Brookline’s public school district has paid roughly $500,000 in damages this year to settle late-wage claims brought by 173 employees. The claims stem from a systemic payroll failure during the summer of 2022 that led the district to miss some paychecks entirely and to underpay employees in others, according to around a dozen interviews and… Continue reading A costly payroll failure: Brookline schools paid $500,000 in damages to settle late-pay claims
Category: Education
BHS launches indoor farm to help supply its cafeteria and teach students about sustainability
This story was published in collaboration with Meghan E. Irons’ Reporting in Depth class at Boston University’s College of Communication. On a recent evening in Brookline High School’s cafeteria, Todd Bard of the indoor farming company EVANLee Organics gathered students, parents and teachers around the tables and had them get their hands dirty as they planted seeds… Continue reading BHS launches indoor farm to help supply its cafeteria and teach students about sustainability
Enrollment in Brookline schools still below pre-pandemic levels
Total student enrollment in Brookline’s public schools remains roughly 10% below pre-pandemic levels, but Brookline High School has an all-time high number of students, according to data released last week by the school district. The data, which was collected on October 1, shows that a gradual post-pandemic resurgence in enrollment in recent years has halted.… Continue reading Enrollment in Brookline schools still below pre-pandemic levels
News in brief: Former Lincoln principal dies, Green Line closure coming next week
Long-time Lincoln principal dies Barbara Shea, who helped transform the Lincoln School during her 16 years as its principal, died on Nov. 28. Shea was appointed principal of the school in the fall of 1990, and she oversaw a physical move and a cultural shift that led the school to raise its academic achievement. She… Continue reading News in brief: Former Lincoln principal dies, Green Line closure coming next week
Brookline schools provide new resources to educators on Israel-Hamas war
Brookline school officials have distributed a new list of resources to help educators support students who are grappling with the Israel-Hamas war. The new list, which includes an activity from Facing History and Ourselves as well as articles from UNICEF and the American Psychological Association, replaces an initial list that Superintendent Linus Guillory retracted after… Continue reading Brookline schools provide new resources to educators on Israel-Hamas war
Q&A: Malcolm Cawthorne on the METCO program, testing and the culture of Brookline schools
Malcolm Cawthorne has seen the Brookline Public Schools from all angles: as a student, teacher and now an administrator. As Brookline’s METCO director, he leads the town’s participation in a voluntary desegregation program operating since 1966 to bring students from Boston to suburban schools. Through METCO – the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity – about… Continue reading Q&A: Malcolm Cawthorne on the METCO program, testing and the culture of Brookline schools
A look inside the new Driscoll School
[metaslider id=23103] The new Driscoll School on Washington Street officially opened on Monday after years of construction. When Brookline.News visited the new building on Friday, there were just a few final touches in the works as teachers and staff moved in and prepared for their students to join them. The 58,215 square-foot building has 36… Continue reading A look inside the new Driscoll School
News in brief: State pitching in more for Pierce, former BHS headmaster passes away
State increases contribution for Pierce School project The state’s school building agency will send more money to Brookline for construction of a new Pierce School, saving taxpayers more than $7 million. Because of the rising costs of construction and materials, the Massachusetts School Building Authority recently announced that it is increasing the caps on construction… Continue reading News in brief: State pitching in more for Pierce, former BHS headmaster passes away
Sarah Moghtader appointed to School Committee seat
Select Board and School Committee members chose Sarah Moghtader, a Brookline parent and former teacher in the district, to fill a vacancy on Brookline’s School Committee until the next town election in May. Moghtader replaces former School Committee member Nancy Rhei Gorer, who resigned in August to spend more time closer to family. Moghtader was… Continue reading Sarah Moghtader appointed to School Committee seat
Brookline superintendent apologizes after email on Israel that “fell short”
Brookline schools’ superintendent Linus Guillory apologized on Wednesday for a message sent to community members in response to the attacks in Israel which he acknowledged “fell short.” The Public Schools of Brookline’s initial response to the attacks, an email sent to its community on Monday, raised a furor among Israelis, Jews and a number of… Continue reading Brookline superintendent apologizes after email on Israel that “fell short”
