New superintendent says school committee goals reachable
By Caitlyn Kelleher

The desire to review graduation requirements, improve access to advance courses and a larger focus on world language dominated the list of goals from the North Middlesex Regional School Committee.

Many of the major issues that the school committee addressed during their discussion, Monday, Aug. 7, revolved around academic requirements and opportunities at the high school.

Committee member Dennis Moore, of Ashby, said he would like to review the high school graduation requirements.

"Either to determine we don't need to change it or figure out what we need to change," Moore said.

Students are required to take four years of English, three years of each social studies and math, and two years of science, as well as specific elective courses.

School committee members talked about what they would like to see as priorities of Maureen Marshall as she takes over as superintendent of the school district.

The school committee will not set the formal goals until September because they wanted to be able to have a discussion about them first.

"These are pretty easy," Marshall said. "These are things we should be able to deliver."

Marshall said some of the items would require thinking outside of the typical box.

"We're going to prepare our students for their future, not our past," she said.

One of the ways the committee would like to see that occur is to increase the opportunity for students to take higher level, including advance placement (AP) courses.

"Senior year has to be more than half a year off," Moore said.

Student representative Lauren Sciacca said scheduling is really the problem with getting students into the courses. A lot of seniors weren't able to take the AP courses they wanted to because either they were full or they were at the same time as another AP course, she said.

"It's then just I wanted that course," she said, adding that students are looking for an opportunity to prepare for college and develop an interest in specific career fields.

Moore added that the course selection list should be updated and reflects what is actually being offered in the district.

"It has to be made honest," he said.

Marshall said she knows she has to work within the teacher's contract but adds perhaps adding online courses or bring in adjunct university professors could help increase the offerings.

"I will honor that contract," she said. "It is a sacred document between this committee and the association. (The options) really aren't that expensive if we are creative with our scheduling."

Committee member Joseph Sciacca, of Townsend, said he would like to look at scheduling not only within the high school but also within the district.

"I'd like to see some discussion on changing the start times of schools," Sciacca said.

He said there is a lot of research showing that teenagers perform better later in the day, while elementary schoolaged students are more awake earlier in the day. This is the reverse of the district's scheduled start times.

"I think it is something that could pay off in the longer run," Sue Fitzgerald, a committee member, said.

The committee also added a list of smaller items they would like to see addressed or discussed.

Committee member Fredrick Wheeler, of Townsend, who was not at the meeting, sent a list of issues with Chairman Theresa Morse. He would like to see more consistency in the school improvement plans and to integrate more technology and engineering into the science curriculum.

While, Lauren Sciacca said she would like to have a student advisory council to the superintendent.

She said it is good for the students to have that connection to the administration and for the administration to have the connection to the students.

Lauren Sciacca and Morse also hoped the smoking problems at the high school could be addressed.

"I don't understand why we can't control smoking in the bathrooms," Morse said.

In other business:

 The committee voted 7-0 to appoint Dr. Deborah A. Brady as assistant superintendent of schools for curriculum and instruction beginning on Aug. 14.

 Marshall introduced the new principal for the high school Richard Manely and the new assistant principal of Spaulding Memorial School Becky Janda.

-  - Caitlyn Kelleher can be reached at (978) 827-3386, ext. 15, or e-mail: caitlynkelleher@aol.com