The town has tentatively agreed to pay a total of more than $101,000 to employees of the Brookline Fire Department to settle a class action lawsuit regarding unpaid overtime wages. Last December, Lieutenants Brian Bergeron and Paul Trahon, leaders of the union representing Brookline firefighters, sued the town for allegedly violating the Fair Labor Standards… Continue reading Town, firefighters finalizing $100k settlement for overtime pay dispute
Author: Vivi Smilgius
Thomas and Ruth O’Brien, long-time Brookline residents, leaders in medicine and law and parents of Conan O’Brien, die at ages 95 and 92
Thomas and Ruth O’Brien, longtime Brookline residents and the parents of comedian Conan O’Brien, both died this week in their Brookline home. Thomas, who was 95, died on Monday, Dec. 9 and Ruth died on Thursday, Dec. 12 at the age of 92. Thomas O’Brien was the first director of the division of infectious disease… Continue reading Thomas and Ruth O’Brien, long-time Brookline residents, leaders in medicine and law and parents of Conan O’Brien, die at ages 95 and 92
Town Meeting again opts to sidestep debate and vote on ceasefire resolution
Town Meeting voted Thursday night to table a resolution on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, avoiding debate and a vote, for the second time this year. The vote on the motion to table, a rarely-used parliamentary procedure, was 175 in favor and 50 against, with 10 abstentions. Shira Fischer, a Town Meeting member representing… Continue reading Town Meeting again opts to sidestep debate and vote on ceasefire resolution
Town heads to court to try to free up $3 million in BHS scholarship funds from century-old will
Town and school leaders in Brookline are preparing to head to court to deal with an unusual problem: too much money on their hands. A scholarship fund for female Brookline High School students, created by a resident’s 1920s will, was so limited in its use that it has grown faster than it can be dispersed,… Continue reading Town heads to court to try to free up $3 million in BHS scholarship funds from century-old will
Library director resigns following staff complaints
The director of Brookline’s public library announced on Tuesday night that she is resigning, following recent complaints by library staff describing low morale and alleging a toxic workplace. Director Amanda Hirst said at a Board of Library Trustees meeting on Nov. 12 that she had filed her resignation on Nov. 9 after it became clear… Continue reading Library director resigns following staff complaints
How a teacher-led curriculum revamp at BHS brought the fun back to physics
In an icebreaker activity on his first day of ninth grade physics class last year at Brookline High School, Ilya Tagiev told his classmates he hates physics. “It was true, I did hate physics,” said Tagiev, now a 10th grader. “I was expecting physics to be really hard, and then I went to Ms. Kissel’s… Continue reading How a teacher-led curriculum revamp at BHS brought the fun back to physics
Unified Basketball team at BHS forms friendships and sparks school spirit
When Brookline High School student Raya Weintroub started playing basketball last year, she felt a bit worried about playing a new sport alongside new teammates. But after dozens of practices, scrimmages and a handful of games in front of packed crowds, that feeling has turned into excitement. “Last year, I got a little nervous because… Continue reading Unified Basketball team at BHS forms friendships and sparks school spirit
Brookline library faces high staff turnover amid allegations of ‘toxic’ workplace
For almost four years, Macy Davis worked as a children’s librarian at the Brookline library’s main branch in Brookline Village. When she resigned in late August to take another position, she became one of the 21 full-time and 28 part-time employees who have left the Public Library of Brookline since 2022. The library employed 65… Continue reading Brookline library faces high staff turnover amid allegations of ‘toxic’ workplace
Local educators, experts weigh in on MCAS ballot question
A statewide ballot initiative may not impact graduation rates at Brookline High School, but some advocates and education experts in Brookline are arguing that it will boost equity within the district and across the state. The initiative, which is Question 2 on voters’ ballots across Massachusetts, aims to replace the state’s current MCAS graduation requirement… Continue reading Local educators, experts weigh in on MCAS ballot question
School Committee votes to close schools on Eid al-Fitr starting next school year
Brookline schools will be closed for Eid al-Fitr, one of the major Islamic holidays, starting in the 2025-26 school year after a vote last week by the School Committee. The decision at the Oct. 10 meeting came after more than a dozen parents and students gave public comments urging school leaders to make the change,… Continue reading School Committee votes to close schools on Eid al-Fitr starting next school year
Brookline man killed in Coolidge Corner motorcycle crash remembered as athlete who ’embraced life’s goodness’
