Public Postings
Date Job Title School/Site
Mar 17 Paraprofessionals - long term substitute (2) Melrose High School
Mar 8 World History Grade 8 Long Term Substitute Teacher Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School
Mar 8 Nurse - CAMPUS KIDS -- Various --
Mar 8 Assistant Site Coordinator Melrose Education Stations
Mar 8 TECHNICAL THEATRE DIRECTOR -- Various --
Feb 17 ACADEMIC INTERVENTIONIST - Part time Winthrop Elementary School
Feb 3 Occupational Therapy Asst - Long Term Sub Melrose Public Schools
Feb 3 Occupational Therapist - Long Term Sub Melrose Public Schools
Feb 1 School Psychologist - Long Term Substitute Melrose High School


Watch this number rise. There are other openings, but the administration is carefully keeping them from any public listings during the budget season.

As minimal as it is, though, this list is revealing of some of the superintendent's chronic failures.

Why do you suppose there is a listing for a "technical theatre director" (note the quaint spelling)? And where in any budget was the position allowed? (answer: no where) For as many years as can be remembered, one very dedicated private citizen has been taking care of the district's needs in this regard, bringing his own equipment (because the pompous idiots who approved the middle school auditorium wouldn't bring themselves to use real experts, and "forgot" to include appropriate soundboards, electrical fixtures, etc., so these things have always been missing in our "state of the art Green middle school"--along with safety and health necessities like a way to cool/ventilate the dangerously hot classrooms in spring and fall). And wouldn't you know... Miz Paymore and her bullying "leadership team" have harassed and abused this wonderful, gentle citizen until he finally packed his equipment and technological know-how and left, meaning that drama productions were stranded without the basics that all had grown to count on in this dedicated grossly underpaid man who had always gone far above and beyond to help all things drama & music in Melrose. Hence, this job posting, apparently, for which nothing public has ever been stated and which doesn't appear to be in any budget documents (but which the district is now desperate to fill, especially given how many of the politicians' kids--Tramont., Casat., etc.--are involved in drama and music).

That's not the extent of the fall-out, though.

Piece by piece Paymore and School Committee (along with the ignorant "help" from overly involved and under-informed parents and community members) are managing to destroy not only the drama "department" (that never was in terms of formal staffing), but also what has always been Melrose's "jewel in the crown," its outstanding music and art department. There are many aspects to all of this. Ugly politics and crass political manipulation are quickly ruining what has always been a stellar and truly remarkable program, one that has culminated in a feeder program that has sustained Melrose Symphony for nearly a hundred years (a feeder program that is seriously in trouble right now, worsening a lot by next year--check out the proposed "fee schedule" and read between the lines; check out staffing by spring...), an art program that produced many Boston Globe awardees up until this administration started hacking away and ruining it, even shaming it with actions leading to federal civil rights complaints.

Looking at the rest of the list, the district now has its chronic need for "interventionists" which wouldn't be the case if competent staff were being hired and retained in the first place.

It's all a big huge shameful mess grindingly and painfully unfolding, while most just continue to look the other way because it's just too "negative" to get their heads wrapped around. When the good is eventually totally gone, there will be a lot of hand-wringing from those that remember, but by then (very soon) there will be a crop of new administrators and new naive parents who won't have a clue about expectations that most of us now reasonably still have.

Well don't count on the SC "liaison" Duggan to be any help. She has butted into faculty meetings now (or rather been invited) and she's all about doing only what her BFF superintendent wants. It's totally inappropriate that she is included in staff meetings, for starters (shows how weak and ineffective the union leadership is because this should not be allowed). She's a carpetbagging shill who is probably (like so many others) looking for another easy job in the district, and she's inserted herself where she wouldn't be allowed if this district had appropriate boundaries. There are no boundaries where there should be and at the same time Trump walls where instead there should be transparency.

Performing and Fine Arts are in shambles right now, with morale worse than it's ever been (could be said about the teaching staff as a whole). If the community doesn't wake up (as in yesterday), only a skeleton of the program will be left standing. There's only so much that the staff can do given the truly evil, self-serving forces eroding everything that remains that's still of worth.

