By J. Michael Whalen
Times Staff
8/27/09
With summer coming to a close, Miltonians will now turn their attention to the approaching school year.
Public school will begin Wednesday, Sept. 2, for grades one through 12 and Tuesday, Sept. 8, for kindergarten students. There will be no classes on Friday, Sept. 4, or Monday, Sept. 7.
School Superintendent Mary Gormley said she’s looking forward to the start of the academic year.
“From the superintendent’s office to the teachers to the custodians to the cafeteria workers – everyone involved in the public schools – anticipation is high,” she said. “For us involved in the schools, it’s a new beginning.”
“The teachers are very energized; they’re excited. It’s the start of a whole new year,” agreed Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Personnel John Phelan. “We have great parents, great kids and great teachers.”
Gormley said every educational experience, whether it’s at the elementary, middle or high school level, only comes once in a student’s life.
“I feel very strongly that it’s our responsibility to maximize that experience for [each] child,” she said.
Part of the reason for the school system’s success, she added, is that it is blessed with a School Committee that is involved all summer long.
“There’s a huge commitment to education in this town,” she said. “As [School Committee member] Beirne Lovely said to me, ‘The schools are the town and the town are the schools.’”
There are a couple of new additions to the system about which Gormley is particularly excited. For starters, there is new Tucker Elementary School Principal Marcia Uretsky, who was hired to replace Drew Echelson after he left to further his education.
“I think she has just jumped into her position,” the superintendent said of Uretsky. “She comes in early [during her summer preparation] and leaves late every day. She’s got lots of exciting plans. Tucker is one of the jewels of the school system, and she’ll raise the bar even higher.”
There’s also the system’s new school business administrator, Matthew Gillis, who will work part-time hours starting next month and begin full time in December after tying up some loose ends for his previous employer.
“He’s got a proven track record,” she said, adding the business position in Milton is a “multi-faceted job” that requires knowledge of contracting, bidding, budgeting, custodians, food services, maintenance and other areas.
She also noted that she is looking forward to the return of second-year Pierce Middle School Principal James Jette.
“He had a phenomenal first year at Pierce,” she said.
Also making a return will be the full-day kindergarten program offered last year for the first time. As of press time, a total of 316 kindergartners will participate in that fee-based program, while 17 will be in the half-day program that is required by state law.
Gormley said 32 teachers will be joining the school system, filling vacancies left by retirements, resignations, leaves and non-renews. She said a dozen positions were cut.
Phelan said 25 non-teaching personnel didn’t receive a raise, adding,“[Those] zeroes go from the superintendent to secretaries.”
The system was also able to hire three new teachers for special education enrollment, Gormley added, because of the availability of Special Education Stimulus Grant funding.
In addition, the music program for grades K through two will be restored this year without impacting the school budget. Gormley explained that the physical education/health teacher who was assigned to the Second Step Program at the elementary level has been transferred to a PE/health opening at Milton High School. It was decided the open elementary position will be filled by a certified music program; as a result, the K through 2 program will be restored to once a week (elementary music has been reduced in recent years to a half-year program, as has elementary art). Classroom teachers will be teaching the Second Step Program.
Finally, seven preschool students will be able to participate this year in a program offered through the New England Center for Children, a nonprofit autism school based in Southboro. NECC will provide teachers for the program, which is being paid for by stimulus-grant money, while the school system will provide the space.
Gormley expressed excitement over the opportunity to offer the NECC program, as did Jeffrey Rubin, who heads the school system’s Office of Pupil Personnel Services/Special Education.
“We really believe the kids are going to be getting an amazing education,” said Rubin.
The hours for the public schools are as follows:
• Milton High School, 7:50 a.m. to 2:19 p.m.
• Pierce Middle School, 7:49 to 2:23 p.m.
• Collicot and Cunningham elementary schools, 8:20 a.m. to 2:44 p.m.
• Glover and Tucker elementary schools, 8:50 to 3:14 p.m.
Bus schedules have been updated and can be found in this issue’s Back to School section, which begins on Page 11.