First term School Committee member Matthew Miller announced this morning in an email to supporters that he will not be running for another term in November’s upcoming election.
Matt Miller steps away from School Committee run
by Jerry Reilly | Jun 30, 2021 | Newton | 5 comments
I was a supporter, but I think his interest and enthusiasm for being on the SC fizzled out a lot, so I think it’s good that he is moving on. Good luck with your next endeavor, Matthew!
There is going to be quite a bit of turnover in the school committee coming up which is good after the last year plus. I do believe any school committee member means well, current and past. I hope that new members will not fall into the committee’s systemic inertia and will enact policies that are backed by science and educational research in a timely manner. It took a global pandemic to finally change high school start times after years of discussion. Also, one thing the school committee must do is to hold the superintendent more accountable. I know he just signed a new contract (hopefully his last), but they should at least challenge him and not genuflect to him as much as they seem to do at meetings.
I would like to hear from the candidates about what, specifically, they would have done differently, especially since each person, if elected, would be one member of a eight-person committee. It is always easier to critique from the outside, so it is important that we not assume these candidates will be effective just because they said they were against how the SC and NPS handled the situation last year.
Many of those with kids actually in the high schools either are or soon will have buyers remorse for Later Start Times. The implications especially when it comes to scheduling are shaping up to be rather severe. Like angular momentum and energy in classical mechanics, student pressure will be conserved.
@Elmo – You’re probably right. There is no ideal schedule for all kids.
That said, this past year’s later high school schedule was greatly appreciated by everyone at this address
There IS an ideal schedule @Jerry…
Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s in Brookline, classes started around 8a and ended around 2p – all grades.
While I understand Newton is a larger school district, it’s a wonder why this “sweet spot” is not prioritized for high school students. Elementary school families with working parents would benefit from earlier start times, and middle school kids have less after school commitments.
With the added pressure of grades that matter, where they go after graduation, and the pressures of being a teenager overall, I hope the SC turnover results in better care of our high schoolers.