Cost of All-Day Kindergarten Decreases

More Winchester students are enrolling in the three-day program.

Winchester parents who are enrolling their children in the All-Day Kindergarten program will see next year’s tuition decrease. The current rate for the 2011-2012 school year is $1,025. Next year that number will decrease to $995. “The program has been very successful the past three years and I have every expectation that success will continue,” said Superintendent William McAlduff. The School Committee unanimously voted to approve the new rate. According to McAlduff, the tuition is based on how much it will cost for the school department to break even.  McAlduff said that the current paid enrollment for 2012 is 282 out of 331 students or 85 percent. The paid enrollment last year was 78 percent. “While I cannot predict that participation …

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Winchester Town Manager Recommends No Override

The School Department could see its 2013 budget increase by five percent.

After voting against an override last year, Winchester residents may not have to make that decision again this year. Town Manager Richard Howard submitted his proposed 2013 budget last week to the Finance Committee and said that an override is not needed. However, according to Howard, while there won’t be an override vote this year, one may be needed in the next year or two in order to prevent service cuts. “There are very few fields of expenditures where substantial savings can be achieved without cuts to departmental personnel,” Howard said. “The town, at some point in the near future, will have to face the question of authorizing additional revenues or insisting on cutbacks to existing programs and levels of service.” According to …

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Winchester Schools Hope to Benefit from No Child Left Behind Waiver

This past year, Lynch parents were given the option to change schools.

The Lynch Elementary School may no longer be considered a “failing" school. According to the Boston Globe, President Obama is expected to announce that Massachusetts will be granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Law. It's a move that Winchester Superintendent William McAlduff said will benefit the district. “I’m pleased with it,” McAlduff said of the decision. “The way the federal law is structured, there’s no integrity to it for how it’s interpreted in states like Massachusetts and towns like Winchester.” Due to low MCAS, the Lynch School was identified for “Improvement – Year 1” in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math for all subgroups under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Since Lynch is a Title I school and a …

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Would You Support an Override? [Poll]

In order to support the school budget, the School Committee said that an override is needed.

The Winchester School Department is asking the town to increase its budget by 7.36 percent, which would equate to a $2,628,367 increase, making the 2013 school budget $38,349,537. Superintendent William McAlduff said that residents would have to support an override in order for the department to reach its targeted budget amount. “In order to go forward with this budget, we know we need to have an override," McAlduff said. Under Town Manager Richard Howard’s budget proposal, the school department would get a 5.2 percent increase. After last year's failed override vote, the selectmen do not want to ask residents to vote for another override. “We’re not ready to have an override,” said Selectman Thomas Howley. “We need to speak for the needs …

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joan

3:45 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012

it's not the police and fire, It's the teachers. The teachers salary is outrageous. They should cut their salaries slightly to help out. Just like everyone else in America. Instead they want a raise. They get an amazing pensions. Tons of days off and summers off. They get THE BEST SHIFTS. Police and fire work the worse hours. Rotating/swapping ect They make the same amount of money as these …   more ›

School Department, Selectmen Debate Need for Override

The School Department met with the Board of Selectmen Monday night.

The Winchester School Department is asking the town to increase its budget by 7.36 percent, which would equate to a $2,628,367 increase, making the 2013 school budget $38,349,537. However, in order to attain that increase, Superintendent William McAlduff admitted that residents would have to support an override. “I believe so strongly in this budget,” McAlduff said. “In order to go forward with this budget, we know we need to have an override.” Under Town Manager Richard Howard’s budget proposal, the school department would get a 5.2 percent increase, which is not enough, according to School Committee chair Chris Linskey. “We need to eventually get money for these things,” Linskey said. “People will not tolerate diminished services. With […

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Sachem Wrestlers Win Three More But Leave Disappointed

The Winchester wrestling team improves its record to 25-1.

