unqualified principals in the city of Melrose. I pay taxes and this is what she offers our city.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

gym teacher
School Watcher
Such negativity. Mayor Dolan does not choose who works in the school system as an administrator. If you knew Superintendent Taymore, you would realize that she runs the show and does what she sees as best for Melrose. Mr. Merrill is going to be a superb leader for MHS and the school system. Just be happy that the right choice was made. Negativity tears things down while being positive helps all to rise.



Melrose is going backward instead of forward. CT this is the year 2017 and you put a gym teacher to be the principal of a high school. Is CT okay or is she losing her mind. She has picked all unqualified principals in the city of Melrose. I pay taxes and this is what she offers our city.


She isn't losing her mind. She is just lazy, lazy, lazy. That is the only reason you wouldn't post an important position (in many ways, the most important position in the school department) and interview to find the best that would be willing to come here. Nope, she just looks around and says, "That'll do." Laziest SOB I ever saw.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

This is what you pay taxes for a gym teacher for principal of a high school. The superintendent is so lazy she would pull you off the street instead of reviewing candidates for this position.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

A good guy. Praying g he stays that way and isn't corrupted by this vile administration. Stay strong Jason.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Hopeful
A good guy. Praying g he stays that way and isn't corrupted by this vile administration. Stay strong Jason.


If you take the time to read this guy's resume, you would know that he has plenty of educational experience and leadership previously in other school districts. Give the guy a chance - so far he seems to have the "right stuff" and a vast improvement over the former Principal!

This might be the rare case where CT made the right decision - remember - even a broken clock is correct twice a day!

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Jason Merrill A good guy with experience and leadership previously in other school districts.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

He may be a good guy, but he is totally inappropriate as the leader of our flagship school. He has not one iota of academic qualification other than the BS red-tape crap that they are all trained to parrot. He can barely put two sentences together and has no idea how to recruit, hire or retain academically qualified instructors because he wouldn't even know how to recognize them. He's a nice guy who seems to mean well (so far), but that doesn't mean he is of the caliber that should have been elevated to this key role. It's because his bosses also have zero academic qualification that they could not recognize what was needed. Then again he may be perfect for a Melrose that has become anti-intellectual in the extreme. Sure, put jocks in every position of authority. That's about the only kind of mentality that our dumbed-down administration comprehends.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

nonsense
He may be a good guy, but he is totally inappropriate as the leader of our flagship school. He has not one iota of academic qualification other than the BS red-tape crap that they are all trained to parrot. He can barely put two sentences together and has no idea how to recruit, hire or retain academically qualified instructors because he wouldn't even know how to recognize them. He's a nice guy who seems to mean well (so far), but that doesn't mean he is of the caliber that should have been elevated to this key role. It's because his bosses also have zero academic qualification that they could not recognize what was needed. Then again he may be perfect for a Melrose that has become anti-intellectual in the extreme. Sure, put jocks in every position of authority. That's about the only kind of mentality that our dumbed-down administration comprehends.


Hey Nonsense - do you have a grudge against Mr. Merrill? Sounds like you do! Do you actually think Mr. Merrill could ever benn any worse that the previous principal - I don't don't!

You say that he is not qualified - but Merrill came to the Melrose school district in 2013, after a long stay at the Saugus Public Schools. He began as a Saugus High School physical education and health teacher in 2000. He then worked as the athletic director, assistant principal and interim principal for Saugus High School before accepting the assistant principal position at MHS. It sounds like and adequate background to me!

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Jason Merrill A good guy.Assistant principal and Interim principal for Saugus High School before accepting the assistant principal position at Melrose High School.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Jason Merrill has done a great job heading the MHS ship and I am happy to hear that Superintendent Taymore has finalized his appointment as the new MHS principal.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Comparing him to someone worse is not the same thing as being actually qualified. Sure he's stepped up the ladder from a truly rotten district to a less rotten one, but again, that is not at all equivalent to being the kind of choice that a good school district would have made for its high school. This school system fancies itself as financially troubled but otherwise great. That is myth. Objecting to the continual hiring of poor administrators does not mean that one has anything personal against any of them. Some of us just don't like the idea of our tax dollars propping up a bunch of C- Salem State bottom-rung educators, and then topping it off with pretentious claims. Then again too many of the parents singing the praises of these low-quality hires are pretty low-quality themselves with lots of pretentions. Sad!

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

This is why the schools will never be great- everyone here is so used to getting fair, adequate, or worse, that you celebrate a good guy who seems to, maybe, know what he is doing, instead of asking why the administration couldn't lift two fingers to interview potentially better candidates. We celebrate a guy with great credentials to be an athletic director being hired to head our most important school. He's a good guy. He is steering the ship on course. He is not a screw-up. Hooray! Let's all celebrate. We aren't getting a total incompetent that we are used to dealing with. Thank you, thank you, Queen Taymore. Thank you for not giving us the worst. We are humbly grateful.
I am sure Mr. Merrill will do an adequate job. Apparently, we are all just supposed to shut up and be happy with adequate. You get what you demand, and we demand very little.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

I could not have said it any better. This is how they do the picking very lazy or they don't bother at all. Mr. Merrill could of been the principal in the end but to not even look at other candidates is giving a message loud and clear. I pay taxes and work very hard for this community. I instill in our kids to never give up and accept change.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Do you really think anyone would want to come to MPS? The teachers get paid crap. The police and fire make all the money in this town. Why doesn't Melrose messages start a section on the Police and Fire Dept?? Let's talk about all the games played there by staff. Their poor leadership and crappy employees would make quite a read! Let's add a section about the city workers and DPW too. Teachers need a masters degree to be certified to make the LOWEST pay North of Boston. No one wants to come here due to pay, benefits and being torn apart on Melrose Messages! Get it in your head, higher quality admins. won't happen here. Be thankful JM even wants the job.

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Good Lord. On what planet do you spend most of your time?

Re: Jason Merrill Finalized as MHS Principal

Don't lump in with the others. He's a good guy.