School Committee to Discuss Next Year’s Budget Tonight

A 'Redistricting Update' is also on the committee's agenda.

The School Committee will discuss next year’s budget tonight in the Lynch Elementary School Library. The committee’s meeting starts at 7 p.m., and the “Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Development Discussion” is the fourth agenda item (see agenda below). There will also be a “Redistricting Update” at the meeting, according to the agenda. The meeting is the committee’s last of 2012.   School Committee Agenda, Tuesday, Dec. 18 I. Call to Order II. Public Comment III. Student Representative IV. Redistricting Update V. FY14 Budget Development Discussion VI. Superintendent Report VII. Acceptance of Gifts VIII. Approval of Minutes IX. School Committee Reports X. Next Meeting Dates: January 8, 10, 15, 22 XI. Adjournment

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Letter to the Editor

Letter: Not Embarrassed to Care

School Committee Member Cindy Bohne responds to a Winchester parent's letter about redistricting posted earlier on Patch.

What I believe we need as a community right now is graciousness and leaders that are courageous enough to weigh all of the information available and make decisions with clarity of purpose.   As a School Committee Member, I strive to have the courage to help fulfill our educational mission with or without outside support or acknowledgement. I strive to listen with kindness, but the strength to at times disagree and make decisions with students and teachers first and foremost my priority. Ms. McCarthy, I respect your passion and service as an advocate for your neighborhood.  I always favor anger to indifference.  However, I take exception to your choice to share your criticisms publicly before approaching me for clarity.    In regard to your…

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Letter to the Editor

Letter: Did School Committee Vote for a Map with Mistakes?

A resident on Washington Street says the people in the neighborhood can’t help but feel jerked around.

Dear Editor, Immediately after the School Committee’s Nov. 5 vote to adopt Map 1, I contacted the School Committee and CC'd Superintendent McAlduff to request, once again, clarification regarding the fate of the four houses on Washington Street that are located between Westly and Oak streets. A week later, I had not received a response. Unbeknownst to me, other parities also wrote to the Superintendent requesting information regarding the fate of the four houses on Map 1. They were informed that Map 1 was in error in that half of our block was incorrectly colored. My question for the RAC and for the Town of Winchester is: Did the School Committee vote for a map with mistakes? Are there other incorrectly colored areas? And if so, are post-…

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Redistricting Advisory Committee Prepares Options for Elementary School Boundaries

The RAC will present its decisions to the School Committee on May 22

  The Winchester Redistricting Advisory Committee (RAC) is preparing options for redistricting maps for the elementary school attendance boundaries for the 2013-2014 academic year. The RAC has a deadline to present its recommendations to the School Committee on May 22, and the School Committee is hoping to vote on a final model by June. The redistricting will be implemented in September 2013. “We don't know yet (how many children will be affected). It will depend on which plan is ultimately adopted. Although in reality every student in the district will be affected, even if a child isn't moved to another school, they may have friends who move,” School Committee Member Sarah Girotti said.   “Currently, the four elementary schools in town …

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Winchester Looking for Town Meeting Members

Interested residents can still run as write-in candidates.

In one week Winchester residents will head to the polls for the annual town elections. However, while the ballot may be longer than usual, contested races are few and far between. The Board of Selectmen has two open seats, but both candidates are running unopposed – Forrest Fontana (the current Selectman chair) and Jennifer Wilson (who will be taking over for the retiring Roger Berman). And for the School Committee, chairman Chris Linskey is running unopposed, while Cindy Bohne will be taking over for Sarah Girotti, who decided not to run for reelection. The only contested race is for the Board of Health, where Michael Fiorenza, Lindsay Letteri and Bridget Stump are vying for one vacancy. According to Town Clerk Mary Ellen Lannon, the …

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New Winchester Senator Awarded Legislator of the Year by Massachusetts School Committees

State Sen. Katherine Clark received the award for Legislator of the Year from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.

The following information was submitted by Sen. Katherine Clark.  Winchester's new State Senator, Katherine Clark, was presented with the award for Legislator of the Year from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees at a recent Melrose School Committee meeting.  Half of Winchester (the precincts closest to Stoneham) will be added to Sen. Katherine Clark's (D-Melrose) district, while the rest of the town will still have Senator Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville) as their senator. The award was presented to the Senator by MASC President and Lynnfield School Committee member Dorothy Presser for her work on behalf of the children of the Commonwealth including her work on the Achievement Gap bill to increase the oversight of charter schools, …

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David Whelan

6:16 pm on Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The data is compelling and it's even more compelling (and disturbing) when you analyze the per spending per student data. Wellesley manages to spend almost $3,000 more per child than the other three communities. I wonder what my community could do with $300 more per child, never mind $3,000. My guess is that they spend that $3,000 more per child because they have all that extra income and …   more ›

Winchester Parent to Run for School Committee Seat

Cynthia Bohne wants an opportunity to give back to Winchester.

A parent of two Winchester Public Schools students has pulled out papers to run for the School Committee, becoming the second candidate to show interest in running for the committee's two open seats in this year's elections, the Town Clerk's Office confirmed Wednesday. Cynthia Bohne, who has lived in Winchester for a number of years, said that she wants to help give back to the community. "It's such a great time and there's a lot going on in Winchester," said Bohne, whose three children went to the Vinson-Owen Elementary School. "It's a real exciting time in Winchester right now. With two kids in school, it' the most important investment I've made. It's a great town, I've been here a while and I want to give back." Bohne said that with a …

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Winchester Developing Pricing Plan for Field Use

The town's Field Management Committee is working on a policy that would charge outside entities for using Winchester's fields.

Representatives from the town’s Field Management Committee presented a plan at last week’s School Committee meeting that would charge outside entities – such as leagues and clinics – for use of the town’s fields. The representatives walked School Committee members through the latest draft of their “Field Permit Policy,” which outlines the reservation process and pricing. Charging these outside entities for field use has become commonplace among Winchester’s neighbors, according to Recreation Director Christopher Nelson, who spoke for the Field Management Committee. He, along with School Committee Chairman Christopher Linskey, who has also been involved in the process, said there has never been such a high demand for Winchester’s fields, …

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need To Know Today, October 11

There is a flu clinic at the Jenks Center this morning and a School Committee meeting at Lynch tonight.

Five Things You Need to Know Today" is a Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance. Check back later for more and let us know what you think of the feature in the comments section. Today is Tuesday, October 11. Here are five things you need to know: To find out what is going on today in Winchester, check out our events listings.

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Boxing Event Planned to Benefit Manchester Field

Pugilists from New England will square off against those from the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Town Hall to help raise money for Phase 2 of the renovation project.

The Winchester Field Development Council is planning to hold a night of boxing matches on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Town Hall to help raise money for Phase 2 of the Manchester Field renovation project, according to Athletic Director Brian Carroll. He told the School Committee Tuesday that the event, which will pit eight pugilists from New England against those from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., is expected to bring in $40,000 to $50,000. He said former World Boxing Union (WBU) champion, Lowell’s own Micky Ward, who was the subject of the 2010 film, “The Fighter,” will be in attendance and the night will begin with a dinner at Lucia Ristorante. “It’s important to know that [the council] is doing everything it can to raise money…

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