New Swampscott Teacher Evaluation Program On Deck

The program will start in the fall.

  The School Committee last week approved a new three-year pilot program for evaluating teachers. Calling the new evaluation program "groundbreaking," Athletic Director Jon Flanagan told the committee that the new evaluation system will identify a teacher's areas of weakness and develop a program of improvement. Flanagan was a member of a six-member panel of teachers and administrators who helped develop the program. The evaluation program, mandated by state law, will begin next fall with 50 percent of the teachers being evaluated. The other 50 percent will conduct their own self improvement programs and enter the evaluation system the following year. In other School Committee business at the June 20, meeting, the panel extended the bus …

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Nahant and Swampscott School Committees Talk Buses

The two panels met at Nahant Town Hall Tuesday for talks on topics including special education transportation.

  Nahant School Committee members asked counterparts from Swampscott for ideas on how to save money on special education transportation and how to keep kids in line during bus rides to school. The committees' members sat across from each other Tuesday at Nahant Town Hall in a rare joint meeting. Nahant sends it middle and high school students to Swampscott Middle School and Swampscott High School. In November, there were 152 students from Nahant attending Swampscott schools. Nahant was paying Swampscott a tuition of $8,428 per student.  Christine Kendall, Nahant's chairwoman, said the number of children with special needs in Nahant is increasing dramatically, for a small town. And the Nahant budget is taking a hit on transportation costs …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: School Committee Chairman Seeks Re-election

Jacqueline Kinney is announcing she wants to serve three more years on the School Committee.

  I'd like to formally announce my candidacy for another 3-year term on the Swampscott School Committee. In deciding whether to run again, I spent a great deal of time talking to family, friends, and my fellow School Committee colleagues, both present and past. I also thought back to the time I attended the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) conference after being newly elected. I was struck by the number of long-time committee members from various districts around the state - people that have been on school committees in their communities for 6, 8, 12 years. The institutional knowledge and perspective that these folks provide to their committees must be invaluable. I remember wondering why it seemed that no one on the …

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: Oct. 19

From music history to local tides. Things to know in Swampscott on this fall day in October.

1) Weather Watch — National Weather Service forecasters are predicting showers, mainly after 2 pm. The rain could be heavy, at times. The day's high temperature will be near 59. 2) Tide Watch — Today's low tide is 10:41 am (1.68 ft). High tide is 4:55 pm (8.89 ft). The sun will rise at 7 am and set at 4:55 pm.  3) Swampscott Scrambler — Unscramble these letters to spell the name of a Swampscott person, place or thing (answer to be posted tomorrow): NNmmueot Monday's answer: Phillips (Beach) 4) In Music History —  In 1967, I Second That Emotion by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles was released by Tamla-Motown. (From on-this-day-in-history.) 5) School Watch — The School Committee meets at 7 pm at Swampscott High School. Agenda items include a …

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Election Central

3 VIDEOS: School Committee Candidates Speak

Here are three videos of the candidates running for two three-year terms on the School Committee. Click on each video to hear what the candidate has to say.

Editor's note:  With the election Tuesday, we are putting videos of candidates for School Committee back on the home page in case voters want to check them out. We removed Stephanie Greenfield's video since she has withdrawn her candidacy. Here are three videos of the candidates running for two three-year terms on the School Committee. They are Marianne Speranza-Hartmann, Richard W. Kraft and David Matela.  Click on each video to hear what the candidate has to say.  The candidates had five minutes to talk about who they are, why they are running for office, why people should vote for them and what are their thoughts about the role of the School Committee. The School Committee race is the only competitive race in Swampscott this election. …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter To The Editor: Swampscott School Committee

Health and Safety of Swampscott Teens Must Come Firs

On May 2, Swampscott Town Meeting will vote on a warrant article that would require the town to abide by Chapter 71, Section 84 of Massachusetts General Laws, which provides that “[n]o student shall be suspended, expelled, or otherwise disciplined … for conduct which is not connected with any school-sponsored activities.”  The article’s specific aim, according to its backers, is to invalidate Swampscott High School’s Chemical Health Policy that took effect March 17th.  The Swampscott School Committee vigorously opposes this proposal and urges Town Meeting to reject it. The statistics on teen alcohol and drug abuse in Swampscott clearly illustrate the problem.  According to a 2008 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 51% of Swampscott High School …

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Swampscott parent

12:38 pm on Saturday, April 16, 2011

School commitee statistics as listed above: 70% of kids in athletics, 51%of students have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days. 46% have used marijuana. Athletes are already under MIAA guidelines. So MIAA rules to stop teens from drinking and drugging don't work. So we extend them to the rest of the students and the rest of the year and that is suppposed be an effective intervention?   more ›

Letter to the Editor

School Committee Candidate Withdraws

Stephanie Greenfield enjoys her role at schools now, and, upon further reflection, does not want to change that.

Dear Swampscott residents, neighbors and friends, I recently submitted a letter explaining my reasons for running for School Committee.  I am writing again to tell you that I have decided to withdraw my nomination.  While my decision to enter the race was well thought out, it was not a difficult decision to make, as my goals for and reasons for wanting to be a part of the School Committee were always clear.  My decision to withdraw from the race, however, was much more complicated and one that I spent many sleepless nights pondering. I sincerely enjoy my role with the PTA and the impact I am able to have on a daily basis.  The rewards are very tangible and gratifying. As well, this involvement has allowed me a greater level of interaction …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Laura Kabel

Swampscott resident supports Dave Matela for School Committee.

Dear Editor: I am writing to you with the hopes that you will share my letter with other Swampscott residents. I am the parent of a 2nd grader in the Swampscott school system. As a parent, I enjoy being involved in my child's educational experience and look for ways that I can make a difference. The upcoming School Committee member election is an opportunity for everyone to make a difference.  As a parent and a voter, I look for School Committee candidates who are passionate about the growth and welfare of our children. Someone who will listen to the voices of parents and who will work with the school department helping them make difficult decisions in ways that best serve Swampscott's children. This is why I am giving my vote to Dave …

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