Building Commission puts off decision on Pierce School demolition timing
Brookline officials tabled a decision about the path forward for building a new Pierce School, leaving the timing of relocation for students and staff up in the air. The town’s Building Commission voted on Tuesday to authorize the preparation of architectural drawings for an “early release” demolition of the school, but put off until March… Continue reading Building Commission puts off decision on Pierce School demolition timing
Brookline High School grapples with ballooning class sizes
Cuts to teaching positions coupled with a spike in student enrollment have caused some Brookline High School class sizes to balloon as high as 35 students and prevented some students from taking certain courses entirely, according to administrators, teachers, and students. Upper level — honors, advanced, and advanced placement — core-subject courses for juniors and… Continue reading Brookline High School grapples with ballooning class sizes
Brookline educators open up about their experiences in the classroom
A group of six Brookline educators chosen as this year’s Margaret Metzger Fellows took to a stage at the Lincoln School on Friday night to share a wide range of personal and professional experiences from their classrooms and counseling offices. The annual fellowship is organized by the Brookline Education Foundation and the family of Margaret… Continue reading Brookline educators open up about their experiences in the classroom
How Brookline schools are dealing with COVID-19 in 2023
Much has changed since March 12, 2020, when an email went out to parents in Brookline telling them that public schools were about to close for two weeks. Now students who test positive for COVID-19 are required to self-isolate for five days, according to Student Health Services Coordinator Tricia Laham. If their symptoms improve and… Continue reading How Brookline schools are dealing with COVID-19 in 2023
MCAS scores show vast racial achievement gap remains in Brookline schools
The state’s 2023 MCAS results released last week show the persistence of a large racial achievement gap in test scores among Brookline students. In third through eighth grades, 76% of Black students and 60% of Hispanic students did not fully meet expectations in math, compared with 26% of white students and 14% of Asian students.… Continue reading MCAS scores show vast racial achievement gap remains in Brookline schools
Town looking to fill School Committee vacancy after Rhei-Gorer steps down
Brookline School Committee member Nancy Rhei-Gorer has stepped down, leaving a vacancy for which members of the public can apply. Rhei-Gorer, who was elected in 2022, said she is resigning to spend more time closer to her son who is in high school in a different state. “Making the decision to leave was one of… Continue reading Town looking to fill School Committee vacancy after Rhei-Gorer steps down
Pierce School demolition pushed back as project timeline remains uncertain
A revised timeline for rebuilding the Pierce School will push back demolition of the school until at least next summer, principal Jamie Yadoff wrote in a letter to families last week. The long-anticipated rebuild had been set to start next March, but following Town Meeting’s vote to fund the project in May, the town encountered… Continue reading Pierce School demolition pushed back as project timeline remains uncertain
Schools restore some K-5 world language classes after August hiring spree
An August hiring spree will allow Brookline’s schools to avoid fully implementing a plan announced last month to eliminate six grades of language instruction this year, Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Jodi Fortuna said in an interview with Brookline.News Wednesday. At Baker, Driscoll, Heath, and Lincoln, all students will receive language instruction this year.… Continue reading Schools restore some K-5 world language classes after August hiring spree
Teachers union asks for half day Friday amid heatwave
The Brookline teachers union is asking the Public Schools of Brookline to make Friday a half day because of an unexpected September heat wave. Temperatures reached 95 degrees in Brookline on Thursday and are forecast to hit the lower 90s again on Friday as the first week of school wraps up. Justin Brown, president of… Continue reading Teachers union asks for half day Friday amid heatwave
‘It’s the Wild West’: Brookline High administrators and teachers scramble to adapt to ChatGPT
As Brookline High School English teacher Robert Primmer graded his juniors’ papers last spring, he began to spot a peculiar trend. “There would be these quotes from the text that were supporting some idea, and the idea was in the book, but the quote wasn’t,” Primmer said. “It wasn’t what the writer had written in… Continue reading ‘It’s the Wild West’: Brookline High administrators and teachers scramble to adapt to ChatGPT