Maintaining Excellence
We have one of the top-performing districts in Massachusetts, with a long track record of success. Our outstanding staff of the Needham Public Schools and our district leadership team make that happen every day. Our first responsibility as a School Committee is to ensure that we in turn are supporting them and providing the resources they need.
Rebuilding Pollard
Securing community support for rebuilding Pollard is the next and critical step in the creation of a new Pollard Middle School.
Our 2020 Facilities Master Plan update and the education plans developed by our principals led to our decision that a rebuilt Pollard serving grades 6-8 would best meet our students’ educational needs, preserve a unique 6th grade experience and be the most cost-effective solution for our community.
Creating a flexible learning environment that supports a range of learning systems is part of the design. At a critical time in their youth, the re-imagined Pollard experience will ensure our students’ successful transition to high school and adulthood.
Our recent acceptance into the schematic design phase of the MSBA process puts us on track to secure MSBA funding that will reduce the overall cost of the project to Needham taxpayers. The amount of funding received depends on a complex set of factors. Based on research I have done, reimbursement in the range of 20% of the total project costs is a reasonable estimate.
I was an early advocate for the inclusion of a 750-seat theatre in the Pollard Project. The theatre meets a vital need for our middle and high school performing arts program, and it will be a community-wide resource for the performing arts in Needham.
Supporting student resilience and student success
Providing high quality instruction and a range of curricular & co-curricular opportunities is essential, but not sufficient. We must also be helping our youth grow into healthy, resilient, well-educated adults during a challenging and stressful time nationally and globally. I will continue to prioritize recruiting, hiring and support of the incredibly talented, caring and committed staff who successfully nurture, teach, support and challenge our students. I will continue to support implementation of innovative curriculum, collaborative skills, and social and emotional learning into a sustainable, flexible learning environment.