This blog post will provide an update on the Dale Street Project and the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget. Please remember to follow me at @JeffreyJMarsden and @DaleStProject for updates on Twitter. Search #medfieldps to see all of the great experiences happening in our schools. Don't forget to join the over 1,300 people that have downloaded our new app from the Apple Store or Google Play. Search "Medfield Public Schools, MA"
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Dale Street Project Update
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| School Committee Chair Anna Mae O'Shea Brooke sharing at a recent visioning meeting. |
Last week, a design team from Arrowstreet met with all teachers and staff to hear about their learning goals and priorities. This information will be used as the basis for the creation of the Dale Street Educational Plan. This plan is required by the Massachusetts Schoool Building Authority (MSBA) and is a key document in the design process. Also, members of the design team, our project manager, the Chair of the School Building Committee, Mike Quinlan, and I met with the Medfield Energy Committee to discuss sustainability features for the potential new school.
Two major decisions related to the project will take place during the spring; site selection and grade configuration. Our focus for site selection was on town-owned land with potential for school construction. The following sites were reviewed: Red Gate Farm, McCarthy Park, Hospital Hill/Sledding Hill, Hospital Campus, Dale Street School (existing site), and Wheelock site (land behind the school). It was determined that the only two viable sites are the Dale Street site and the Wheelock site. More analysis and public input will be done on both sites prior to any decision. Another major decision is related to the grade configuration of the new school. The MSBA has given us two options; a Grades 4 and 5 school or a Grades 3,4, and 5 school. Projected student enrollment, teacher/staff input, as well as parent/community input will all be considered before any decision is made. To participate in the Dale Street School grade configuration survey click here.
The Dale Street School Project website can be found here.
The Dale Street School Project website can be found here.
FY21 Initial Budget
It is that time of year again as we begin to build the budget for the 2020-2021 school year or also called the Fiscal Year 2021 Budget. After many meetings with principals, directors and department leaders, we presented an initial budget to the Medfield School Committee on December 19th. School Committee members Jess Reilly and Meghan Glenn are serving on the FY21 Budget Subcommittee. This version of the budget is our first pass "draft" which includes additional personnel and supplies requested from each building. The current budget increase stands at 4.02%. The FY21 Public Hearing will take place on January 30th at 7:30 PM in the Lowell Mason Auditorium at MHS. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
The Initial FY21 Budget presentation and a detailed line item FY21 Budget can be found here.
The Initial FY21 Budget presentation and a detailed line item FY21 Budget can be found here.
Did you know?
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| Our SEL Task Force at a recent meeting. This group of students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members is tackling important issues such as student and teacher wellness, school schedules, and student use of mobile devices. |
- You can now access the same documents and informational items the Medfield School Committee receives prior to each meeting. Many items of interest can be found here.
- The Office of Social Emotional Learning has a great website with outstanding resources for students and parents including Challenge Success and SEL Task Force. Click here.
- Medfield is a member of INTERFACE- a referral service for mental health support. Their helpline is 617-332-3666 X1411 or 888-244-6843 X1411.
