Newtonite
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Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newtonville, Mass. 02460
◆ Friday, March 6, 2009 • Volume 88, Issue 3
Class sizes, fees would grow in Young’s budget MATT KALISH Fewer small classes, higher fees, a change in the physical education requirement and a wage freeze for teachers would result if the School Committee passes superintendent Jeffrey Young’s $164.1 million Proposed Budget for Fiscal 2010. Another change for Newton’s high schools would be that juniors and seniors would be limited to 26 blocks of class time per week, as opposed to the 28 allowed this year. “While this would cause some students to have to choose among arts, other electives and a double science or foreign language, it might also have the benefit of reducing the stress on the most ambitious students,” Young says in his budget proposal. According to this year’s proposed budget, which would increase by 2.5 percent from last year’s $160 million budget, some classes with low enrollment would be eliminated. The guiding principles are that Honors and Curriculum I classes would need a minimum of 20 students, Curriculum II classes a minimum of 16 students and elective classes a minimum of 20 students. “When small classes occur at both high schools, administrators will look for efficiencies by combining classes across the city and possibly running them outside of the school day,” Young says in his proposal, which went on line Tuesday night. “They will also continue to think creatively about ways to cut FTEs without eliminating popular programs.” Overall, class sizes would increase, although the Newton high schools will have 85 fewer students, the budget says. On average, the class size here would increase by 1.4 students. At South the increase adds up to a .2 average. In Young’s proposed budget, he specifies cuts for the high school, but according to an email principal Jennifer Price and South principal Brian Salzer sent to the two school communities Wednesday, both schools will lose a combined 13.9 FTEs and 1.0 FTE counselor. “The level of specificity is only possible after students have registered for classes and we have worked collaboratively with each department head to make the needed reductions,” the email says. Price said Wednesday that South is currently understaffed by 2.6 FTEs, so as a result the FTE cuts will be more significant at this school to create an equitable split. According to deputy superintendent Brenda Keegan, “It is essential that students make clear their top choices for their 26 or 28 blocks because decisions about which courses to run will be based on the registration numbers. “Given the ver y difficult financial constraints we face, I BY
Kristof Janezic
“Anything Goes:” Junior Hayley Travers and freshman Graham Techler practice for the allschool musical, which goes up March 18-21. See story page 4.
Safe Rides may pilot here in June MARENA COLE REBECCA HARRRIS Through Safe Rides, Newton students could get home in cabs to prevent incidents of drunken driving, said Nancy Holczer, the acting chair of its task force. At Wednesday’s Student Faculty Administration Board meeting, Holczer said potential dates for a pilot program are June 5 through June 9. One of the main issues has been whether to notify parents after students use the Safe Rides service, Holczer said. Junior Leah Cepko said parent notification would deter students from using the service. “No matter how many talks parents have with kids, saying there will be no questions asked, kids are still afraid of their parents being mad or disappointed,” she said. Principal Jennifer Price, a member of the Task Force, said Safe Rides is the safest option. “My goal as principal is safety, BY
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NEAP scores available in early summer
EMILY AMARO Seniors’ scores in the National Assessment of Educational Progress Test will be available at the beginning of the summer, said assistant principal Deborah Holman. “If students are curious about their scores, they can contact me,” she said. Of the selected seniors, 91.02 percent took the test here Thursday, Feb. 12, Holman said. The requirement was 90 percent, she said. The federal government uses the test to analyze achievement in math, English and science, Holman said. “Different schools and different states get picked randomly every year,” Holman said. “This year Massachusetts and Newton North were picked, but the test won’t be something senior classes here will continue to do.” BY
AP testing still open
MARENA COLE Students can register for Advanced Placement testing until Wednesday, said the school’s bursar, Lisa Mazzola. As of Tuesday, 254 out of approximately 395 AP students had BY
first and foremost.” Last week, the board unanimously passed senior Philip Engelke’s proposal to divide June’s arena scheduling into two separate sessions. Still to be decided is which classes would have which session. During arena scheduling, students have corrections made to their schedule before final schedules are made and distributed in September. Also at the meeting, junior Ezra Cohen proposed that collective punishment be banned or strongly discouraged. The proposal defines collective punishment as “a disciplinary action taken against an entire class for the actions of a smaller group of students.” It says collective punishment encourages students to misbehave in the future because students feel they will be punished for others’ behavior regardless of their own. Also last week, the board
discussed whether sophomores should be allowed open campus during a cancelled class. Sophomores who qualify for open campus have to stay in the cafeteria when one of their classes is cancelled, but not when they have a scheduled free, sophomore Jared Kalow said. He proposed that sophomores be allowed to leave the cafeteria after signing into a cancelled class as juniors and seniors are. English department head Tom Fabian said that the two situations are not analogous. “There’s a distinction there,” he said. “I don’t see a period when a class is cancelled as a free.” Allowing only students who have earned open campus to leave the cafeteria would present administrative challenges, Price said. Beals housemaster Michelle Stauss said Wednesday that 146 out of 448 sophomores were not eligible for open campus.
in brief
She said that prior to teaching here, she volunteered in the Boston Public Schools, starting to teach “right out of college.” After working in Boston, she went to Teachers College at Columbia in 1993. In New York, she taught for a year at the 1199 School for Social Change in the Bronx. “It was a tiny school and had no teacher mentors,” she said. “The students were great, but as a new teacher, I knew I needed to be at a school with veterans to help me grow. That’s why I came to Newton North.” In 1998-2000, Blais was assistant principal to Jennifer Huntington. “As assistant principal, I learned the mechanisms that make the school run,” she said. Having spent time in Washington, D.C. as a consultant, and as English department chair in Baltimore City College High School for two years, she moved back to Boston in 2005. Since having children, she has been teaching in Newton parttime, in addition to teaching a masters’ course for English teachers-in-training at Brandeis. Also, she said, she has been helping principal Jennifer Price with professional development projects.
registered, Mazzola said. The deadline for registration was Friday, Feb. 27. The late fee for registration is $25, Mazzola said. The regular fee for the test is $86. “Any students in need of financial aid for the exams should have come to see me prior to registering,” she said.
Annie Blais to fill in as Beals housemaster
ELLEN SARKISIAN As acting Beals housemaster, English teacher Annie Blais said she hopes to work with sophomores so they can continue to have a “healthy transition” into junior year. “My goal is to help students get clear about their goals and make sure they are connected Shira Bleicher to all the services they need Annie Blais in school,” she said. Blais will fill in for Beals housemaster Michelle Stauss, who will be on maternity leave. In 1994, Blais came to Newton to teach English. BY
Looking at numbers
According to the Annual Class Size Report as of November 1: ◆English has 44 classes; 28 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆World language has 40 classes; 20 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Career and tech. ed. has 28 classes; 24 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Science has 24 classes; 13 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆History and social sciences has 30 classes; 16 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Mathematics has 27 classes; 12 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Special education has 97 classes; 90 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Fine arts has 37 classes; 24 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Technology and en gineering has 5 classes; 4 would be under the minimum requirement. ◆Physical education has 27 classes; 5 would be under the minimum requirement.
think we are proceeding in the fairest way possible.” Another change in Young’s budget is the high school’s physical education graduation requirement, which would drop from eight to five semesters. Young also proposed that bus and athletic fees be increased on the middle and high school level, but the number is not known and will need to be discussed by the school council, he said. Because of a heavy snow storm, Young postponed his presentation to the School Committee scheduled for Monday night until last night. ◆See editorial page 2.
Gaby Perez-Dietz
For tonight’s sleepover: Sophomore Edan Laniado buys sweatpants. See club stories page 13.