Facing a $2.44 million budget deficit, Brookline’s school district is planning to cut all or a significant portion of its world language program for kindergarten through fifth grade next year and is weighing laying off approximately 20 employees. The cuts come as district-wide expenses are outpacing the town’s revenue, driven in part by inflation-related surges… Continue reading Brookline schools planning layoffs, cutting world language classes for K-5 students
Category: Schools
2023 town salaries: Police officers dominate list of highest-paid employees
Nineteen of the 20 highest paid Brookline employees in 2023 were police officers, according to payroll data for last year obtained through a public records request. The town’s highest paid employee was Patrol Officer Robert Mayer, who took home $382,566.53, including $149,184 for details and $104,736.89 for overtime. Mayer’s base salary was $65,194.18. School district… Continue reading 2023 town salaries: Police officers dominate list of highest-paid employees
Brookline 19-year-old Ada Korkhin is on the verge of making the 2024 Olympics in a unique sport
Ada Korkhin just couldn’t get over how big everything was. The shooting range. The hotel. The list of countries her competitors came from. The summer after graduating from the Edward Devotion School (now Florida Ruffin Ridley) in 2019, the Brookline native traveled to Suhl, Germany for the International Shooting Sport Federation Junior World Championships. Five… Continue reading Brookline 19-year-old Ada Korkhin is on the verge of making the 2024 Olympics in a unique sport
School Committee votes down BHS plan to expand unleveled English course to all ninth graders
The Brookline School Committee has rejected a controversial plan by district administrators to transition to a fully unleveled ninth grade English course next year. Thursday’s decision, by a 7-2 vote, followed three weeks of vocal criticism of the plan by some parents, who argued a fully unleveled course would diminish academic rigor. After district administrators… Continue reading School Committee votes down BHS plan to expand unleveled English course to all ninth graders
Q&A: School Committee vice chair Andy Liu on possible changes to ninth grade courses
Earlier this month, two days after administrators at Brookline High School announced they would transition to a fully unleveled ninth grade English course next year, the School Committee stepped in to pause the controversial course change. The School Committee is now expected to vote on February 29 on whether to move forward with expanding the… Continue reading Q&A: School Committee vice chair Andy Liu on possible changes to ninth grade courses
‘Bike buses’ aim to help students safely skip the car ride to school
On a Wednesday morning in February, Yugo Shimada, a third-grade student at the Lincoln School, bundled up in his winter jacket, gloves, and helmet to go to school. He did not hop on to a school bus or into a car: he grabbed his bike and joined a group of students and parents in a… Continue reading ‘Bike buses’ aim to help students safely skip the car ride to school
Photos and video: Demolition underway at old Driscoll School
[metaslider id=30818] Demotion of the old Driscoll School has begun, three months after the new K-8 building opened on Washington Street. Crews will continue taking down the historic building over the coming weeks, and the town is planning to build playing fields on the site later this spring. On Saturday, Rachel DeYoung and Torrence Chrisman… Continue reading Photos and video: Demolition underway at old Driscoll School
School Committee steps in to pause controversial ninth-grade course changes
A contentious change to the ninth-grade English course at Brookline High School is temporarily on pause after the School Committee stepped in at its meeting on Thursday. On Tuesday, administrators announced plans to transition to a fully unleveled ninth-grade English course next year, no longer separating students into honors and standard classes, as part of… Continue reading School Committee steps in to pause controversial ninth-grade course changes
High school moves forward with ninth grade course changes amid parent concerns
Update: The high school’s plan for an unleveled English course for ninth-grade is now on pause following Thursday’s School Committee meeting. For more, click here to read our latest story. A multi-year effort to redesign Brookline High School’s ninth grade curriculum will move forward next year, despite opposition from some parents who fear that the… Continue reading High school moves forward with ninth grade course changes amid parent concerns
Schools ask for 6% budget increase next year
Brookline’s superintendent has requested $138.6 million to fund the town’s school district in 2024-25, which would be a 6% increase over this year’s budget and approximately $940,000 over the district’s forecasted allocation from the town for next year. The request, laid out by Deputy Superintendent for Administration and Finance Susan Givens during last week’s School… Continue reading Schools ask for 6% budget increase next year
Norm Finkelstein, school librarian and acclaimed author, dies at 82
Norman H. Finkelstein, a librarian for decades at the Devotion School, died on Jan. 5 at the age of 82. Finkelstein, who died of an unexpected illness, had several branches of his professional career, including as an acclaimed author of young adult books, many of them focused on Jewish subjects, according to an obituary in… Continue reading Norm Finkelstein, school librarian and acclaimed author, dies at 82
Marijuana use has decreased among Brookline High School students in last 10 years, study finds
This story was published in collaboration with Meghan E. Irons’ Reporting in Depth class at Boston University’s College of Communication. At the end of October, the town of Brookline released its Marijuana Landscape Assessment, which sought to provide insight into the effects of marijuana on the community and particularly on youth. The study used results from the… Continue reading Marijuana use has decreased among Brookline High School students in last 10 years, study finds
Jewish, Israeli high school seniors wrestle with college decisions amid campus antisemitism fears
As reports spread about increased incidents of antisemitism on college campuses since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, some Jewish high school seniors are rethinking the mix of schools to which they are applying. The shifts range from ruling out specific schools to making plans to avoid American colleges altogether. “I want to feel safe… Continue reading Jewish, Israeli high school seniors wrestle with college decisions amid campus antisemitism fears
School employees’ Social Security numbers exposed by HR office email mishap
The Brookline schools’ human resources office sent an email on Friday to approximately 900 employees that included a link to a document that mistakenly contained the Social Security numbers of employees, according to emails obtained by Brookline.News. The Social Security numbers appeared on the second tab of a spreadsheet distributed Friday to employees that lists… Continue reading School employees’ Social Security numbers exposed by HR office email mishap
A costly payroll failure: Brookline schools paid $500,000 in damages to settle late-pay claims
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
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
School officials violated law by emailing information on May ballot questions to parents, state finds
The state Office of Campaign and Political Finance found that Brookline school officials violated campaign finance laws by sending emails with information about ballot questions to parents ahead of the May election. In a letter to the town sent on Nov. 28, OCPF Director William Campbell said that the use of Brookline schools’ “staff time,… Continue reading School officials violated law by emailing information on May ballot questions to parents, state finds
Clara Delcamino-Yang balances ice and school
Editor’s note: This story is being published in partnership with The Cypress, the student newspaper of Brookline High School. Read the original story here. Figure skating. School. Homework. Senior Clara Delcamino-Yang has learned how to balance her sport with the other important pieces of her life. Delcamino-Yang started ice skating when she was 5 years old. She has… Continue reading Clara Delcamino-Yang balances ice and school