I am actually glad to hear that someone can lament "what has always been Melrose's "jewel in the crown," its outstanding music and art department." At least I know that this was once the case. Maybe it can get back to where it was?
I can't comment on the art department, as I have younger kids who don't do much in art right now (I am assuming things are more refined at the HS). But, I have been to some music performances at the elementary level. Having attended similar performances in other towns for nieces and nephews, I can say that I wasn't really satisfied or impressed. Maybe the kids who eventually feed into the Melrose Symphony are kids who take private lessons outside the school?

No it's not at all impressive in its current sad state.

2 years ago with zero warning CT removed Mrs. Weeks from her oversight role of the department literally the day before school opened, with no explanation, just that she had assigned others to the roles, and of course that was a fabrication as is so much else. She had no real plan and this was a colossally destructive action. Fast forward to last year when CT hired a department chair, someone who has turned out to be a complete and utter disaster, an embarrassment who does nothing right (when she does anything at all) and has gotten the district into enormous legal troubles.

The department is basically rudderless, or worse actually, is being run into the ground. Even in the very recent past there were families who actually bought houses in Melrose because of the very fine music and art program in the district. That would be doubtful today.

It isn't just a matter of students who take private instrumental lessons vs those who advance into the secondary programs without. The instrumental program has competent leaders (one who has behaved very badly but mysteriously gets a pass from CT because they--and secretary/&daughter--have some sort of bizarre personal thing going). They were doing well (and behaving) when they had a real leader. Now they do the best they can with what they've got, despite a lot of interference from ignorant and unsupportive principals and an incompetent, totally unqualified chair. The choral department has an excellent leader but again gets only grief and ignorant decision-making from the administration. It's really a mess, very dark if you know how poorly many feel about it.

There are students who play in MSO who don't take private lessons for whatever reason but have advanced through the system thanks to the excellent training of Mrs. Weeks, Mr. Luke, etc. (That system is now in serious jeopardy due to the ignorance and mismanagement of the administration.) Of course as with anything else, those who excel of course study with private teachers, and devote substantial time and energy towards their music studies. They also typically are the finest students, civic contributors, and often top athletes as well (some have been Middlesex League and state champions, even recently). The statistics show over and over again how those who study music seriously display lifelong advantages in so many things, starting with academic achievement.

Again, this is all part of the sicko strategy to get parents to buy into another unnecessary override push already being implied by the mayor and the knuckleheads on school committee at that "public" budget meeting charade: Strip arts and music of the good teachers, take away their resources, scare parents into thinking fees for art music and sports will skyrocket and maybe they will vote for an override. Never mind that there was a 2.5 million dollar surplus this year, and that well over a half million dollars was simply squandered on unnecessary legal fees, CIVIL RIGHTS oversight and training because our shifty super, assistant super, school committee chair and city solicitor think it is absolutely OK to retaliate and harass victims who file complaints of teacher and administrator misconduct, even in the local newspapers!(brilliant strategy RVC, duh...What a great way to attract the attention of OCR). These expenses are not going away soon, as the Office of Civil Rights Agreement and it's requirements run through 2018...Lost resources the children will never see in the classroom in the way of books, technology and teachers. So I ask you Mr. Mayor, School committee members, Superintendent and MEFers: You think we need an override because of the careless, abusive and illegal acts of our so called leaders??? Really???

The Mayor, SC and MEF parents can PUSH for another override all they want but it will not be succesful. Accept the message the voters sent you last November. An override will not PASS !!!!!!!!

Where is the ad for the new AD? Shouldn't that be posted on school spring? Why has it all been so hush hush? Has the job been quietly promised to someone, without any real search process being done?

In response to Melrosian:

Whenever a position opens up in the middle of the year they hire someone as a long-term sub. If the person the sub is covering for does not return in the fall, the district has to re-post the position. The long-term sub then has to go through the interview process along with any other candidates.

In response to Parent:

School officials are looking into ways to reduce the amount spent on an AD/Wellness Director. One proposal is to split the position and its responsibilities into a number of jobs that can be taken on as additional stipend work by current staff and/or coaches. However, this may conflict with MIAA rules, which could be one reason for the delay.

The long term subs are covering maternity leaves.