The School Committee has appointed Robin Benoit, a science teacher and middle school administrator, to serve as the district’s interim deputy superintendent of teaching and learning. Benoit, who most recently worked as a middle school principal in the Mendon-Upton Regional School District in central Massachusetts, will succeed Jodi Fortuna, who came to Brookline in 2023.… Continue reading School Committee appoints interim deputy superintendent of teaching and learning
Category: Education
Student, teacher burned in summer school chemistry class fire at BHS
A Brookline High School student and teacher were burned when a fire broke out on July 3 during a chemistry experiment in a summer school class, according to Brookline and state fire authorities. The student, a 15-year-old, was treated at the scene by Brookline firefighters and taken to Boston Children’s Hospital for first- and second-degree… Continue reading Student, teacher burned in summer school chemistry class fire at BHS
In Brookline, 23% of students identify as Asian. Just 6% of their teachers do. The gap poses challenges for both.
For Ashley Eng, an Asian American student who graduated from Brookline High School in 2019, interacting with teachers who didn’t share her background was not always easy. In math class, she said, “I would see my teacher stopping at students’ desks to ask if they need help, but not really Asian students because of the… Continue reading In Brookline, 23% of students identify as Asian. Just 6% of their teachers do. The gap poses challenges for both.
Recreation Department set to take over BACE programming
The Recreation Department is finalizing a plan to take over public education programming for Brookline adults, children and seniors, previously offered through the nonprofit Brookline Adult and Community Education. Tim Davis, the town’s recreation director, gave the update at a Park and Recreation Commission meeting on Tuesday. Discussions between BACE, the School Committee and the… Continue reading Recreation Department set to take over BACE programming
Alumni golf tournament helps fund scholarships for 17 students in BHS class of 2025
Maria Udalova, who graduated from Brookline High School this month, will attend George Washington University this fall with her first year fully paid — thanks in part to a scholarship awarded in the memory of a lifelong resident. Udalova, who helped found Brookline’s Students for Nuclear Disarmament club and lobbied at the U.N. as a… Continue reading Alumni golf tournament helps fund scholarships for 17 students in BHS class of 2025
New parent group aims to reduce kids’ screen time, hold off on smartphones
A growing group of parents in Brookline are teaming up to try something new to keep their kids off screens. With mounting evidence surrounding the negative impacts of smartphones and social media, particularly on the developing brains of children and teens, groups and coalitions across the country have pledged to delay introducing children to smartphones… Continue reading New parent group aims to reduce kids’ screen time, hold off on smartphones
School Committee hires Bella Wong, Brookline native who led three other school districts, as interim superintendent
The School Committee unanimously voted to appoint Bella Wong, a former science teacher who most recently served as interim superintendent of Natick Public Schools, to serve as interim superintendent for the Public Schools of Brookline during the 2025-26 school year. Wong has 16 years of superintendent experience across the Wellesley Public Schools, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School… Continue reading School Committee hires Bella Wong, Brookline native who led three other school districts, as interim superintendent
Budget cuts force Brookline Education Foundation to rethink mission as teachers lose training funds
Teachers in Brookline will receive significantly less funding next school year for non-mandatory professional development, leading a Brookline nonprofit that raises private funds for educators and administrators to re-evaluate the grants it provides. The Brookline Education Foundation was founded in 1981 and has allocated more than $6 million around the district since then, for initiatives… Continue reading Budget cuts force Brookline Education Foundation to rethink mission as teachers lose training funds
Four finalists chosen for interim superintendent position
The screening committee tasked with appointing an interim superintendent for the Public Schools of Brookline has selected four candidates as finalists, and the School Committee will interview each candidate publicly next week. The screening committee privately interviewed six candidates between June 3 and 11, and aims to finalize a contract for the interim superintendent by… Continue reading Four finalists chosen for interim superintendent position
BHS celebrates the graduating class of 2025
Friends and family gathered at Cypress Field on Sunday to celebrate the 531 graduates of Brookline High School’s Class of 2025. The graduation ceremony opened with a welcome from Associate Dean Jenny Longmire, followed by multilingual greetings from international students in celebration of the more than 70 languages spoken throughout Brookline High hallways. Sarah Moghtader,… Continue reading BHS celebrates the graduating class of 2025
