Newtonite
Non-profit org. US postage paid Newton, Mass. Permit no. 55337
Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newtonville, Mass. 02460
◆ Thursday, April 9, 2009 • Volume 88, Issue 5
Feeling the pinch
See sports pages 13-16
Recession has effects in school community MATT KALISH ELLEN SARKISIAN enior Maura Liebendorfer said that where she works, the supervisor has started cutting back on people’s hours. Junior Ali Halloumi said the recession has reduced the availability of jobs in the city at businesses that used to be staples for a teen-ager looking for work. “I’ve tried all the supermarkets, the smaller Newtonville stores, the pharmacies—noone’s offering job spots,” he said. Sophomore Spencer Alton said he does mostly odd jobs, and that the recession has affected his ability to find customers. “I tend to bounce around from job to job, doing whatever families need me to do,” he said. “With the economy the way it is right now, more families are just doing handiwork themselves, so the market for that kind of work has definitely dried up.” The recession is affecting students’ and teachers’ daily lives and their plans for the future—including the summer months. According to a study by researchers at Northeastern’s Center for Labor Market Studies published in the Boston Globe February 28, the unemployment rate has risen for people in the country under 30, with teen-agers the hardest hit. Thirty-three percent of U.S. teen-agers had work in 2008, compared to 45 percent in 2000, according to the study. In Massachusetts, the percentage of working teen-agers was 38 in 2008, compared to 48 in 2000. The Globe reported Saturday that according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. unemployment rate was 8.5 percent last month, and the rate would have been 15.6 percent if it had included workers who have given up looking for full-time jobs or settled for parttime jobs. BY
AND
S
Teddy Wenneker
Boys’ tennis: Senior Andrew Whittum, a co-captain with senior Ben Cassidy, plays first doubles with freshman Parker Swiston. Today, the Tigers visit St. John’s/Danvers.
$2.7 million more in next year’s budget MATT KALISH When the School Committee votes on superintendent Jeff Young’s revised FY10 budget Wednesday, the total will be $166.8 million—or $2.7 million more than expected, said assistant superintendent Brenda Keegan. “The mayor has promised the school system that he will give back the $1 million he borrowed from the School Committee last year,” she said. “All of the mayor ’s money must be used for one-time expenses such as new computers, science equipment and instruments.” Another $1.7 million is coming from a federal stimulus package, Keegan said. “This money can only be used on student service areas, which include special education and guidance counselors,” she said. “The additional money we are receiving will allow us to not cut as many teachers, which is good BY
news. “We will be able to take some of the money that we had originally allocated out of the first proposed budget and use to it to lessen cuts in other aspects of the system.” Keegan said she does not know which areas of the school system will receive fewer cuts. School Committee chair Marc Laredo said that people understand the financially difficult time this country is in. “Overall, the School Committee has experienced great support, and people know that we are working under a very tight budget,” he said. “It is important to know that teachers will still be cut. “Considering what other towns are facing, Newton is probably facing a better situation than some other communities are.” The School Committee will meet Monday for the final time before the final budget vote, Laredo said.
news analysis lead on handling the specific cases with the students responsible.” According to a report from the School Committee last month, the cost per meal here has risen to $1.75 this year from $1.48 in 2008. Although athletic fees are not projected to rise next year, athletic director Tom Giusti said he has seen an increase in waiver and reduced fee forms. The current athletic fee per sport is $210, except for ice hockey, which is $260, he said. “Despite the economy, we will not turn away student athletes because of failure to pay,” Giusti said. “We will probably need to make some adjustments next year to absorb the loss. “The amount of non-conference games may need to be reduced, as well as the amount of scrimmage games each team has.”
Teachers’ contracts
Cheryl Turgel, president of the Newton Teachers Association, said the economy is affecting the contract negotiations. “Having the budget developed with a zero-percent cost of living adjustment for NTA members puts us in a negative position from the get-go,” Turgel said. “We are treading slowly and carefully but trying to move forward in a positive way. “Also, we want to see how Newton fares with the stimulus package and the final budget. “There are a lot of unknowns out there that are tugging at us from many directions.”
Looking toward the future
Meanwhile, the recession is affecting students’ decisions about college, said career center director Brad MacGowan. “The applications are not
affected so much as the decisios about where to go,” he said. “In the past, if a student had a favorite school but it was more expensive, the student would pay the extra money to go there.” “This year, more might to go with the cheaper institutions. “I would hope students would be able to go to one of their top choice schools.” The financial situation has “always come into play,” but might do so more this year than in the past, MacGowan said. “People are looking toward in-state institutions where they get a break on tuition,” he said. Recruitment and retention in the armed forces has also been affected, said counselor Larry Allen “Armed services in general are meeting or surpassing their recruiting goals because of the lack of job availability,” he said. “Also, bonuses that are being offered to retain individuals are an incentive to stay as well.”
Looking toward summer
Commenting on summer prospects, parks and recreation commissioner Fran Towle said that Newton camps are filling up “faster than usual.” “I foresee that people are going to enjoy Newton more and not go away,” Towle said. “I see more people attending recreational activities. “Some camps are already full, and we’re already ahead of schedule on others. “So one of the effects of the economy is that people are enrolling in camps more so than usual. “I know that the economy is having an impact on families. “We are trying to help families enjoy their summers here.” Ben Plotkin contributed to this story. ◆ See editoral page 2.
Students’ daily lives
Sandy Guryan, the chief budget officer of the Newton Public Schools, said there are an additional 25 students in the Newton schools out of 11,570 who qualify for free or reduced lunch this year. But Rob Clickstein, Newton’s food service director, said there are probably more students who could qualify but don’t inquire for various reasons. Clickstein noted that reports of theft in the cafeteria have increased this year. “Thefts have been more evident this year than in the past, with students breaking into the kitchen, vandalizing vending machines and stealing lunches,” he said. “We are doing as much as we can to prevent the theft from occurring. Locks have been changed on the fridges and freezers, and machines have been bolted. “The school has taken the
See Technology in Tiger classrooms pages 8 and 9
Puloma Ghosh