Schools

5 Things you Missed at the School Committee meeting

The board voted against school choice and in favor of a new teacher evaluation system during a meeting that lasted more than three hours.

1.  The School Committee voted not to accept school choice for the 2012-13 school year. Superintendent Anthony Pope said because of space constraints, the district is not in a position to invite students from outside the city at this time. Marlborough students will still have the opportunity to choose to attend other districts.

2.  A new teacher evaluation system is moving forward, but will have to be negotiated with the teachers union. Because Marlborough is a Race to the Top district, the new, more detailed evaluation process must be in place by September, 2012.

3.  The School Committee released the results of its latest self-evaluation. While some areas improved and other showed a decline. The results were met with murmurs and chuckles from the standing-room crowd at the meeting, especially when it was revealed that the board had scored highly for a second year in a row on the topic of “hires a strong and effective superintendent.”

4. The silent protest against Superintendent Pope continued in the audience, with some new signs joining the “No  Hope with Pope” message. One read “Lying, Bullying and Incompetence, We Had Enough” and another carried the message “I Can’t Believe 2012,” a twist on the Believe 2016 strategic plan title.

5. Mayor Arthur Vigeant said “the clock is ticking” on two public records requests received by the School Committee and the superintendent. The requests seek the minutes of the board’s lengthy executive session meeting on May 21 and the results of the investigation Vigeant commissioned into the events of Jan. 27 at the high school.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here