Ross Richmond: School Committee Candidate in Ward 5

Richmond said anyone who cares about the future of Somerville needs to care about Somerville's schools.

The previous week we had a short post about Laura Pitone, who's running for Somerville School Committee in Ward 5. Ross Richmond is also running. Richmond has been a volunteer at various Boston-area schools since 2007, and he currently volunteers twice a week at the Kennedy School, where he helps tutor fourth-graders in math. "And I like to sneak in some English," he said. Although he doesn't have kids in the school system, Richmond said, "Anyone who cares about the future of Somerville has to be interested in the public schools." People sometimes ask him about not having kids in the system, he said, but "it hasn't been an issue so far." He said fewer than 20 percent of Somerville residents have kids in the school system, and it's …

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Laura Pitone Announces Run for Ward 5 School Committee

Pitone joins at least two other candidates in the race.

Ward 5 is gearing up to be an active corner of Somerville in this year's municipal elections. Laura Pitone recently announced she's decided to run for the Somerville School Committee in Ward 5, joining at least two other people in the race. Pitone has two kids in the Somerville public school system, a fifth grader and first grader, both at the Healey School, and as a parent she became involved in the school's recent efforts to unify its programs. She said she's eager to take her experience with the Healey School and bring it to the School Committee. "A lot of the work we've done at the Healey … could benefit the work the School Committee is doing," she said, pointing to work the school has done to "take the best of all programs" and "…

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Echevarria Steps Down from School Committee, Steven Roix Appointed

Illness caused Benjamin Echevarria to step down from the Somerville School Committee before being sworn into office. The committee promptly appointed Steven Roix to take his place.

Benjamin Echevarria, who was appointed to the Somerville School Committee in January, stepped down from the position due to illness, before officially taking office. In his place, the Somerville School Committee Monday night appointed Steven Roix as the Ward 1 representative on the committee. Roix's appointment ends a lengthy process that began in December, 2012, when Ward 1's previous School Committee representative, Maureen Bastardi, was appointed to the Somerville Board of Aldermen after former Alderman William Roche stepped down. To fill Bastardi's seat, the School Committee launched a selection process, seeking candidates, interviewing 10 of them, narrowing the field down to four finalists, and ultimately voting to appoint Echevarria …

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Benjamin Echevarria Chosen as New Ward 1 School Committee Representative

Echevaria was chosen after a split vote on the School Committee.

The Somerville School Committee Tuesday night voted to appoint Benjamin Echevarria as the new representative for Ward 1 on the committee. Ward 1 represents East Somerville. Echevarria will replace Maureen Bastardi, who left the School Committee in December, 2012, after being appointed to the Somerville Board of Aldermen. The School Committee voted Tuesday night after interviewing three candidates for the position. In addition to Echevaria, they interviewed Steven Roix and Bonny Carroll. A fourth finalist in the selection process, Yvette Verdieu, withdrew her name from consideration before the meeting. The committee had previously whittled down a group of 10 candidates to the four finalists. The public interview process took place after a …

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Somerville School Committee to Interview Four Ward 1 Candidates

A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22.

The Somerville School Committee will interview four candidates in its effort to fill the vacant seat in Ward 1, which represents East Somerville on the committee. Out of 10 applicants who expressed interest in filling the position, the School Committee selected four finalists: The School Committee will hold a public hearing about the matter on Jan. 22, and after the hearing committee members will conduct the interviews. The School Committee is accepting from the public suggested questions to ask during the interviews. Anyone with a question may email Mary Jo Rossetti, chair of the School Committee, at mrossetti@k12.somerville.ma.us. The public hearing and interviews will take place at the Capuano Early Childhood Center, starting at 6:30 p.…

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Ten Candidates Seek Seat on Somerville School Committee for Ward 1

Letters of intent were due Jan. 10. Here's who's interested in the position.

The Somerville School Committee is working to replace former Ward 1 representative Maureen Bastardi, who was appointed to the Somerville Board of Aldermen in December. The School Committee sought letters of intent from those interested in filling the position. The letters were due on Jan. 10, and 10 candidates expressed interest. Here are the names of those who submitted letters of intent: The School Committee is now expected to review the submissions and hold interviews with candidates. The committee is expected to vote on a new member by Feb. 4.

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School Committee to Choose New Member by Feb. 4, Seeks Candidates

Prospective candidates from East Somerville must submit their names for consideration by Jan. 10.

The Somerville School Committee is seeking candidates to represent Ward 1—East Somerville—on the committee, and it will make a final decision by Feb. 4. This is according to a vote taken by the School Committee at a meeting Monday night. If you're interested in serving on the School Committee, see more information about how to apply below. The seat on the committee became vacant on Dec. 13 when former Ward 1 representative Maureen Bastardi was appointed to the Somerville Board of Aldermen and, therefore, resigned from her position on the School Committee. Bastardi was appointed to replace former Ward 1 Alderman William Roche, who resigned to spend more time with his family. Ward 1 encompasses most of East Somerville, a diverse neighborhood…

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SCHOOL DAY

School Committee Plans to Speak Against New Charter School

The Somerville School Committee voted to formally express its disapproval of the proposed Somerville Progressive Charter School.

The Somerville School Committee voted unanimously on Oct. 11 to write a letter objecting to a proposed new chater school in the city. The committee plans to present its written opposition during a public hearing that will likely take place in November. The School Committee is concerned about the proposed Somerville Progressive Charter School, which would cater to students whose first language isn’t English, according to a Boston.com news story. The charter school would teach students from kindergarten through 8th grade and would have a maximum enrollment of 425 students. The Somerville School Committe fears the charter school could draw students away from Somerville's public schools. Committee member Teresa Cardoso, who put forward the …

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SCHOOL DAY

School Committee Meetings to Be Broadcast Live

Somerville residents can watch the School Committee discuss education, buildings and the budget in real time at home starting this fall.

The Somerville School Committee held its first regular meeting of the 2011-2012 school year Monday night to announce, among other things, that the city would broadcast future meetings live, just as it does with the Board of Aldermen’s. “Congratulations,” Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi said to the members of the committee. “You’re now Internet stars.” Members will decide whether or not to also broadcast live meetings of the Education Programs and Instruction subcommittee, Pierantozzi said.  “We look forward to increasing the amount of communication we have with residents, parents and guardians,” he said. The School Committee also reported on upcoming important dates for students and parents, changes to school staff and other matters. 

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