Latest School Committee Stories

By SYDNEY SCHWARTZ Duxbury Duxbury school officials are setting up a communications committee that will address the controversial new high-end learners program. Many parents were concerned this summer when they learned, just before the start of school, that officials were introducing a pilot program that would affect 14 third, fourth, and fifth graders at the Alden School. Administrators say the program will help teachers better instruct children who have been identified as high-end...

By Gina Macris Two School Committee incumbents refused endorsement, one saying the Tiverton Citizens for Change has made accusations without having all the facts. TIVERTON -- Two School Committee members running for reelection, chairwoman Denise deMedeiros and Sally Black, have turned down offers of endorsement from Tiverton Citizens for Change. Two other School Committee candidates, Carol Herrmann and Deborah Pallasch, have issued a joint statement explaining why they declined to seek...

NORTH KINGSTOWN -- The School Committee has voted to ask the Town Council to help stabilize the aging Wickford Elementary School. Committee Vice Chairman Larry Ceresi said it could cost $65,000 to replace a boiler and $20,000 to repair the roof of the brick building, closed in 2005 to save money. The request came Tuesday night, after a long discussion about school enrollment and the district's finances. School officials, facing a million-dollar deficit, noted they have less than $1 million...

By Paul Davis Citing an expected decline in enrollment, the School Committee decides that Wickford Elementary School will not reopen. NORTH KINGSTOWN -- After months of debate, the School Committee last night said Wickford Elementary School will not reopen as a school -- at least in the near future. The reason? Declining enrollment. In the next five years, the district expects to see 356 fewer students. Although officials are considering reconfiguring the district, Wickford Elementary...

By Katie Mulvaney Evaluators praise West Kingston Elementary, target areas to work on. SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- A team of educators found West Kingston Elementary School brimming with potential and filled with caring, respectful, responsible students. Its teachers, they said, were dedicated professionals who cared about their charges. But the group also concluded after a visit last year that teachers needed to challenge students at both ends of the spectrum and that the school staff as whole...

By MEAGHAN WIMS The families of 45 students must produce proof they live in town by Sept. 29, says the School Committee. SEEKONK -- This is the final warning. As of Sept. 29, students whose families haven't proven their Seekonk residency will be barred from the town's public schools. The students won't be allowed to enter the schools or attend classes. Their names will be stripped from the rosters. And they won't be able to resume their studies in Seekonk schools until their families...

By ALISHA A PINA; New England Association of Schools; Colleges; Supt Mario Cirillo A review team notes the effect of budget constraints, but says the building doesn't meet fire and health regulations. The high school will know whether it has been reaccredited by next month. EAST PROVIDENCE -- An evaluation team has applauded the high school for its passionate teachers, strong feeling of community, new graduation requirements, many opportunities for learning beyond the school campus, and...

By Paul Davis Asset Management Commission Chairman Richard Welch says the Wickford Elementary School building could be used for town offices. NORTH KINGSTOWN -- The head of the Asset Management Commission wants to turn the shuttered Wickford Elementary School into a new Town Hall. In letters and in interviews, Chairman Richard Welch is recommending that the school, closed in 2005, be used to house all town employees. The Planning Department, for instance, is housed in a former library...

By Richard C Dujardin NORTH PROVIDENCE -- Giovanna Guadagno Donyan, a 48-year-old educator who was a middle school science teacher and director of professional development for Coventry public schools, was appointed assistant school superintendent last night. She will fill the vacancy created earlier this month when Robert J. Gerardi Jr. resigned to become school superintendent in Woonsocket. The School Committee voted unanimously on the recommendation of Supt. Donna Ottaviano....

By Anonymous The Portland School Committee deserves credit for inclusiveness in its search for a new superintendent, but at the end of the process it is the committee that bears responsibility for the choice. The committee this week released the names of 20 people who will participate directly in the search. The list includes people who work in the school system, parents and community leaders. It is a diverse group. If consensus can be reached among these people, it will say much about the...