Schools

Group Seeks to Make Watertown High School Safe for Transgender Students

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A group of Watertown High School students has requested that the School Committee add a school district policy for transgender and nonconforming students to make these students feel safe to attend the town’s schools. 

Transgender students do not feel comfortable at Watertown High School, said members of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at WHS. “A lot of it was the school culture,” said GSA President and WHS junior Jeremy Holt. “When we decided to put this in place the school culture was not open and accepting (of transgender and nonconforming students).” As part of the new policy, they seek some changes to improve the atmosphere at the school. Some changes include creating gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms, teachers using the pronoun preferred by the student when addressing the student, and not telling parents what their preferred sexual identity until the student is comfortable telling them. “The three main goals of the policy are to reduce stigmatization of transgender and gender nonconforming students, maintaining the privacy of all students and fostering cultural competence and professional development for school staff,” WHS junior and GSA member Kira Peterson told the School Committee on Monday night.

Schools

See What School Officials Included in the Budget Request for 2015-16

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Watertown school officials have requested a $2.7 million increase for the 2015-16 school year, which includes more than 20 new jobs, new equipment and bolstering technology in the town’s public schools. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the budget includes teachers to reduce class sizes at Cunniff and Hosmer elementary schools, teachers at the high school to strengthen the computer science and environmental science programs, and an Arabic teacher at the high school. The $41.93 million budget, a 6.87 percent increase from 20141-15, was presented to the School Committee on Monday night. Another area of focus for the budget is student support. This includes adding part-time psychologists at Cunniff and Lowell schools, a part time school adjustment counselor at Watertown Middle School, and two part-time psychologists and a behavioral specialist for the special education program.

Schools

Federal Grant ‘PEP’-ing Up Physical Ed Classes in Watertown

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A Federal grant has pumped more than $500,00 into physical education in Watertown’s schools, and has allowed gym class to be more than just sports and has branched outside the gym. The Watertown Public Schools is in the second year of the three-year Carol M. White Physical Education Program (or PEP) grant. The district received $391,269 the first year, another $126,034 the second year and is expected to get another $116,936 the third year, said Director of Wellness and Extended Services Donna Ruseckas. This is the second time Watertown has been awarded the PEP grant. “It’s voted on every year by Congress and only so many districts get it,” Ruseckas said.

Schools

Watertown Schools Preparing for Growing Enrollment

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Watertown’s schools will grow by more than 180 students over the next 10 years, according to projections by school officials, and the district will have to figure ways to fit these students into the schools. 

First priority is figuring out next year, the 2015-16 school year, when the school are expected to have four fewer students than the enrollment for the 2014-15 school year – 2,579 for PreK-12. The challenge next year will be the larger than normal grades at Cunniff and Hosmer schools, school officials said at Monday’s School Committee Budget and Finance Subcommittee meeting. Cunniff’s two fourth grade classes are projected at 25 and 26 in 2015-16, and Hosmer’s third grade is projected to have three classes of 26 and one of 25. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald said the district plans to add a teacher to each of the schools, but not to create a new class. “Both principals will use the teachers for smaller instructional groups,” Fitzgerald said.

Schools

School Committee Debating Adding an Extra Day of School

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All this snow had thrown the school calendar into a bit of chaos, and with the threat of snow still very real Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald has proposed adding an extra day of school. After six snow days, the current last day of school is scheduled to be June 30, but Fitzgerald fears students may get another snow day. The extra day would be on Friday, April 3, which is scheduled to be a day off. “If we had a half day on April 3 and there is no snow the last day will be June 29,” Fitzgerald said. “If we had snow, the last day would be June 30.”

Entertainment

Watertown MusicFest Coming Up – Performers Wanted!

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Now it its fourth year, the Friends of Watertown MusicFest will be held in March, and musicians are still being sought to play at the event. The fundraiser for the music program in the Watertown Public Schools will be held Friday, March 6, from 5:30-9:30 p.m., at the Watertown Middle School, 68 Waverly Ave. in Watertown. The event features over 50 performances by musicians of all ages, musical styles, and abilities, and an instrument petting zoo. “MusicFest is a lively, eclectic evening of music for the whole community,” says FoWM Board Member Heidi Greisch.

Schools

Teachers Added to Reduce Class Sizes, Other Positions Unfilled

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Each of Watertown’s elementary schools received a new teacher to help reduce the size of classes, but the district did not hire all the teachers it had hoped. Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald discussed school enrollment and new hires at Monday’s School Committee meeting. Hosmer School has 850 students this fall, Lowell School has 388 students and there are 312 children at Cunniff School. “At each school, class size was something very important to parents – and to all of us,” Fitzgerald said. “Each school got an additional general education teacher to help with class size.”

Schools

School Officials Have Plan to Avoid Financial Problems This Year

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Last school year, the Watertown Public Schools had to freeze spending when they had a major mid-year deficit, but they ended up with a large surplus. The Fiscal 2014 budget looked like it could be a major problem for Watertown school officials, who froze spending in January when the school budget ran $926,000 in the red, said Superintendent Jean Fitzgerald. The district turned it around, but officials still appeared to have a major problem in June when they though they needed to make up a shortfall in the special education budget of about $640,000. It turns out the money was not needed. At Monday’s School Committee meeting, Watertown Director of Business Services Charles Kellner said the district ended the year with a $770,00 surplus.