Brookline resident Andrew “Stip” Stipicevic, 31, died on Sept. 30 when the motorcycle he was riding crashed into another vehicle in Coolidge Corner. Friends and family remember him for his positive attitude, optimism and love of life. Stipicevic was an outdoor enthusiast with a passion for soccer, baseball, hiking, rock climbing and running, according to… Continue reading Brookline man killed in Coolidge Corner motorcycle crash remembered as athlete who ’embraced life’s goodness’
MCAS results show continued decrease in English scores, math stays steady
Brookline students continued to perform well below pre-pandemic levels on the English portion of the statewide MCAS exam, and gaps between white students and students of color persisted, according to newly released results from the 2024 tests. The results were not all bad news, however: math scores across the district have remained largely steady or… Continue reading MCAS results show continued decrease in English scores, math stays steady
St. Mary of the Assumption wins national award for academic excellence
Only two private schools in Massachusetts received national recognition for academic excellence this year — and one of them was in Brookline. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona named St. Mary of the Assumption School a National Blue Ribbon School for academic excellence on Sept. 23. St. Mary’s is one of 363 schools across the… Continue reading St. Mary of the Assumption wins national award for academic excellence
School districts across the country are rolling out new policies for mobile devices. What’s Brookline’s plan?
School districts across the country are increasingly cracking down on students’ use of mobile devices during school, a response to growing fears about the distracting and damaging effects of phones, smart watches and laptops on children. Brookline’s school district has yet to follow that trend, but as individual schools in town put into place their… Continue reading School districts across the country are rolling out new policies for mobile devices. What’s Brookline’s plan?
Parents welcome: Inside the Corner Co-op, a 52-year-old Brookline preschool
In the basement of All Saints Parish in Brookline, the quiet of the church is interrupted by the giggles and squeals of young children solving puzzles, reading books and in a few cases, missing their mothers. The church at the intersection of Dean Road and Beacon Street houses Corner Co-Op Nursery, a play-based early education… Continue reading Parents welcome: Inside the Corner Co-op, a 52-year-old Brookline preschool
Brookline schools dispute claim of inaction on racial bullying
In its first substantive response to allegations made in a July federal civil rights complaint, Brookline’s school district pushed back on claims that it failed to adequately respond to alleged racial harassment and bullying of a student at the Lawrence School. The district released a statement Wednesday afternoon, five days after providing a formal, confidential… Continue reading Brookline schools dispute claim of inaction on racial bullying
Proposed Brookline Village daycare gets pushback over parking, neighborhood ‘integrity’
In Brookline Village, a proposed four-story daycare center has forced residents to grapple with two of Brookline’s shortages: childcare and curb space. Little Children Schoolhouse is planning to demolish the existing one-story building at 264 Washington Street in order to build a new 10,688-square-foot daycare. The proposed facility would host an estimated 117 children from… Continue reading Proposed Brookline Village daycare gets pushback over parking, neighborhood ‘integrity’
Three years in, Superintendent Linus Guillory is getting good grades despite controversies
Superintendent of schools used to be a long-time gig in Brookline. Before 2015, only 13 people had held that job in 142 years, according to data from the district. That’s no longer the case. In the past nine years, seven people have been superintendent on a permanent, acting, or interim basis. So when it was… Continue reading Three years in, Superintendent Linus Guillory is getting good grades despite controversies
Brookline library unveils new automated sorter
The Public Library of Brookline unveiled an automated materials handling system last week, following library systems in Newton and Wellesley in installing the high-tech sorting apparatus. The automated materials handling system is a system of conveyor belts located in what was once the circulation room at the library’s Brookline Village branch. The belts are programmed… Continue reading Brookline library unveils new automated sorter
U.S. Department of Education to investigate alleged racial bullying at Lawrence School
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation into the Lawrence School, where a student allegedly suffered racial bullying and harassment multiple times during the 2023-24 school year. The investigation comes in response to a complaint filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights on behalf of MC Henry, a Black eighth-grade student… Continue reading U.S. Department of Education to investigate alleged racial bullying at Lawrence School