LIVE BLOG: Don Taggart Appointed New School Committee Member

The vote was 6-5 for Don Taggart. Town Meeting member Bob Berman received 5 votes.

Tonight at 6:30 in the Memorial Building, there will be a joint meeting between the Framingham School Committee and Framingham Selectmen to appoint one of the three to the School Committee until April 2014. The seat is the remainder of the term for Michael Bower, who was elected to the Framingham Board of Selectmen last month. The candidates for School Committee are: At the meeting, each candidate will be given the opportunity to make an opening statement and then there will be time for Q&A between the candidates and the School Committee and Selectmen. Afterwards, there will be a public roll call vote in which each current School Committee member and Selectmen will announce whom they would like to appoint. The candidate that receives 6 …

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Framingham Schools to Have 4 Weeks of Vacation in 2013-14

Framingham School Committee unanimously approved the 2013-14 school calendar, including increasing the number of professional development days for teachers and early release days for middle school students.

Framingham Public School students will get four weeks of vacation next year instead of three, after the Framingham School Committee unanimously approved the 2013-14 school calendar Monday night. With Christmas 2013 falling on a Wednesday, Framingham Educational Operations Director Sonia Diaz proposed schools close on Friday, Dec. 20 and not re-open until Monday, Jan. 6 2014, a 2-week break. School Committee approved the recommendation. The 2013-14 school calendar also has both a February and April vacation scheduled; so parents would have four weeks of vacation during the year not three. School Committee member Andy Limeri said he was concerned with the two week break in December-January. He said it may be difficult for single parents and …

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3 Men Want To Be Appointed to Framingham School Committee

The Framingham School Committee and Selectmen will hold a joint meeting Wednesday to appoint one of the three candidates to replace Michael Bower, who was elected to the Board of Selectmen in April.

The Framingham School Committee received letters from three men, who would like to be appointed to the one-year School Committee seat. The seat is the remainder of the term for Michael Bower, who was elected to the Framingham Board of Selectmen last month. The candidates for School Committe are: Residents can read Berman's and Taggart's reasons for wanting the 1-year seat by clicking on their names above. Shapiro told Framingham Patch he did not wish to have a statement published. On Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m. in the Memorial Building, there will be a joint meeting between the Framingham School Committee and Framingham Selectmen to appoint one of the three to the School Committee until April 2014. At the meeting, each candidate will be given …

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MassBay College, Framingham Agree To 2-Year Lease Extension

Mass Bay Community College and Framingham have agreed to a 2-year lease extension for the college to use the former Farley School building Framingham Patch has learned.

UPDATED: 11 a.m. School Committee releasedits agenda and will vote onthe 2-year lease Monday night *** Framingham Patch has learned that MassBay Community College and Framingham has agreed, in terms, to a 2-year lease extension for the college to use the former Farley School building on Flagg Drive, next to Fuller Middle School and across from McCarthy Elementary School. Framingham School Committee is expected to approve a 2-year lease extension agreement, negotiated behind closed doors, for the college at its meeting on Monday night. Terms of the lease will not be released until after the vote. The college's original lease ends in August 2013. Framingham Town Meeting, earlier this month, approved $400,000 for the School Department to …

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Don Taggart Wants to be Appointed to 1-Year School Seat

Taggart: "Working on the School Committee, to me, is about helping the town's educational program move forward in a positive direction while listening to the interests, hopes, and worries of the town, the school administration and the school employees."

Below is the statement sent to Selectmen and School Committee members from Don Taggart, a Town Meetting member from Precinct, 5 who would like to be appointed to the one-year School Committee vacancy, when Michael Bower was elected Selectman. As many of you know, my interest and involvement in education has been a life-long endeavor. My career path encompassed teaching at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Students have always been my top priority and in my over twenty-five years at Weston High School, I cherish the memories of my academic and personal relationship with so many.  I have been able to keep in contact with many of them - some raising their children who are the same ages as my own boys! Aside from classroom …

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You Ask, Patch Answers

When Will the 2013-14 School Calendar Be Finalized?

