The decision by School Committee Chairperson Pat Milano to resign from the School Committee, coming on the heels of the resignation of colleague Gus Martucci less than two weeks ago, leaves a serious void in the leadership of our School Department.
Mrs. Milano’s resignation follows the Council’s decision to take $240,000 from the school budget for the coming year. It’s clear from the story in this week’s Sun Transcript that Pat didn’t feel that decision was the right one for the schools.
Throughout her 10 years of service on the School Committee, Pat has been both a strong advocate for the schools and a leader who bridged the gap between the schools and those who have been critical of the schools.
The chief reason for Pat’s effectiveness during her tenure on the School Committee was that she is universally regarded as one of the most dedicated members of our community with regard to matters involving our children. She has shown her commitment to the town’s youth as the program coordinator for CASA (Community Against Substance Abuse) and the co-founder of the Winthrop Youth Center.
We need people like Pat Milano, a community leader, a parent, and someone who understands the town, to be on the School Committee. She has been a valued member of the Committee for a long time and we wish she were staying on the Committee.
We thank her for her outstanding service to the community.