Special Education to Remain Under One Director

School Committee passes job description, effectively launching search for permanent leader.

Arlington’s special education department will remain under the leadership of one director, the School Committee decided Thursday. The recommendation to maintain a one-director department came from Superintendent Kathleen Bodie, who said her conclusions are based on a series of meetings with special education leadership, schools staff and parents. "The feedback is that this structure is working well,” Bodie told the committee. Special education in Arlington has come under much scrutiny from parents who say their children’s needs are not being met. Some say one of the main problems is that they don’t see their complaints being heard. The current format of the special education department is a director, an assistant director and two …

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today, Nov. 17

Superintendent to make proposal on structure of special education leadership, a general cancer support group, libraries to forgive debt in November and a few more things to know this Thursday.

1. Weather: Expect increasing clouds with showers this afternoon. High temperatures could reach 48 degrees during the day, with an overnight low of 31 degrees. 2. School Committee tonight: Tonight's meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at Arlington High School. At 8:15 p.m., Superintendent Kathleen Bodie is expected to make two proposals to the committe: approval of job descriptions and structure for leadership of special education. 3. General Cancer Support Group: Men and women of all ages and with all types of cancers are welcome to join at any time. The group has developed cohesiveness around management of fear and anxiety, developing hope and meaning, and loving support for all members. No fee. Held at Armstrong Ambulance Conference Room, 87 …

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Arlington School Committee Evaluates Schools Superintendent

Kathleen Bodie receives praise and critique from her last 12 months at Arlington Public Schools.

School Committee members spent the majority of Thursday evening evaluating Superintendent Kathleen Bodie, who is in her second full year as head of Arlington Public Schools. The evaluation is based on six criteria: core competencies, educational-professional leadership, general district management, personnel management, community and public relations, and business and finance operations. “I am talking with principals with a high degree of function in terms of leadership, Dr. Bodie is a big reason many of them came to Arlington,” said Leba Heigham, a committee member. Each member was given two minutes to speak to each of the categories. “When there is a meeting with groups of parents regarding special education, posting meeting times and …

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today, Oct. 13

School committee meets tonight, trash collection delayed by one day and more to know this Thursday.

Good morning, Arlington! Here are five things you need to know today: 1. Weather: Expect some rain early, clouds throughout the day and showers in the afternoon. High temperatures could reach 64 degrees during the day, with an overnight low of 60 degrees. 2. Trash collection: Due to Monday's Columbus Day observation, trash collection will be delayed by one day this entire week. 3. School Committee: The committee meets tonight, Thursday, 6:30 p.m., at Arlington High School. 4. Sports schedule: Every morning, we run a list of all the sporting events in Arlington. Check it out and stay on top of what's going on with our hometown teams. Today, the boys and girls of Arlington Catholic and Arlington High are playing golf, soccer and volleyball. …

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Athletic Fees to Drop by Nearly Half

School Committee on Tuesday approved a proposal to significantly reduce fees.

Arlington's School Committee on Tuesday passed a proposal to cut athletic fees at Arlington High School by 46 percent. The committtee voted 5-0 to approve the proposal by the Athletics Advisory Committee, which studied last week several options for the reduction. Fees for most sports will decrease by about 40 percent or more. The highest decrease is in cross-country, where fees will drop from last year’s $480 to $100 per student, a 79 percent difference. Cheerleading is next, with a drop from $408 to $100, or 75 percent. The reductions are less significant for Arlington High School’s most expensive sports—ice hockey, gymnastics and football. Ice hockey fees will drop from $720 to $700 (3 percent); gymnastics will ldrop from $720 to $600 (…

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Committee: Slash Athletic Fees in Half

School Committee to decide on measure at Tuesday meeting.

Schools officials on Tuesday will vote on a proposal that could slash athletic fees at Arlington High School by nearly half. The move comes from the Athletics Advisory Committee, whose members are proposing a 46 percent decrease in student-paid fees. In the proposal, fees for most sports would decrease by about 40 percent or more. The highest proposed decrease is cross-country, where fees could drop from last year’s $480 to $100 per student, a 79 percent difference. Cheerleading is next, with a proposed drop from $408 to $100, or 75 percent. The reductions would be less significant for Arlington High School’s most expensive sports—ice hockey, gymnastics and football. Ice hockey fees would drop from $720 to $700 (3 percent); gymnastics …

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Special Ed Parents Concerned About End-of-Year Report, Hopeful For Future

Statistics referenced at School Committee meeting don't reflect the problems parents and students are facing, they say.

For Debra Rose Brillati, a parent of an eighth-grade special education student, the statistics presented at last week’s School Committee meeting concerning the special education department’s progress over the past few years didn’t add up—or at least portray the full picture. Though the end of the year report slides Mark Ryder, who is set to move on from the special education director position, flashed through at the meeting concerning the department’s goals showed a decrease in complaints, an expansion in in-district programs and a decrease in out-of-district placements, parent speeches and post-meeting responses conveyed skepticism about the data used and the best way to evaluate the department. Brillati said for her and several other …

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Kathleen Lockyer Set to Fill as Interim Special Ed Director

Former Watertown special education director says she's excited to work in a "creative" environment.

When Kathleen Lockyer introduced herself to the Arlington School Committee this week, it was just after 10:30 p.m. and the attendees were waning. The soon-to-be interim special education director was scheduled to speak at the meeting more than an hour earlier, but like any meeting, things didn’t necessarily go as scheduled. As the former special education director in Watertown, Lockyer said in a lighthearted tone that the city four miles south of Arlington had some meetings that go to 11 p.m., but the work put into this meeting here was “actually impressive.” “I’ve enjoyed, and actually admired, the creativity that Dr. [Kathleen] Bodie has brought to that process,” Lockyer said in front of the committee about the changes and potential …

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Superintendent Reconsiders Special Education Reorganization

After hearing feedback from SEPAC and the School Committee, Bodie said the consensus was to hold off on reorganization

Arlington Schools Superintendent Kathleen Bodie told the School Committee Tuesday night that she had “reconsidered” a reorganization of the special education department that brought about intense opposition and concern from parents since the May proposition. After listening to parent and School Committee feedback over the past month, Bodie’s proposed organization is set to include an interim special education director with an assistant director, Lori Villani. Below these positions, there will be an elementary and secondary coordinator, each supported by team chairs. This would maintain the previous structure, as opposed to having co-directors, which Bodie previously proposed. “The concern was that we were perhaps moving too quickly to a …

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$6.5 Million Override Election on Tuesday

Polls open at 7 a.m and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

The time to vote on Arlington's proposed nearly $6.5 million override is here. Polls open at 7 a.m and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The proposed override, of $6,490,000, would increase property taxes by 7.5 percent and the property tax rate by 94 cents per every $1,000 of assessed value, according to the board. Therefore, the median home value in Arlington of $480,000 would see a $450 increase on its property tax bill. The Board of Selectmen said if the proposed override passes, the town would be able to maintain services for at least three years, restore the public schools’ core services and spend money on “much needed” road improvements. Proponents of the override, Yes For Arlington, say the override is needed to maintain basic levels of …

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