One of the reasons for the delay in the vote of a 2013-14 Framingham Public School calendar, as some issues were part of the new Framingham Teachers Association contract.

Last week, a half dozen Framingham Patch readers asked when the Framingham Public School 2013-14 school calendar will be finalized. The week before, Patch heard from a handful of parents, too. The calendar is still in draft form and will need a vote by the Framingham School Committee before it is finalized. One of the reasons for the delay in the vote, was some of the items within the calendar needed to be approved (and negotiated with) the Framingham Teachers Association. The Framingham Teachers Association voted on the contract last Tuesday and the Framingham School Committee unanimously ratified it on Thursday night. The next scheduled School Committee meeting is Monday, May 20 and a vote on the school calendar is scheduled for that …

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School Committee Issues Statement on Teacher's Contract

Hugo: "Our goal for this contract was to balance the sometimes competing needs of avoiding structural deficits, rebuilding educationai services for our students and providing a fair contract for our teachers."

Press Release from Framingham School Committee Chair Beverly Hugo issued Friday morning, May 10: The Framingham School Committee is pleased to announce that the vote for ratification of the teacher's contract resulted in favor of ratification 7-0. This concludes the contract negotiation process for the Fiscal Years 2013-2015, which took over a year to complete. The collective bargaining process is a complicated one that attempts to resolve many conflicting concerns in view of the realities of cost and the best academic interests of our students. Under Massachusetts law, this process is to be carried out in a confidential setting. In this case, public announcements - while they allowed for transparency  ultimately slowed the pace of our …

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UPDATED: Teachers Association Votes in Favor of New Contract

Superintendent of Schools and Framingham School Committee issued statement on Monday announcing specific details of teachers agreement reached with union.

UPDATED 7:55 p.m.: Framingham Teachers Association voted 88 percent in favor of a new contract, said FTA President Sam Miskin. *** The Framingham School Committee issued a statement on Monday, May 6 that a  tentative agreement has been reached with the Framingham Teachers Association. Framingham Patch reported on April 10 that an agreement had been reached by the two sides in closed door negotiations. The agreement comes after over 12 months of negotiations, which at times were assisted by a state mediator. Framingham Teachers Association members will vote this afternoon (May 7) to ratify the contract at Fuller Middle School. They held an informational session for members at Fuller yesterday. The Framingham School Committee anticipates …

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Town Meeting Member Submits Name for 1-Year School Committee Seat

The father of two children has been active in town and the community.

Town Meeting member Bob Berman has submitted his name for the one-year seat on the Framingham School Committee. The seat became open when former School Committee member Mike Bower was elected to the Framingham Board of Selectmen last month. The School Committee has set a deadline of May 10 by 5 p.m. for applications for the one-year term. The position will be filed by a joint vote of the 6-member School Committee and the 5-member Board of Selectmen. Berman, a parent of two school-aged children, said he has been an active member of the community for more than 20 years. "I offer strong credentials, a unique perspective, and a deep understanding of the importance of education and what a quality school system means to our town," said Berman. "…

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Denise Zadina

9:20 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Wish I had a vote, because Bob would have mine.   more ›

Applicants Sought To Fill Seventh School Committee Seat

Framingham School Committee announced applicants should submit letter of interest, if they wish to be appointed to fill the seat vacated by newly-elected Selectmen Michael Bower.

Framingham School Committee is looking for candidates interested in serving the final year of Michael Bower's term.  Bower resigned from the School Committee immediately upon his election to the Board of Selectmen in Tuesday's town-wide vote. Bower and Charles Sisitsky were running unopposed for two Selectmen seats. The seventh seat on the School Committee will be filled by a joint vote of the Framingham Selectmen and the Framingham School Committee, according to a procedure outlined in Massachusetts General Laws. The School Committee announced its intention to fill the seat Wednesday night, th first step in the process. Newly-elected School Committee Chair Beverly Hugo said Selectmen will set a date for a joint meeting between the two …

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