Outgoing Members Honored

The Winthrop School Committee met on Dec. 20 in the Harvey Hearing Room of Town Hall, where it honored outgoing Chairman Brian Perrin and outgoing member Phil Boncore.

The committee presented distinguished service awards to outgoing Chairman Brian Perrin and outgoing member Phil Boncore. Perrin sat on the School Committee for the past 12 years, and Boncore for the past two.

The men were praised for their “strong positive impact” on education in the town of Winthrop, and for their “genuine concern for young people.”

“We’re lucky to have these guys,” said Committee Member Gus Martucci. “I feel fortunate to have worked with them. We’re going to miss them.”

“I’ve learned a lot from them,” said Supt. Lisa Howard. “They’ve never given up on this town.”

Perrin, who has served on numerous boards and committees over the past 33 years, said his tenure on the School Committee was one of the most challenging.

“I want to recognize Supt. Howard and her faculty for all they do everyday to make Winthrop the best school system it can be,” he said.

Perrin also congratulated the incoming members of the School Committee, and encouraged them to collaborate with respect and to listen to their constituents.

School Committee Vacancy

A joint meeting of the School Committee and the Town Council will be held in the new year, which will allow for newly elected members of both boards to vote on the empty School Committee seat.

Boncore originally scheduled the meeting for Dec. 21, but this meeting failed to reach a quorum. He argued that the new councilors haven’t had the opportunity to hear from constituents as far as who they should vote for to fill the seat, and that the decision should fall to outgoing councilors. However, School Committee members pushed back.

“It’s unreasonable to expect outgoing members to vote on incoming members,” said Julie Barry, and claimed that Boncore scheduled the meeting after the School Committee made it clear it couldn’t convene on that date.

Committee Vice-Chair Jennifer Powell agreed, adding that committee members should have the chance to vote for the people they will be serving alongside.

COVID

In an unexpected spike, seven school staff tested positive for COVID-19. The district is “trying to be as creative as possible” to manage teacher absences, with principals taking over classes and staff being shared across schools. The district is working closely with the Dept. of Public Health on contact tracing and updating parents on potential exposure.

Supt. Howard urged families to “stay as safe as possible” during the upcoming holiday break, so as not to delay a return to full-time school.

“The goal is for students to come back and not lose learning time,” she said. “As much as families can help, we would appreciate that.”

Supt. Howard also reminded parents to submit their children’s vaccinations records to the district as soon as possible.

General Updates

There is an immediate opening for an Extra Support Person (ESP) at the elementary school due to an illness unrelated to COVID-19.

Shore Educational Collaborative received a clean audit, showing a budget surplus of over $200,000. The school remains more affordable than other collaboratives. It is currently working on crafting its mission statement, to be reported at its next meeting. Six Winthrop students currently attend Shore Collaborative.