Longtime School Committee member’s exit marks new chapter for Brookline schools
Helen Charlupski, long-time School Committee member known for pioneering early education and playing a role in nearly every major school renovation in Brookline since the 1990s, ended a 33-year tenure when she was not re-elected in May. In an interview with Brookline.News, Charlupski said she feels “really pleased” with what she accomplished during her decades… Continue reading Longtime School Committee member’s exit marks new chapter for Brookline schools
Search for interim superintendent moving forward amid disagreement over process, racial equity
The School Committee’s effort to find a short-term replacement for resigning superintendent Linus Guillory is underway, moving quickly but marked with tension and disagreement over the search process and how to take into account racial equity when hiring district leaders. A 22-person Interim Superintendent Preliminary Screening Committee is tasked with hiring an interim superintendent for… Continue reading Search for interim superintendent moving forward amid disagreement over process, racial equity
Community responds to outside auditor’s report on Brookline school finances
The report published on May 20 by CliftonLarsonAllen, an auditing firm brought in to review issues with school finances in Brookline, elicited strong reactions from the community. To try to capture some of the wide range of responses and opinions, Brookline.News is publishing a collection of written pieces from community leaders and members, waiving our… Continue reading Community responds to outside auditor’s report on Brookline school finances
School Committee rejects six-figure gift that would have revived equity office
Brookline’s School Committee on Thursday declined a $188,455 gift that would have partially reinstated the district’s equity office, which was eliminated in March to help close a budget gap for fiscal year 2026. The money, which was raised by a coalition of Brookline groups over the past two months, would have funded one assistant director… Continue reading School Committee rejects six-figure gift that would have revived equity office
Outside investigation confirms fiscal mismanagement in school admin, warns of future deficits
An outside auditor’s review of Brookline’s school finances and operations, released on Tuesday by the town, revealed that financial mismanagement by school administrators has contributed to budgetary crises in the district. According to auditing firm CliftonLarsonAllen, rising salaries and special education costs in the schools are “not sustainable” and will force more budget cuts in… Continue reading Outside investigation confirms fiscal mismanagement in school admin, warns of future deficits
Superintendent’s departure leaves big questions unanswered for Brookline’s schools
Editor’s note: This story was published before the release of an outside auditor’s review of financial management in the Public Schools of Brookline. Read more about that here. Another superintendent is leaving Brookline, and the community is torn about why. Linus Guillory, who made history as Brookline’s first Black superintendent, announced in April that he… Continue reading Superintendent’s departure leaves big questions unanswered for Brookline’s schools
AAPI students share their ‘superpowers’ in tenth annual essay contest
For nine years, the Brookline Asian American Family Network essay contest asked “What does it mean to be Asian American?” This year, co-chairs Susan Park and Giles Li asked a new question of the young writers. They wanted to know the gifts — or “superpowers” — students learn as Asian Americans. Brookline high schoolers read… Continue reading AAPI students share their ‘superpowers’ in tenth annual essay contest
Here is every cut the School Committee has made to next year’s budget
In March, the School Committee was tasked with closing a roughly $8.2-million budget gap for fiscal year 2026, which starts July 1. After weeks of deliberation — and not without controversy — the School Committee closed the gap on May 1. Beginning in March, administrators including Superintendent Linus Guillory and Brookline High School Head of School Anthony… Continue reading Here is every cut the School Committee has made to next year’s budget
Brookline High school science class creates Climate Change Time Capsule
A chunk of coral, a deck of cards, a children’s book about dinosaur fossils, and a pair of bird watching binoculars. Those seemingly random objects were some of the items that local high schoolers chose to preserve for the next 25 years underneath the playground at Cypress Field on Tappan Street. On Friday, May 9,… Continue reading Brookline High school science class creates Climate Change Time Capsule
A gas leak, a lost job, and a legal fight: How a Brookline special education teacher ‘disappeared’
A natural gas leak at the Lincoln School. A slew of medical complications — and later, life-changing diagnoses. A job lost, then a position eliminated, allegedly leaving students without special education services. And now, complicated and drawn-out legal battles with the state and the district. These events encompass the past year and a half for… Continue reading A gas leak, a lost job, and a legal fight: How a Brookline special education teacher ‘disappeared’