I have always admired the numerous townspeople who volunteer their time and skills to make Hopkinton such a great place to live. I especially respect those willing to step up and take on the more time demanding public role of School Committee Member.
Amy Ritterbusch's latest blog explains why you should vote for her.
Cathy Macleod will start her three-year contract with the Hopkinton School Department on July 1.
The Hopkinton Public School Department has announced that the School Committee signed a contract with Cathy MacLeod to lead the district for the next three years. MacLeod will be the fourth superintendent in as many years and will be the permanent replacement for Jonathan Landman who resigned last May. MacLeod will be paid an annual salary of $170,000 during her first contract. Although MacLeod will be finishing the year as the Assistant Superintendent of the Easton Public Schools, she will begin the transition process by visiting the district monthly prior to her start date. This will help her get aquinted with the district but will also allow MacLeod to assist in the selection of a new High School Principal and a new Center School …
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Hopkinton Selectmen Brian Herr says the Superintendent Search Committee worked hard to achieve their goal and hire Cathy MacLeod.
Dear Editor, Last week the Hopkinton School Committee selected Cathy MacLeod to serve the citizens of Hopkinton as the next Superintendent of Schools. Their decision followed a very thorough process I was pleased to participate in, along with several other Hopkinton residents, as a member of the Superintendent Search Committee. The Superintendent Search Committee reviewed dozens of resumes, pared the list of candidates down to those that met specific qualifications articulated by the community, interviewed each of the semi-finalists over several nights, scored those interviews numerically, and finally, voted a slate of candidates to move forward to the School Committee. Thereafter, the School Committee conducted further interviews, …
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Last night the Hopkinton School Committee discussed their ideas for the next leader of the district.
After weeks of interviews and months of preparation, the Hopkinton School Committee has voted to enter contract negotiations with Cathy MacLeod. MacLeod is currently the Assistant Superintendent at Easton Public Schools and previously worked as an elementary principal in Pembroke. According to School Committee members, MacLeod will bring a willingness to learn and a vision that will compensate for her lack of superintendent experience. "Initially I was unsure because Cathy had not been a superintendent yet," Jean Bertschmann said. "Then I went on the site visits and saw how much she worked hand-in-hand with the Superintendent." The discussion was quickly narrowed down to a choice between MacLeod and Interim-Superintended Stephen Hiersche…
With several weeks of application reviews and interviews under their belts, the Hopkinton School Committee has narrowed the field to one candidate to fill the interim superintendent position.
Last night the Hopkinton School Committee held an hour-long discussion about who should be selected as superintendent for the next year, and at the end of the night Steven Hiersche was the only candidate to gain approval. Although members made it clear this is not a commitment to hire Hiersche, they see him as a person that can lead the school system. “I can see him doing this job but it’s very important to check references. The ability to form positive relationships is very important and that’s what we’re going to find out,” School Committee member Jean Bertschmann said. “I think his experience is very relevant to what we have on the table now in our district.” Hiersche has experience in the region and has dealt with many of the problems…
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After years of discussion and planning, the School Committee voted on Thursday night to begin the pilot program for the 1:1 initiative for the class of 2016.
It's a discussion that the School Committee has been having for more than three years: what is the proper way to begin a program that would have every student using a laptop? Last night, they approved a plan that would allow students the options of leasing a computer through the school or bringing their own computer to school with them daily. Community feedback around the initiative has been discussed for the past few months, since the schools came up with a plan that would involve leasing of computers. Most of the feedback from the community yesterday was focused on the cost of the MacBook's that the schools opted to go with. "The cost is extreme, this initiative could be done with 1/3 of the cost so I feel that it is a strain on the …
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Hopkinton Resident Mary Murphy believes Jean Bertschmann is the right candidate to elect for School Committee on May 21.
Hopkinton Patch welcomes Letters to the Editor supporting candidates in the upcoming town elections. We will do everything th make sure all letters that are submitted by May 17. We will not run any letters on the day of the election. Letters can be submitted to sean.odonnell@patch.com. My name is Mary Murphy and I am supporting Jean Bertschmann for School Committee because she is a hard worker and has a wealth of history and knowledge about the Hopkinton schools. With 4 children (often spanning one in each school), she didn’t just sit back and watch things happen- she got involved! I worked with Jean when we both served on the HHS School Council. I have observed her to be a level headed, thoughtful leader. She has a quiet way of listening …
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The School Committee looked at what changes to the math curriculum look like in the programs of studies and heard updates about several other ongoing issues in the school community.
1. The Middle School and High School programs of studies were presented before the School Committee for approval at last night’s meeting. The major change at the Middle School was the alignment with the mathematics common core. The changes at the high school also focused around the courses in the math program. “Basically all of the math topics [geometry, algebra, etc.] are being re-orchestrated,” Geary said. 2. Superintendent Jonathan Landman announced that the screening committee has narrowed down the list of potential candidates for Elmwood School Principal to four. Landman said their names will be announced soon and there will be a public forum with them on March 26. 3. Center School Physical Education teacher Dan Norton presented the …
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Budget cuts are eyed to meet Town Manager recommendations and the Superintendent updates the committee on the search for a new principal at Elmwood.
1. After a budget recommendation by Town Manager that is $127,000 lower than what the School Committee requested, members looked at what needs to be done to rectify the difference. Although Finance Director Ralph Dumas was not at the meeting, he did submit a list of ways to cut the difference out. The list included a reduction in the purchase and leasing of new copiers, the removal of a crossing guard and potential savings by having a new principal at Elmwood School next year. Two items on the list the committee did not agree with were cutting the replacement of several countertops at the Center School and not replacing some of the carpets at the Elmwood School. The committee did not make a final decision tonight but did establish that …
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Dana Hall
3:39 pm on Friday, June 15, 2012
I will be making a blog in the future. To clarify, Dr Landman is not Superintendent. He resigned last week and the school committee accepted his resignation last Thursday. Dr DeMello was appointed acting Superintendent last Thursday. It is actually an insult to the community that Dr Landman was asked for his recommendation, he had "resigned" and actually has no official title with the school … more ›