The following article was submitted by Winchester parent, Phillip Stern. The Winchester High School wrestling team went 3-0 at the Marlborough Six-Team Meet on Saturday, Jan. 27. It defeated Milford 44-18, Marlborough 50-13 and Hudson 31-15.   Winchester wrestlers won 24 out of 33 matches and improved the team record to 25-1. In spite of all that success, Winchester left the Marlborough gymnasium feeling disappointed because the day’s wrestling was stopped before a long-anticipated rematch between Winchester and St. John’s Prep. Winchester is ranked No. 4 in the state with a 25-1 record, while St John’s Prep is ranked No. 7 with a record of 28-1.   Both teams dominated their opponents in the first three meets and tension was building for …

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Meet Your Neighbor

Wincheser Wrestler, Nick Cashion, earns 118th victory

Winchester remains undefeated in Middlesex League play.

The following was submitted by Phillip Stern. Winchester improved its record in the Middlesex League to 8-0 by defeating the Melrose wrestling team on Wednesday, Jan. 18. The Sachems won 10 of the 13 contested weight classes, for a final score of 56-12. Jordan Darby got things started for Winchester with a major decision over Ryan Stanton. Co-Captains Steve Spry and Dan Fallon scored technical decisions, while the other seven Sachem victories were pins by Quinn Gregory, Shadi Abujoub, Joe Fallon, Ryan Kelley, TJ Boudreau, and Co-Captains Cam Horsey and Nick Cashion. This was Cashion’s 118th win as a varsity wrestler. Earlier this season, Nick Cashion secured his 100th win at the first event of his senior year, the King Philip Tournament. …

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Applications Now Available for $10,000 McKeown Scholarship

Award will be earned by a top Winchester student.

The following was submitted by Cummings Properties. Cummings Foundation has announced the 16th Annual McKeown Scholars Program in honor of James L. McKeown, late president of Cummings Properties.  A Winchester resident at the time of his death in 1996 at the age of 41, McKeown was actively involved in the local community. “In the past 15 years, the McKeown Scholars Program has awarded $220,000 in scholarships to outstanding Winchester graduates alone, and nearly $2 million combined in all participating communities,"said Dennis Clarke, president and CEO of Cummings Properties. “The awards were originally funded by a $1 million grant from Cummings Properties, as well as through generous gifts in Jamie’s memory.” To be considered for the …

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Winchester Schools Plan on Redistrcting

The School District held the first public hearing on the redistricting of the elementary schools.

Enrollment continues to increase at Winchester schools. And with a new Vinson-Owen Elementary school set to be completed by September 2013, the Winchester School Department has decided to redistrict the elementary schools. “No decisions about redistricting has been made yet,” said Superintendent William McAlduff. “But we need to address the serious space and overcrowding issues at our elementary schools.” According to McAlduff over the last 15 years the district has seen a 33 percent increase in elementary school enrollment, going from 3,200 students to 4,400. McAlduff said that there are four reasons why the department is looking to redistrict now: The district held the first public hearing on the redistricting plan, and parents from …

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Susan Verdicchio

1:05 pm on Monday, January 23, 2012

The redistricting committee website has a place for community comments, and the calendar there shows the committee meets twice a month. The process of deciding among the 3 options outlined in the article is just getting started.   more ›

School Budget May Require Override Vote

The School Committee unanimously approved a 7.36 percent increase for the 2013 school budget.

A year ago Winchester residents voted against a general override. The narrowly defeated vote forced the school department to increase its 2012 budget three percent. The district had requested a 4.29 percent if the override would have passed. For 2013, the school district is asking for a 7.36 percent increase over last year’s budget, which would equate to a $2,628,367 increase, making the 2013 school budget $38,349,537. “We’ve been providing a level services budget,” said Superintendent William McAlduff. “In order to move forward as a district, we need to go above that. We don’t want to be in a position where we’re just maintaining services.” According to McAlduff, of the 7.36 percent requested increase, 5.07 percent of that are to maintain…

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